The ๐•๐š๐ง๐œ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐“๐š๐ข๐ฐ๐š๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ž ๐…๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐…๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐š๐ฅ (๐•๐“๐…๐…), established in 2007, is the longest-running and largest annual Taiwanese film festival in Europe and America. A non-profit organization based in Vancouver, Canada, VTFF's mission is to celebrate and showcase the rich diversity and unique perspectives of Taiwanese cinema.

In 2023, we delve into the theme "๐‡๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐", inviting our audience to explore the various interpretations of "home" and "belonging". Through a carefully curated selection of ten feature-length Taiwanese films and six short films, we aim to bridge the distance between continents and connect our audience to the heart of Taiwanese culture.

Furthering our commitment to fostering emerging talent, VTFF proudly introduces the "๐•๐“๐…๐… ๐’๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐’๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐…๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐„๐ฑ๐ก๐ข๐›๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง" this year. This exciting new initiative is open to aspiring filmmakers with ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. By providing a platform for young filmmakers to share their unique narratives, we hope to inspire a new generation of storytellers and continue enriching the dynamic landscape of Taiwanese cinema.

๐„๐ฏ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐‡๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ:

๐‚๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ-๐œ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐ข๐š๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ž: The festival will invite professionals and scholars from the film industries of Taiwan and Canada. Through topic discussions and themed lectures, we aim to foster deep audience participation and facilitate a rich exchange between the film and cultural sectors of Taiwan and Canada.

๐’๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐…๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐„๐ฑ๐ก๐ข๐›๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง & ๐๐š๐ง๐ž๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฌ๐œ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ: Highlighting the work of young talented Taiwanese-Canadian filmmakers, we will host panel discussions where they can share their fascinating life stories, present their work, and connect with others. This platform will inspire young people to learn about and join the Taiwanese film industry.

๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐š๐ง๐ ๐Œ๐ž๐๐ข๐š ๐„๐ฑ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž: We plan extensive online promotion, press release distribution, and media coverage to amplify the event and attract a wider audience. A press conference will be held two weeks before the festival to announce event details and invite public participation.

๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ: We will collaborate with community partners to promote our shared core values and highlight the diversity of Taiwanese culture.
Opening Ceremony and Expo: The festival is set to kick off with an opening ceremony on September 8th. An exhibition booth will be set up at the event venue, where guests can receive Taiwanese souvenir items.

Awards & Prizes

Our film festival presents an exciting and prestigious platform for student filmmakers. We highly appreciate the courage, creativity, and thoughtfulness that goes into making a film and believe in recognizing the hard work and dedication of these creative minds.

๐…๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐š๐ฅ ๐’๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐ž๐ง๐ข๐ง๐  ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ - This grand award offers a unique chance for the winning film to be screened at the festival's award ceremony. It's an excellent opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their work in front of a live audience consisting of film enthusiasts, critics, and industry professionals.

๐‚๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐‘๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง - All filmmakers whose work is selected for the festival will receive a Certificate of Recognition, acknowledging their contribution to the cinematic arts. This certificate serves as a validation of your talent and dedication to the craft of filmmaking.

Rules & Terms

ใ€๐„๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐›๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒใ€‘
โ—† The Student Short Film Exhibition is open to student filmmakers of Taiwanese and Taiwanese-Canadian heritage.
โ—† Films submitted need to be short films within 30 minutes that revolve around the theme "Homeward Bound"
โ—† All genres, and styles are acceptable, but the narrative must be in line with the festival theme.
โ—† A Canadian Premiere is required.

ใ€๐„๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐†๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ž๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฌใ€‘
โ—† The deadline for submission is ๐€๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“, ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‘. Please submit via FilmFreeway and ensure an online screener is available. Do not change the URL or password after submitting.
โ—† The submitted films should be presented with English dialogue or in their original versions with English subtitles.
โ—† Entry fees of USD ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“ are required. Entrants must submit completed work. Works-in-progress are not accepted.
โ—† It is the applicant's responsibility to secure clearance from the copyright holders of any copyrighted materials within the submitted film. VTFF will not be held responsible for the unauthorized inclusion of copyrighted materials.
โ—† The entry fee for the selected titles during the festival will not be waived. Entrants of the shortlisted films are required to sign an authorization form correspondingly. TWFF will be eligible for the possibility of an invitation to the festival attendance, regional distribution, and so on.
โ—†The entrant agrees to all the rules and regulations stated in this Entry Guideline. Violation of this Entry Guideline may result in disqualification from the competition.

ใ€๐€๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ณ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐š๐ง๐ ๐Ž๐›๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐งใ€‘
Once the films are selected, the festival has the right to:
โ—†Download, compile, and publicly present, the publicity materials for marketing, promotional, and exhibition purposes all free of charge. The publicity materials will be used in areas including but not limited to festival publicity, media reports, filing, and archiving with no restriction on the territory and duration of use.
โ—†Produce and keep Chinese subtitled screening copies in the festival archive for non-circulating use, excluding any loan or public usage. Any kind of public presentation is strictly prohibited.

Required Materials:
โ€‹โ€‹The publicity materials below should be provided as soon as your film is selected. Please also note that all the submitted materials will not be returned.
โ—†At least 3 high-resolution film stills (with 300 dpi files or above the minimum size of 1 MB each)
โ—†Synopsis of the film in English
โ—†Directorโ€™s profile and filmography in English
โ—†A frontal portrait of the director (high-resolution file with 300 dpi or above minimum size of 1 MB)
โ—†Full casts and credits list
โ—†Completed dialogue list in original language AND English
โ—†A list of previous festival participation and awards in English

Additional materials:
โ—†Trailer in .mov or .mp4 file with English subtitles
โ—†Directorโ€™s statement (300 words maximum) in English
โ—†Film reviews
โ—†Press kits

For the screening materials:
Preferably DCP with theatrical screening quality or Full HD (ProRes 422 HQ.mov) files. The deadline for receiving is before August 15, 2023 either by post or internet. For non-English speaking films, English subtitles are required. The content of the screening copy should match that of the screener submitted for entry. VTFF reserves the right to determine the eligibility of the film if this is violated.

๐’๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐œ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ:
We will only accept digital sources so no need for shipping prints. Please note that TWFF will NOT be responsible for any shipping costs (custom tax included) in any form.

๐“๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ฒ:
The Vancouver Taiwanese Film Festival (VTFF) is an esteemed platform that promotes Taiwanese cinema and cultural diversity. By bridging Taiwanese film art and Canadian audiences, we facilitate cross-cultural exchange and foster mutual understanding. Our dedication to showcasing an array of Taiwanese films is matched by our commitment to nurturing emerging talent and building a vibrant cinematic community.

ใ€๐’๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง & ๐’๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐ž๐ง๐ข๐ง๐  ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐œ๐ฒใ€‘

Our selection process aims to celebrate exceptional films that bring our festival's theme, "Homeward Bound", to life. We have outlined the key criteria that guide our film selection process to offer potential participants a clear understanding of what we look for in a film:

๐“๐ก๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐œ ๐‘๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐ฏ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž: The core narrative of the film should be closely tied to our theme, "Homeward Bound". It can interpret this theme literally or metaphorically, but the essence of 'home,' 'return,' or 'belonging' should be central to the film.

๐Ž๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ง๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‚๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ: We appreciate films that provide a unique perspective or novel interpretation of the theme. An innovative approach that challenges conventional perceptions will stand out in the selection process.

๐๐š๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ: A compelling and engaging storyline that integrates the theme effectively is a crucial factor in our selection. We look for narratives with emotional depth and complexity, capable of resonating with audiences and provoking thoughtful discussions.

๐‚๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐œ ๐„๐ฑ๐œ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž: While thematic alignment is essential, we don't overlook the technical aspects of filmmaking. The quality of direction, cinematography, editing, sound design, and performances will also influence our decision.

๐‚๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐š๐ฅ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ: As a festival celebrating Taiwanese cinema, we value films that reflect or engage with Taiwanese culture, history, or societal issues in meaningful ways.

๐€๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐ˆ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐š๐œ๐ญ: We consider the potential of the film to inspire, inform, challenge, or entertain the audience. A film that can touch audiences and leave a lasting impact will be highly regarded.

All submissions will be carefully selected based on these guidelines, and ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฌ will be nominated for the festival. Among these, ๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐›๐ž ๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ๐ž๐ ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐›๐ž๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฌ๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐ž๐ง๐ž๐ ๐š๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐š๐ฅ.

ใ€๐๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐ž ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐žใ€‘
All submitted screeners and materials will be archived by VTFF for internal viewing, judging, and future academic research. The films will not be screened publicly without further authorization. VTFF reserves the right to modify or substitute any of the rules and regulations stated when necessary. VTFF also has the right to interpret and decide all matters relating to the Entry Guidelines, selection process, competition results, and method of screening.