May 20, 2020
Taiwan International Children's Film Festival 2020 (TICFF) will be held online from May 25 to August 5. The festival compiles films from this year's international festivals and official selections, award-winning works from past festivals, productions from “Kids as Directors” workshops, and children's programs co-produced by PTS and global partners. A wide range of genres are included, such as animation, drama, documentary and TV shows. Nearly 100 featured works are at your fingertips for free, once you register and log in to your account at the online streaming platform PTS+ (https://www.ptsplus.tv/).
The TICFF 2020, held by Public Television Service and the Fubon Cultural and Educational Foundation and supported by Syntrend Creative Park, YongLin Foundation and Foxconn Education Foundation, had been scheduled for late March but was, unfortunately, cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. For viewers who hate to miss out on these curated works, the organizers have decided to partner with PTS+, the online streaming platform of PTS, to launch the film festival online for the very first time. Therefore, no matter where you are in Taiwan this summer, instead of scrambling to snatch a ticket, you are able to travel around the world with your kids through online streaming from the comfort of your home.
The Online TICFF adopts the same categories as before. As some films have streaming deadlines, the online festival will be launched in two cycles (5/25-6/14 and 7/15-8/5 respectively) to keep viewers engaged and allow them sufficient time to enjoy all curated works. (Note: Due to copyright agreements, only some of the titles are available for online streaming.)
Apart from free viewing, we have also devised worksheets for teachers and parents to download and print from the official website, so that they can watch and discuss the films together with their children, helping them better understand the films and inspire creative thinking. Such “film education” can make for a fun-packed holiday diversion! You are even eligible for a limited prize draw, if you upload photos of the completed worksheets to our Facebook page.
Theme of the Year: Understanding and Tolerance
As per the festival’s tradition, this year's TICFF features another important issue: "Generation I", a generation bombarded by unfiltered information and divisive online communities that hinder mutual understanding and communication between those harboring different perspectives and values. With "Understanding and Tolerance" as the theme, the festival attempts to facilitate dialogues and exchanges through carefully curated films, helping people from different backgrounds understand the similarities and differences among them, thereby fostering inclusion and acceptance in the future.
“Kids as Directors” is another feature of the TICFF, focusing on developing children's filmmaking skills. Each year, eight groups of students, along with their teachers and parents, are selected to participate in the workshop, where professional filmmakers are invited as mentors for six months. The online festival this year includes not only works directed by Taiwanese children but also those by their international counterparts, creating opportunities for these children to observe and interact with each other.
Ever since its inception in 2004, the TICFF has been held biannually, marking Children’s Day, a national holiday in Taiwan. Competitive in nature, it is the first ever major international children's film festival in Asia and has now come to its ninth edition. Last time, the festival set a record when all tickets were sold out, attracting a large audience of parents, teachers and students alike.
Through its online edition this year, the TICFF, with the best interests of young people in mind, hopes to overcome geographical constraints and still provide Taiwanese children with the opportunity to watch a dazzling array of films.
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TICFF 2020 Official Website: http://www.ticff.org.tw/
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TICFF Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TICFF.tw/
(Should you have any questions or suggestions, please send message to our Facebook page, and we will answer them as soon as possible.)
