A selection of Taiwanese films is being presented by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency via a virtual pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival, which opened in France yesterday.
The online presentation features 30 local filmmakers, two independent directors and 65 works, the agency said.
“The lineup shows the breadth and creative energy of Taiwan’s cultural content,” it said.
Born to be Human (生而為人) by director Lily Ni (倪曜) discusses gender identity issues, while Dead & Beautiful (詭祭) by director David Verbeek is a thriller in the vampire genre, the agency said.
Director Yang Chih-lin’s (楊智麟) Listen Before You Sing (聽見歌再唱), a heartwarming tale about Aboriginal culture and music; director Yao Hung-i’s (姚宏易) Salute (我心我行), a biopic on Taiwanese dancer Sheu Fang-yi (許芳宜); and director Chen Hung-i’s (陳宏一) U Loves You (看不見攻擊的程式), a short film about a romance between a robot and a human, are among the other highlighted films, the agency said.
Taiwanese works have performed well at this year’s Cannes festival, the agency said.
Samsara Ep. 1 (輪迴) by director Huang Hsin-chien (黃心健) and The Abandoned Deity (落難神像) by director Kao Yi-chun (高逸軍) are shortlisted for the VeeR Future Award for Best VR Story and Best VR Interactive Experience, it said.
The two virtual reality (VR) projects are up against 14 other works for the two prizes, it said.
Moneyboys (尋找), a coproduction between Taiwan-based Flash Forward Entertainment and producers in Austria, Belgium and France, has made it into the festival’s Un Certain Regard section, it said.
XiXi, a documentary by Wu Fan (吳璠), is competing for the Docs-in-Progress Award presented as part of the Marche du Film’s Cannes Docs program, it said.
For the Marche du Film’s Cannes XR program, the festival has partnered with NewImages Festival and Tribeca Film Festival to create XR3, a virtual exhibition showcasing the best VR creations, the agency said.
The partnership is “a clear indication of the importance of immersive content development worldwide,” Taiwan Creative Content Agency chief executive officer Lee Ming-che (李明哲) said.
“The agency is grasping this global trend and continues to provide assistance in immersive content creation, talent cultivation and international market development,” Lee said. “How film and TV content is consumed is rapidly shifting globally because of the [COVID-19] pandemic.”
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