2017 TIAF will be held from October 13 to 17, and on the 31st the organizer announced the latest list of films to be premiered in Taiwan, including Rock Dog – jointly produced by US and Chinese filmmakers – as well as veteran French director Jean-François Laguionie’s latest creation “Louise by the Shore”. Furthermore, the Animal and Family section is created to screen 17 foreign films. In particular, “Two Snails Set Off” features voice talent of French celebrity Audrey Tautou and Mathieu Kassovitz, who are transformed into magical animals of the forest engaging in profound discussions about the philosophy of life. Information Bureau, Taichung City Government welcomes everyone to attend the event to view the films.

TIAF has already garnered a far-reaching reputation domestic and abroad. This year, the event’s organization was handed over to ‎Taichung Film Development Foundation (TFDF) for the first time; in addition to soliciting international submissions, numerous foreign filmmakers are also invited to partake in the animation festival. The main visuals are designed by distinguished illustrator Inca Pan, where boundless imaginations of animation emanate from the flourishing, vibrant forest ecology, echoing the theme of next year’s Taichung World Flora Expo.

According to foundation CEO Ying-chih Lin, films featured in TIAF every year have proven to be very popular among movie fans. This year’s film list includes Rock Dog and Louise by the Shore. Rock Dog is adapted from the Chinese singer Jun Zheng’s graphic novel “Tibetan Rock Dog”, portraying the main character Bodi, who grew up in the mountains and followed in his father’s footsteps to become a guard dog. One day he came across rock music and was inspired to pursue his music career. Ignoring his father’s objection, he decided to leave home to become an apprentice and embarked on an adventure.

Louise by the Shore received international acclaim at Festival International du Film d'Animation d'Annecy last year. The story depicts a granny who missed the last train of the summer and was stuck in a seaside holiday town. While living alone with an old talking dog and fighting for survival, she reminisced about the past when she was still in the prime of her life. The elegant, refined animation style has garnered critical acclaim to become a must-see film.

Program Director of TIAF Chang-chieh commented that in addition to feature films, this year’s TIAF also includes “Role Formula” and “Changing World Views” inspired by the themes of “Animal” and “Family” respectively to provide Taiwanese animators with additional perspectives. In particular, “Two Snails Set Off” is a short animation film by the director of “Amélie” Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The content is an adaptation of poet Jacques Prévert’s work, depicting two snails setting off to attend a leaf’s funeral, only to find themselves surrounded by luxuriant greenness when they get there. Along their journey, small magical animals in the forest invited them to a party, and the snails were faced with a decision to make – whether to join their friends or not.

This year’s animation festival also includes family and children’s planning workshop, program and jury panel. In order to thank the citizens for supporting the animation festival, this year’s film lineup will be screened outdoors under the star-studded sky, where outstanding feature animation wills will be shown absolutely free of charge. 2017 Taichung International Animation Festival will take place between October 13 and 17 at Showtime Cinemas in front of Taichung Station. Tickets will be sold on Arts Ticket starting from 12:00 on September 23, besides movie screening, other activities including outdoor screening, international lectures and workshops will also be held. For more information on exciting film lineups and related activities, please visit TAIF official website (twtiaf.com) or Facebook fan page (facebook.com/tiaf.taichung).