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MORETFAI Confirms Leadership Reappointment and Unveils Next Five-Year Plan for Transformation into a Museum
The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) convened the first meeting of its third Board of Directors on May 28th. During the meeting, the Board approved Chairperson Arthur CHU’s nomination of Executive Director DU Li-chin, confirming her reappointment for a new term. The two leaders will continue to work together to advance the Institute’s long-term vision and development. The announcement was accompanied by the official launch of the “TFAI 2026-2030 Strategic Development Plan,” laying the foundation for TFAI’s transformation into a museum. Through this initiative, TFAI aims to further preserve, revitalize, and promote Taiwan’s film, television, and broadcasting heritage as a shared cultural asset for the public, while ushering in a new phase of institutional growth and development. Arthur CHU began his career as a film journalist and has long been dedicated to Taiwan’s film and television production, promotion, and distribution sectors. Since assuming the chairmanship in September 2023, CHU has worked closely with the TFAI team to advance a wide range of initiatives with notable success. By sharing the Institute’s digital restoration achievements through international partnerships and screenings at leading film festivals, TFAI has helped bring the stories, history, and cultural legacy of Taiwan’s film and audiovisual heritage to audiences around the world. Chairperson CHU remarked: “A love for cinema never dies! I am delighted to continue serving at TFAI and working alongside such an outstanding team. The digital restoration of Taiwan’s classic films has become the Institute’s most compelling cultural calling card on the international stage. These works carry profound cultural and historical significance while highlighting the importance of preserving, restoring, and making audiovisual heritage accessible to the public.” Recent initiatives have showcased TFAI’s growing capacity and impact in promoting Taiwan’s audiovisual heritage. Among them is the launch of the digital restoration of the Taiwanese classic The Dull-Ice Flower (1989). Long cherished by generations of Taiwanese viewers, the film was selected for the Cannes Classics section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, bringing this landmark work of Taiwan cinema to one of the world’s foremost platforms for film heritage. TFAI has also, for two consecutive years, presented the New Year’s Eve open-air screening of Vive L’Amour (1994) in Daan Forest Park. By bringing together an iconic urban space and a masterpiece of Taiwanese art cinema, the event became a widely discussed cultural phenomenon and attracted coverage from international media outlets including CNN. The film also returned to the Venice International Film Festival last year in a newly restored 4K version, where it was selected for the Venice Classics section. The public presentation and research on Formosa (1920s), the earliest surviving film related to Taiwan from over a century ago, brings local audiences closer to their own history through the landscapes and customs during the Japanese colonial period which were captured in the documentary. TFAI has also further strengthened its connections with global film archives, hosting its first international forum, “Future to the Back: Archives in Motion.” By continuing to reinforce its core functions in collection, preservation, restoration, research, public outreach, and education, TFAI is laying the groundwork—in both expertise and organizational capacity—for its transformation into a museum of film, television, and audiovisual culture. Founded in 1978 (former name: Film Library of the Motion Picture Development Foundation) , TFAI relocated in 2022 from Qingdao East Road in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District to its current site in Xinzhuang, New Taipei City. Through year-round screenings, events, and exhibitions, it has cultivated a loyal audience and established itself as a leading venue for film culture and new cinematic discourse in Taiwan. The ultimate goal of the next phase of TFAI’s brand transformation is to relocate its archives and work stations in Shulin to its Phase II site on Wenyi Road in Xinzhuang. This will enable the integrated preservation and management of over 200,000 items, including Taiwanese, film, television, and radio files and artifacts, creating a new kind of “film and audiovisual museum” that aims to provide Taiwan’s invaluable audiovisual heritage with a more professional, comprehensive, and permanent home. CEO DU Li-chin, who joined TFAI in 2024, brings extensive expertise in cultural and arts development in Taiwan and abroad, with a professional focus on digital archiving and museum studies. DU remarked, “TFAI is an exceptionally unique institution. In most museum projects, whether in Taiwan or elsewhere, the focus is typically on continually enhancing the facilities, collections, and services of an existing museum. TFAI, however, already possesses a rich collection and is now in the process of building a home of its own. For the team, this is an unprecedented and formidable undertaking. At the same time, it also means we are fortunate to have tremendous flexibility to help shape a new chapter in the development of museums in Taiwan.” The “TFAI 2026-2030 Strategic Development Plan” announced today is guided by three core principles: “ Centering Taiwan”, “Archiving Time,” and “Accessing Memories.” Through these, TFAI seeks to reconstruct Taiwan’s cultural and historic narratives in both visual and auditory forms, positioning film and audiovisual heritage as a gateway for Taiwanese people to better understand themselves, and for the world to better understand Taiwan. As TFAI enters this pivotal stage in its transformation toward becoming a museum, Chairperson CHU remarked: “ TFAI will celebrate its 50th anniversary in just two years. It feels as though I’m standing on the shoulders of all the predecessors and giants who came before us. As TFAI continues moving toward becoming a museum, we are writing a new chapter in its history. It is both a great honor and a heavy responsibility, and I look forward to working together with the team to fulfill the aspirations we have set for ourselves.” CEO DU Li-chin further noted: “This long-term and ongoing mission is also a public commitment. Beyond their expertise in digital restoration, archiving, curatorial practice, and research, our colleagues must, in the next phase, also build the knowledge and capabilities required to operate a museum. Our approaches to talent recruitment, training, and organizational management are therefore undergoing transformation in parallel.” Internally, administrative reforms will be carried out in parallel to improve efficiency and strengthen collaboration, knowledge management, and professional training. Key initiatives include the comprehensive enhancement of collections management, cataloguing, and digitization workflows; the development of a new official website and active expansion of open access; and active participation in and hosting of domestic and international cultural events to enhance public engagement and visibility. Through the implementation of this new five-year plan, TFAI aspires to become a new cultural institution that is faithful to history and rooted in Taiwan, while fostering innovation and social connection. Above all, it seeks to serve as a new gateway through which the world can discover Taiwan. The full text of the TFAI 2026–2030 Strategic Development Plan will be available at a later date on the official TFAI website. Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute announced the reappointment of its leadership team, confirming that Chairperson Arthur CHU and Executive Director DU Li-chin will continue to work together. TFAI also unveiled its “2026–2030 Strategic Development Plan,” outlining its transformation into a dedicated national museum of film and audiovisual culture. Chairperson Arthur CHU stated: “A love for cinema never dies! I am delighted to continue serving at TFAI and working alongside such an outstanding team.” CEO TU Li-chin said: “We are fortunate to be part of a pivotal chapter in the development of Taiwan’s museum landscape.” -
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Copyright Notice
Our institution has recently become aware of certain unauthorized uses of films, including public screenings and other forms of exhibition or exploitation conducted without proper authorization. We therefore issue the following notice: Most films listed in our line-up catalogue are subject to copyright and related rights owned by Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute. Certain titles, however, have been licensed to regional sales agents or distributors for rights management and distribution purposes. Any public screening, reproduction, distribution, transmission, adaptation, or other use not directly authorized by our institution or the legitimate rights holder may constitute unauthorized exploitation and infringement of copyright and related rights. For any inquiries regarding rights status or licensing procedures, please contact TFAI licensing department at [email protected]. -
MORETIDF 2026 Winners Announced; Until the Orchid Blooms and Hair, Paper, Water… Win Grand Awards
Hong Kong Directors Shine: Scenes from Departure, Compact Disc, and Colour Ideology Sampling.mov Honoured with Taiwan Competition Grand Prize, TIDF Visionary Award, and Next Generation Award The 15th Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF) held its awards ceremony on the evening of May 7, presenting a total of 11 awards across the Asian Vision Competition, International Competition, Taiwan Competition, the cross-section TIDF Visionary Award dedicated to Chinese-language documentaries, and the Next Generation Award presented in collaboration with the Fubon Cultural & Educational Foundation. Forty-four films were shortlisted across the three main competition sections while 18 titles competed for the TIDF Visionary Award. The festival received a record-breaking 2,617 submissions from 153 countries and regions, highlighting the international visibility and impact TIDF has built over the years. The ceremony brought together those including Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) Chairperson Arthur CHU, TFAI CEO DU Li-chin, TIDF Programme Director Wood LIN, jury members, and filmmakers. TFAI Chairperson Arthur CHU stated: “The energy of our film festival arises from our audiences as well as the invited filmmakers and their works. With our audiences and filmmakers, these bits of energy are microcosms of a larger story as a whole, and I hope that every time everyone comes to our festival they become a part of a larger story.” Programme Director Wood LIN remarked, “A documentary only becomes complete when it comes before an audience. A film festival only becomes complete when it comes together with its audiences and filmmakers. Documentary is a ray of light in this world, and I thank everyone for lighting up Taiwan and this world!” Bonds That Floodwaters Cannot Wash Away: Until the Orchid Blooms Wins Asian Vision Competition Grand Prize The Asian Vision Competition Grand Prize was awarded to Until the Orchid Blooms by director Polen LY, filmed over six years in an Indigenous village in northern Cambodia confronting land dispossession. The jury praised its balance between subject and form, noting that beyond addressing important issues, the film reveals the beauty of nature and childhood innocence. The jury also recognised the director’s remarkable potential. Director Polen LY stated that making his film was by no means a leisurely process, yet the rural children he filmed acted as guides in life and away from hopelessness. He did not want to romanticize the concept of “resilience” but rather sought to emphasize empathy and compassion in his work and hoped to convey this to everyone. He also encouraged the filmmakers before him, remarking, “It’s human emotion that AI can never replace.” The Jury Prize went to the Indian film CycleMahesh, which moves fluidly among documentary, fiction, and myth. Echoing TIDF’s “Re-encounter Reality” curatorial spirit, the jury commended the film’s blurring of reality and representation in its portrayal of migrant workers during the pandemic. Director Suhel BANERJEE remarked that there aren’t many places in the world at the moment where one could freely screen films about Palestine or discuss Palestine, particularly not in India or the Western world. He pointed out that the films he made and that those around him were making “require a certain type of freedom” and said that he hoped everyone would support each other in defending freedom, The Special Prize was awarded to Writing Hawa, recognised for its powerful portrayal of three generations of Afghan women who persist in spite of oppressive patriarchy. The lives of these mothers and daughters leave us an indelible memory of resistance. Co-director Najiba NOORI stated: “It has been for five years that the country has been under the control of a terrorist group, the Taliban; honestly it has become so normal that you don’t hear the world talk about Afghanistan anymore, the only country in the world that doesn’t allow women to go to school.” She thanked TIDF for giving her a platform and allowing her to bring her story to Taiwan, bringing attention again to an issue that was already fading from people’s memories. Due to the strong overall quality of this year’s Asian Vision Competition, and to encourage outstanding short films, the jury awarded a Jury Special Mention to Compact Disc, recognising how it bears witness to a period indelibly etched in time for this generation of Hongkongers. Hair, Paper, Water… Wins International Competition Grand Prize with Poetic Portrait of a Vanishing Vietnamese Culture The International Competition Grand Prize went to Hair, Paper, Water…, co-directed by TRƯƠNG Minh Quý and Nicolas GRAUX. The jury praised the film’s formal freedom and striking aesthetic approach, weaving together fragments of sound and image into a poetic ethnography that captures the irreversible variations of culture across time. GRAUX already left Taiwan the day before and was unable to attend the award ceremony, but he received word of the win while en route to the airport in a taxi and initiated a group video call with TRƯƠNG to express their thanks and describe the childlike creativity they tried to bring to their project. The Jury Prize was awarded to Nocturnes, the latest work by directing duo Anupama SRINIVASAN and Anirban DUTTA, both previously shortlisted at TIDF. More than a conventional ecological documentary, the film was recognised as a quiet probe into the act of “seeing”, inviting audiences to rediscover humanity’s place among all beings. Cinematographer Satya Rai NAGPAUL accepted the award on behalf of the directors and stated that he was pleasantly surprised to receive the award, particularly thanking TIDF and expressing his deep gratitude to the festival staff for their attentiveness and care for every detail. The Special Mention went to Kabul, Between Prayers by Aboozar AMINI, set during Afghanistan’s transition from 20 years of US-backed rule to the return of the Taliban. The film weaves an intimate landscape of the hopes and dreams of young Taliban fighters, while also revealing the fragmentation and absence of women. Taiwan Competition Honours Taiwan-based Hong Kong Directors: Scenes from Departure Wins Grand Prize, Colour Ideology Sampling.mov Receives Jury Prize Making its world premiere at this year’s TIDF, Scenes from Departure follows director Ray Kam-hei CHAN’s tender and awkward attempts to reconnect with his father. The film won the Taiwan Competition Grand Prize, marking an impressive achievement for his first documentary feature. The jury praised its modest means, quiet assurance, and capacity to surprise, noting that it proposes a new mode of political cinema through personal filmmaking. Director Ray thanked his producers for their encouragement and helping him believe in the value of his own personal story. Growing up as an only child, he often felt lonely, but it wasn’t until he encountered cinema that he felt he truly learned to communicate. He thanked his father for allowing him to film him so closely and dedicated his film to his deceased mother. Previously awarded Best Documentary Short Film at the Golden Horse Awards, Colour Ideology Sampling.mov mixing together vérité footage of debates that occur in private and public spaces, this film creatively locates the contradictions of political participation. The jury commended its inventive approach to these tensions, awarding it the Taiwan Competition Jury Prize. Co-director Kathy WONG spoke first, thanking her team and quoting the words of a friend: “Our collaborative partners are our ‘reality’ along the way, thank you Hong Kong, and thank you Taiwan!” Co-director CHAN Cheuk-sze said that documentary cinema “held out an umbrella” for her, allowing her to go out in the pouring rain without getting soaked. She said that in the future she planned to continue running about in the rain until the next time she encounters the audience. TIDF Visionary Award Grand Prize Goes to Compact Disc Hong Kong director Rico WONG’s Compact Disc was recognised as a powerful cinematic act resisting forgetting and the erasure of a city’s history. Following its Jury Special Mention in the Asian Vision Competition, the film also won the Grand Prize of the cross-section TIDF Visionary Award, which is dedicated to Chinese-language documentaries. Director Rico WONG specially thanked his four-person team as well as the friends who encountered hardship with him along the way who entrusted him with 100% of their trust in entrusting their stories to him. Two years ago he came to TIDF for the first time as an audience member, at which time he saw works that provided him with courage and insight, and he began making his film after he returned to Hong Kong. He said that he felt honored to be there among such luminaries and to be recognized, saying that he hopes to continue creating and being seen as a filmmaker. The Jury Special Prize went to the Taiwanese film XiXi, praised for its intimate exploration of East Asian womanhood—one that celebrates the freedom of young women while honestly confronting the costs of challenging tradition. The jury particularly commended director WU Fan for courageously appearing in the film and revealing her own vulnerability. Surprised at having won an award, director WU Fan stated explained that taking part in TIDF this year was like the first time she attended, discovering that “films can actually be made like this.” She further conveyed to those filmmakers before her that it was only because of their existence that she was able to go on filming, thanking everyone for their courageous works of creativity. The Taiwan Critics Association Recommendation Award, announced prior to the festival as a non-competition award, was presented to Chinese director HU Sanshou for Xiangzidian Village: The Stage, a new documentary portraying his hometown. HU Sanshou thanked the film critics for their appreciation, saying that he particularly liked this year’s theme of “Re-encounter Reality” and that this was no ordinary award to him. His hometown of Xiangzidian is one of the most important points in his life to him, and he thanked his family members, fellow villagers, and those who had already passed away. Public Television Service’s Viewpoint Programme Receives Outstanding Contribution Award; LA PALOMA Wins Audience Award; Colour Ideology Sampling.mov. Wins Next Generation Award The Outstanding Contribution Award, announced at the beginning of the festival, was presented to Taiwan Public Television Service’s Viewpoint, honoring the programme for its 27 years of dedication to documentary filmmaking in Taiwan. Accepting the award on behalf of the programme, Tony SU explained, “If documentary is an important medium that reflects society, then Viewpoint, which began broadcasting in 1999, is a program that grew out of Taiwan’s diverse and democratic earth.” He thanked audiences who had stuck with the program over the years and said that he hoped that the program would continue to serve as a vital window for free creativity in the Chinese-speaking world. This year’s Audience Award went to the Taiwanese documentary LA PALOMA, giving the film strong momentum ahead of its theatrical release in Taiwan. The film is a powerful biopic of a singer who persisted in spite of state surveillance during the martial law period. Director LU Yuan-chi happily explained that his team had particularly hoped to receive the Audience Award, as to them, gaining an audience’s appreciation meant a great deal. The Next Generation Award co-organized by TIDF and Fubon Cultural & Educational Foundation, an award representing the perspective of a new generation and based on the voting by 23 teenage jurors, went to Colour Ideology Sampling.mov. The youth jury noted that it creates an unstressed opportunity to visually acknowledge and reflect, acting as a doorway for teenagers to explore politics, while also reminding us not to fall into arbitrary or singular frameworks of thought. Added screenings of all award-winning films will be held on May 10, the last day of the TIDF. These are not-to-be-missed opportunities to watch these winning films! The venues include SPOT-Huashan and Shin Kong Cinemas Taipei Lion’s. For complete remarks by the jury on the winning films as well as screening information, please follow the latest news on TIDF’s official website. ➤TFAI Chairperson Arthur CHU ➤TIDF Programme Director Wood LIN ➤TIDF Awards Ceremony. -
MOREThe 15th Taiwan International Documentary Festival Opens with Lecture Performance by Saeed Taji FAROUKY
Filmmakers from Taiwan and around the world gather for opening event highlighting Focus Programme on Palestine The 15th Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF) opened today, welcoming distinguished guests from the film and cultural sectors in Taiwan and around the world. Breaking with tradition, this year’s festival did not begin with a film screening, but with the lecture performance Death is Certain but not Final vo. IV by internationally renowned artist Saeed Taji FAROUKY. The performance highlights the Focus Programme “Palestine and Its Archiveless Archives”. In his performance, UK-based FAROUKY responds to today’s turbulent world marked by ongoing conflicts with an earnest yet subtly humorous approach examining how Palestinians, within long Western-dominated artistic narratives, transform passivity into agency—turning ‘absence’ into creative energy.” The opening ceremony was held at the premises of the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute, the festival’s organizer. Chairperson Arthur CHU welcomed competition jurors, filmmakers, and industry professionals from around the world to celebrate the launch of the festival. Also in attendance was one of the original founders of TIDF, Chang Chang-yen, with attendees welcoming him with a warm round of applause. To help the audience get a sense of the evolution in Taiwan’s documentary scene, Chu told the story of the “Best Documentary” category at the 1985 Golden Horse Awards, a year when no film was selected as a winner of the award. This set the stage for a major shift in how Taiwanese documentary filmmakers defined the medium, leading to a shift toward the type of filmmaking on display in this year’s Reel Taiwan programme. Chu remarked, “I hope that through this year’s selection of restored and digitized films, everyone is able to look back on 1980s Taiwan, and I thank TFAI’s restoration team for their past effort.” TIDF Programme Director Wood LIN shared that even though he has worked at the festival for more than a decade, he always feels a sense of the ‘surreal’ at the opening ceremony. He thanked the festival’s more than 200 workers as well as countless audience members for their support: ‘We are learning about the spirit of documentary together, putting it into practice through filmmaking and programming.’ Lin went on to explain the reasoning behind having a lecture performance as this year’s opening event: “Palestine does not have a national archive for preserving classic cinematic materials. Precious moving images might be scattered across the world or even seized by another country. Nonetheless, Palestinian are able to use even greater creativity to develop new cinematic forms that are deeply inspirational. Selecting Death is Certain but not Final vo. IV as an opening event is a sort of way of reflecting on cinema ‘without cinema’; we can use the flames of memory and narrative to give light where forgetting brings darkness, allowing the spirit of documentary to live on in our hearts.” In the Death Is Not Certain But Final, Farouky forcefully constructs a local and unique Palestinian cinematic form that, like Palestine itself, takes ‘absence’ and transforms it into a source of power. Following the conclusion of his performance, he was greeted by energetic, continuous applause from the audience, with some even shedding tears. In addition to the opening, Death is Certain but not Final vo. IV will be presented as a free public performance on the afternoon of May 3 at the Grand Theater of the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Culture Center. Audiences are encouraged to seize this rare opportunity to engage with the artist in person. Opening Weekend Lecture Performances: Reimagining Archives and Narration Beyond film screenings, TIDF presents a wide range of activities exploring non-fiction art from multiple perspectives. During the opening weekend (May 2–3), the festival invites audiences to attend other lecture performances by three groups of local artists, engaging with archives and documentation through live narration, sound, and digital experimentation. All events are free of charge. Actor, writer, and theatre director Joane DENG presents Unreliable i, a work that challenges the credibility of memory and visual perception. Using ChatGPT to analyze scenarios proposed by the live audience, she examines human emotions from an AI perspective. By constructing and deconstructing her own narrated experiences, she unsettles the viewer’s trust in the storyteller. Beyond the Cold Sea, Every Cloud a Silver Lining, by AU Sow-yee and CHEN Yow-ruu (Her Lab Space), explores the creative reuse of archival footage. Taking the “heroes” of two 1960s Taiwanese-language Cold War films—Female Agent No. 7 and Tarzan and the Treasure—as a point of departure, the performance shifts focus to “empty time,” where landscapes emerge as protagonists and heroes disappear. Mountains of Time: A Collection of 1930s 16mm Reversal Film centers on footage shot in the 1930s by CHIJIIWA Suketaro. Combining research by directors HUANG Pang-chuan and LIN Chunni, excerpts from the short story Mountains by writer WU Ming-yi, and a live sound performance by Yannick DAUBY, the work guides audiences across a “mountain of time,” evoking the atmosphere of a bygone era. The 15th Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF) will take place from May 1 to May 10 at the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute, Shin Kong Cinemas Taipei Lion’s , SPOT Huashan, and Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB). Tickets can be purchased via OPENTIX, for more information and ticket bookings, please visit TIDF website, Facebook ,Instagram and Threads. ➤（left to right）TFAI Deputy CEOMei Tsou, Alina Lin、Artist Saeed Taji FAROUKY、TFAI Chairman Arthur CHU、Programme Director Wood LIN ➤ Artist Saeed Taji FAROUKY ➤Programme Director Wood LIN ➤TFAI Chairman Arthur CHU ➤ Artist Saeed Taji FAROUKY ➤Opening event: Death is Certain but not Final vo. IV
