The Sundance Asia Film Festival has officially kicked off in Taipei, Taiwan.
Over the next five days, 15 feature films and six short films will be screened at the Asian edition of the Sundance Film Festival, with Taiwanese-American director Shawn Wang's “Didi” selected for opening night.
Before Wang’s film (which won the Audience Award and Special Jury Award for its ensemble at the Park City festival) had its Taiwan premiere, Legacy Taipei hosted the opening gala. Hollywood creatives mingled with local filmmakers and actors: “Fancy Dance” producer Nina Yang Bongiovi, “Joker 2” cinematographer Lawrence Sher, “Porcelain War” director Brendan Bellomo, “Your Monster” director Caroline Linde and producer Kayla Foster were among those in attendance. Wang, Esther Liu, Yi-Wen Chen, Hank Chen and Avis Chung were among those in attendance.
With many in attendance arriving from Toronto or Los Angeles, the crowd swapped tips on how to survive jet lag. Wang and “Little Death” director Jack Begert went skateboarding in Taipei at 4 a.m.; others hit the 7-Eleven, some relied on Red Bull for an energy boost, and some opted to run errands. As the opening ceremony got underway and more than 250 people gathered for the Diddy screening, the excitement was building.
Sundance Asia has grown and expanded since its launch in 2016. The festival includes more screenings, seminars and workshops, as the institute works to strengthen the bridge between people who have worked on major Hollywood films and connect with local filmmakers in Taiwan.
“The 2023 Sundance Film Festival: Asia is being held in Taiwan for the first time, and we have discovered that Taiwan has strong event organizing and production capabilities,” said Kim Yutani, director of the Sundance Institute’s program, on stage. “We also hope to foster more exchanges with independent filmmakers in Asia and around the world. I look forward to interacting with everyone in Taipei.”
This year’s event features 14 keynotes and workshops, with a special focus on the AI panel. Additionally, the Sundance Asia Short Film Competition features six works selected by Sundance Film Festival curators and guest judges, actors Ke Shi Wu and Nina Wu and producer Si Jing Wang of Take Me to the Moon.
During the opening ceremony, the Jury Award for Best Short Film, presented by Gold House, was given to “Suo Jiang” by director and production designer Lin Chen Yu. Gold House co-founder Ping Chen was present to hand over the award. In addition to the recognition, she won NT$50,000 and entry into Gold House membership.
Later this week, diverse He will moderate a conversation with Chen, Christine Yee (GM of Futures at Goldhouse), Bongiovi and director Lloyd Choi, titled “A Director’s Creative and Financing Journey.” Sundance Asia runs from August 21-25.
