Taiwanese filmmakers earned international recognition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, held from Aug. 27 to Saturday in Italy, with director Singing Chen (陳芯宜) winning the Grand Prize in the Venice Immersive section for her virtual reality free-roaming experience, The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up (雲在兩千米).
Adapted from a short story by author Wu Ming-yi (吳明益) in the collection The Land of Little Rain (苦雨之地), Chen’s production garnered the section’s top honor for its poetic imagery and emotional depth.
It is Taiwan’s second Grand Prize in the category, following Chen’s The Man Who Couldn’t Leave (無法離開的人) in 2022.
Photo: EPA
Director Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮), actress Shu Qi (舒淇) and animation director Hsieh Wen-ming (謝文明) also drew attention, with Tsai’s documentary Back Home (回家) screened in the Out of Competition section, and a 4K restoration of his classic Vive L’Amour (愛情萬歲) featured in Venice Classics.
Tsai was also honored with the FIPRESCI 100-Year Lifetime Achievement Award on Wednesday.
Shu, making her directorial debut with the feature film Girl (女孩), was nominated in the main competition. After its Venice premiere on Thursday, the film received a 15-minute standing ovation, making it one of the festival’s most talked-about works.
Taiwanese animation was also in the spotlight, with Hsieh’s short Praying Mantis (螳螂) selected for the Orizzonti competition, a milestone for Taiwanese animated shorts at Venice.
Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) yesterday praised the artists for their dedication, saying their achievements highlight the strength of Taiwan’s film industry.
Li added that recognition at one of the world’s major film festivals affirms the industry’s progress and the value of creative freedom.
He pledged continued support for promoting Taiwanese productions globally.
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