2019 Taichung International Animation Festival is the largest animation festival in Taiwan, and it is also the only animation-themed film festival hosted by a city. As the festival will be held for the 5th consecutive year, the Children's Short Film Competition is augmented in addition to the 4 existing categories: Short Film Competition, Students' Short Film Competition, Taiwan Short Film Competition, and Taiwan Students' Short Film Competition. During the film festival in October, the audience will be asked to vote for their favorite children's animated short film. The total prize of this competition is a staggering NT$1.2 million, and with the registration opening today, aspiring filmmakers from all over the world are invited to sign up for the film festival.

According to the Information Bureau, Taichung International Animation Festival (TIAF) is sponsored by the Taichung City Information Bureau and organized by Taichung Film Development Foundation. The event is regarded highly by content creators and production firms from across the globe. Last year, 2,006 animation short films from 92 countries entered the competition, setting an all-time high record. This year, the Children's Short Film Competition will be added, with prizes including animation software sponsored exclusively by TVPaint Développement in France to encourage the prize winners to keep on creating new films, in turn hoping to establish TIAF's international reputation in the animation industry.

Taichung Film Development Foundation CEO Ying-chih Lin remarked that TIAF's goal is to unearth emerging animation talents from around the world, and it has become the award benchmark for outstanding animation films. Last year, the winner of the International Short Film Award was French animation "The Fall", its experimental, bold, and innovative style has taken international animation film festivals by storm and received countless accolades. The first prize of Taiwan Short Film Award went to "Where am I Going?" and "Si So Mi", both films were also nominated for Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival's Best Animation Short Film. In particular, "Where am I Going?" not only won the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival's Best Animation Short Film Award but also the Best Animation Film Award, Individual Art Design Award, and Sound Design Award at the Golden Harvest Awards, demonstrating the creative energy of Taiwanese animation.

Information Bureau pointed out that the 2019 Taichung International Animation Festival is now open for registration, and the registration deadline is June 30. The shortlist will be announced on the official website before July 31, please browse the Taichung International Animation Festival official website (twtiaf.com) for the competition guidelines and registration methods, or contact the service hotline at 04-23236100#23.