We present a list of 10 Short Films worth watching at the Taipei Film Festival that will take place from June 30th – July 16th (Taiwan).

A Ghost Island Lies Beneath by Lin Tay-Jou – Taiwan | 2015 – 16 min.

Artist Lin Tay-Jou uses aerial photography to raise the issue of environmental protection. Focusing on Yunlin County, we see the area covered in smog and the Jhuoshushi River drying up. The film can be seen as a chronicle of the environmental disasters resulted from industrial development, which ends with the Tianjin explosions in 2015.

Trailer (Will open in another window)

Schedule
07.10.2016 – Spot Huashan Cinema A 1 – 16:10 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)

Anchorage Prohibited by Chiang Wei Liang – Taiwan | 2015 – 17 min.

Migrant workers pursue employment opportunities abroad. Legislation to terminate and deport pregnant workers is commonplace in Asia and though many countries are beginning to annul such practices, income remains foremost priority for migrant workers. A child is an anchor for the family unit, but not where the stakes are high and anchorage is prohibited.

Trailer (Will open in another window)

Schedule
07.07.2016 – Shin Kong Cineplex 2 – 21:10 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)
07.09.2016 – Spot Huashan Cinema A 1 – 15:50 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)

Barli Ais by See Kar Seng – Taiwan | 2016 – 31 min.

Yu-Hung has an irresponsible father, and his mother has abandoned them. Despite his young age, Yu-Hung is forced to fend for himself and his younger sister. One day, his father steals Yu-Hung’s money and runs away with guilt and shame. Taking his sister with him, Yu-Hung decides to go searching for their mother.

Trailer (Will open in another window)

Schedule
07.07.2016 – Shin Kong Cineplex 2 – 21:10 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)
07.09.2016 – Spot Huashan Cinema A 1 – 15:50 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)

Baumu by Chung Shao-Chun – Taiwan | 2016 – 9 min.

A female killer, who desires to have a child and a cold-blooded male killer. They go to an apartment at night to assassinate a drug addict. Unfortunately, the drug addict’s wife is there on the scene. The female killer has no choice but kills the wife too. Then she finds something underneath the woman’s body – it’s a baby.

Trailer (Will open in another window)

Schedule
07.03.2016 – Shin Kong Cineplex 1 – 15:20 pm
07.09.2016 – Spot Huashan Cinema A 1 – 11:00 am

Crash Testing by Yuting Hsueh – Taiwan | 2015 – 4 min.

A crash test dummy wakes up. On the dark stage, in a car that stands still, it paints its face, feeling its own existence. When the signal is heard and the engine roars, the dummy carries out his duty. Its face leaves a print on the airbag. Countless prints of his face flip like a book. Then again, the signal is heard…

Trailer (Will open in another window)

Schedule
07.03.2016 – Shin Kong Cineplex 1 – 15:20 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)
07.09.2016 – Spot Huashan Cinema A 1 – 11:00 am (With filmmaker’s attendance)

Für Elisa by Albert Ventura – Taiwan | 2015 – 25 min.

Ashin meets Elise at a night market. She seems innocent until she involves him in a mysterious game. They run through the streets until she leads him to this apartment. Not knowing whose house he is stepping in, Ashin then realises that the game has gone too far… Elise is not there, and he gets caught by the police.

Trailer (Will open in another window)

Schedule
07.07.2016 – Shin Kong Cineplex 2 – 21:10 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)
07.09.2016 – Spot Huashan Cinema A 1 – 15:50 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)

Genghis Khan Conquers the Moon by USA, Taiwan | 2015 – 17 min.

In Genghis Khan’s last days, an encounter with a wizard sends him to the Moon. Just as the mediaeval anti-hero thinks he’s made his greatest conquest, he finds himself on a spiritual quest, realising the absurd clash between one man’s need and the silence of the universe.

Trailer (Will open in another window)

Schedule
07.01.2016 – Shin Kong Cineplex 1 – 21:20 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)
07.10.2016 – Spot Huashan Cinema A 1 – 11:00 am (With filmmaker’s attendance)

I wanna be with you by Wang Tanyo – Taiwan | 2015 – 19 min.

27-years-old Da Guang works the night shift every other week, and on this particular night, he encounters something out of the norm. While driving to work in the second-hand car he just purchased, he meets a mysterious man in the tunnel. The mysterious man tells Da Guang a story, which includes a secret that may cost his life.

Trailer (Will open in another window)

Schedule
07.07.2016 – Shin Kong Cineplex 2 – 21:10 pm
07.09.2016 – Spot Huashan Cinema A 1 – 15:50 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)

Nia’s Door by Lau Kek-Huat – Taiwan | 2015 – 25 min.

Nia comes to Taiwan from the Philippines to work as a housemaid. She likes to keep herself in her room with a door that separates her from her employers. This brings displeasure to her employer and causes conflicts between them. This is a story about a day in Nia’s life, which would resonate with those who work far away from home.

Trailer (Will open in another window)

Schedule
07.07.2016 – Shin Kong Cineplex 2 – 21:10 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)
07.09.2016 – Spot Huashan Cinema A 1 – 15:50 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)

Spring Beauty by Liao Shih-Han – Taiwan | 2015 – 20 min.

“Spring Beauty ” (Chun-Li) is the name of the heroine in a popular video game; she always comes back to life if you put in another coin right after you have lost. A middle-aged man comes across another player in a bar one night. They talk about the techniques of winning “Spring Beauty” and realise how lost they are in life.

Trailer (Will open in another window)

Schedule
07.01.2016 – Shin King Cineplex 1 – 21:20 pm (With filmmaker’s attendance)
07.10.2016 – Spot Huashan Cinema A 1 – 11:00 am

For more information about the festival please visit the official website: Taipei Film Festival