Taipei Film Awards nominations show various aesthetic perspectives
TAIPEI: The 4 0 films nominated for the 2018 Taipei Film Awards display a varying spectrum of aesthetics from filmmakers in Taiwan, according to Taipei Film Festival director Shen Ko-shang.
Even on mainstream themes directors have produced unique works by applying different aesthetic methods and by telling stories from different angles, Shen said.
The list of nominations in four categories -- “Best Narrative Feature,” “Best Documentary,” “Best Short Film,” and “Best Animation” -- was made public earlier Monday.
Each Taipei Film Awards category has 10 nominees. The nominees For the Best Narrative Feature include The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful and Alifu, The Prince/ss, two awardwinning drama films at the 54th Golden Horse Awards last November.
They will all have the chance to compete for the NT$ 1 million ( RM132,652) Grand Prize, as well as acting and technical awards.
Winners will be announced at the award presentation ceremony on July 14, the final day of the two week-long 2018 Taipei Film Festival that is scheduled to open on June 28, according to the organisers.
Shen said 311 works were submitted to vie for the nominations, the most since the annual awards were created in 1988.
The number reflects the strong ambition of Taiwanese filmmakers, who Shen said dare to challenge themselves by producing films touching on mainstream subjects, such as politics, homosexuality, indigenous people and migrant workers.
“Directors chose to cut in from different angles and try out different story-telling styles and aesthetic approaches,” said Shen, an award-winning documentary director.
To Shen, the most brilliant films this year are those addressing political issues, citing two nominated documentaries, The Edge of Night and Our Youth in Taiwan, which address the Sunflower Student Movement of 2014.