To turn the spotlight on Taiwan, the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris joined hands with the 45th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival to organize a series of events with the theme "2023 Country in Focus: Taiwan." A total of 67 works including 59 short films, five VR creations, and three works vying in the festival's "International Competition” will be screened between Jan. 27 and Feb. 4.
At this year's "Country in Focus," there are eight programs covering thrillers, restorations, student films, and VR works, presenting 64 films from Taiwan, including Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮)'s "The Skywalk is Gone (天橋不見了)," Sung Hsin-ying (宋欣穎)'s "On Happiness Road (幸福路上)," Shen Ko-shang (沈可尚)'s "Layover (與山)," Midi Z (趙德胤)'s "The Palace On The Sea (海上皇宮)," Huang Hsin-chien (黃心健)'s "Samsara (輪迴)," and "Red Tail (紅尾巴)" by Fish Wang (王登鈺). Moreover, three Taiwanese cinematic works are nominated to compete in the International Competition. Also, director Ho Wi-ding (何蔚庭) and actress Wu Ke-xi (吳可熙) will be on the International Jury and the Lab Jury, respectively.
The Kaohsiung Film Archive is responsible for Taiwan's booth at The Short Film Market in Clermont-Ferrand. With the help from the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) and Taipei National University of the Arts, professionals around the world were invited to meet up with Taiwanese film workers. It is hoped to promote Taiwanese content and find opportunities for international co-production.
The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival is France's largest film festival dedicated to short films. The first edition of the festival was held in 1982. In addition to the film competition, it also provided themed films for the public to watch, which won enthusiastic support from the audience. The festival transformed itself into a major international platform for short films in 1988. For more information, please visit the official website of the film festival.