Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival

We are pleased to announce the 12th edition of the Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival (TIEFF), to be held in Taipei from October 5–9, 2023. The biennial festival is the longest running festival of its kind in Asia. Since 2001, by showcasing outstanding documentaries from Taiwan and around the world, TIEFF has introduced the Taiwanese public to a wide variety of anthropological topics as well as the communities with whom anthropologists work. By moving ethnography off of the page and on to the screen, the festival seeks to both attract new audiences to the discipline of anthropology, as well as push the boundaries of what ethnography can do. In addition to the main festival in Taipei, TIEFF also sponsors a touring festival, bringing a portion of the selected films to communities and classrooms across Taiwan.

TIEFF takes a flexible stance regarding what counts as an “ethnographic” film. We present documentary films (and occasionally more experimental genres) that portray communities in a culturally sensitive and historically contextualized way. We showcase films by both “insider” and “outsider” filmmakers, by both established and new directors, by academic anthropologists, professional filmmakers, journalists, educators and artists. We seek films which are made in an ethical manner without sensationalizing their subjects. Films that are the product of long-term close collaboration between filmmaker and subject are especially welcome. TIEFF is especially proud of its commitment to celebrating the uniqueness and vibrancy of Indigenous cultures and has been one of Taiwan’s most important venues for showcasing the work of both local and international Indigenous filmmakers. We strongly encourage filmmakers from Indigenous and other marginalized communities to submit their work to our festival.

All films submitted to the festival must have been completed between January 2021 and January 2023. While we occasionally do accept fiction films, experimental art films, biographies, sports documentaries, and concert films, such films will only be considered if they are accompanied by a convincing statement regarding their suitability for the festival. All festival films go through a highly selective screening process. Films on any topic will be considered, but special consideration will be given to films that match the festival theme (as described below). The festival does not have a competition or offer prizes or awards.

The theme for the 2023 TIEFF is “Media/Memory.” Collective memories -- the stories passed down from one generation to the next within a family, a village, a nation, etc. -- become intimately connected to the media through which they are transmitted. For this year’s festival, we are looking for films that explore such questions as: Why and how are Indigenous and other minority communities losing, reviving, or transforming the traditional media they use to they tell their histories and myths (such as recitation, song, embroidery, and carving)? What happens when traditional stories are told through non-traditional media (such as digital animation)? When traditional media are used to tell new stories? What audiences are gained or lost? Also, photography, the museum, and of course, documentary film, are still often seen as “objective” media that show the reality of their subjects rather than the subjectivity of the photographers, curators or filmmakers. They are also associated with the “capture” and “preservation” of their subjects, fixing them in a particular moment in time, unchanging. How can the associations of these media with objectivity, stasis, and the death or disappearance of the subjects be disrupted?

第十二屆臺灣國際民族誌影展(TIEFF)將於2023年10月5日至9日在臺北舉行。本影展創始於2001年，是亞洲歷史最悠久的民族誌影片雙年展。20多年來，我們致力推廣來自台灣本土和世界各國精彩的民族誌影片，介紹人類學家所關注的多元議題，與其田野調查工作，呈現了影像作為媒介在民族誌實踐上如何體現文字書寫所無法達到的成果，進而突破民族誌的界線。在影展主要活動之外，我們也積極拓展新的觀眾群，將精選影片帶往臺灣各地社區與校園巡演播映與座談。

TIEFF對於「民族誌」影片採取較廣義的立場，包含以文化敏感度和歷史脈絡 描繪部落或社區的紀錄片（有時兼具實驗性），我們尤其歡迎那些與被拍攝的對象長期合作的作品。無論這些作品是來自於「內部」或「外部」的創作者，知名或新秀導演，專業影像工作者或人類學者、記者、教育工作者或藝術家，這些創作均必須合乎拍攝倫理而不擅加渲染。TIEFF致力於呈現原住民族文化的獨特性和生命力，是臺灣和世界原住民影像工作者發表作品的最重要平台。我們強烈鼓勵原住民影像工作者向本影展投片，也非常歡迎其他邊緣群體影片創作者也加入投片的行列。

參展作品必須完成於2021年至2023年間。本影展並無設置競賽獎項，題材不限，由審查委員會選片，優先考慮符合本屆影展主題的影片。若為劇情、實驗藝術、傳記、運動或音樂等類型，則須提出符合本影展主題及性質的說明，否則不予以考慮。

本屆影展主題為「媒介／記憶」。集體的記憶──那些在家族、部落、或國家中代代相傳的故事──和其用以流傳的媒介密不可分。我們找尋如下的相關作品：原住民族和其他少數群體為何及如何失去其用來講述歷史和神話的傳統口述和物質媒介（如：吟誦、歌唱、刺繡、雕刻）？此媒介又怎麼經歷復興或轉變？當透過新興媒介（如數位動畫）講述傳統故事，或是使用傳統媒介來講述新的故事時，會發生什麼情況？會吸引或是失去哪些觀眾？此外，攝影、博物館當然還有紀錄片仍然經常被視為是"客觀"的媒體，展示了其研究或拍攝對象的真實性，而不是攝影師、策展人或電影製作人個人的主觀性。這些媒介「捕獲」或「保存了」他們的研究對象，將之凝住在特定的時刻成為永恆不變的記憶。我們如何打破這些媒體的客觀性與主角死亡的錯覺？