A work created by a graduate student from the Department of New Media Art has been selected by the Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2013.
Chen Yi-Cheng's short film "Playing the Piano" has been selected from among 2,461 works from 43 countries seeking to be featured in what is known as the Oscar of animated films.
The film, which is three minutes and 20 seconds long, depicts a little girl's fantasy journey – where the notes on sheet music turn into animals – while playing the piano.
Chen, who likes to observe human psychology and behavior, said the film was inspired by her own childhood experience of learning to play the piano.
"Playing the Piano" has also been given a special prize by Taiwan's Hsin-yi Chidren's Book Award.
She said she first came up with the idea for the film three years ago, but did not finish it until early this year. She said the recognitions by the Hsin-yi award and the Annecy film festival were both a surprise and encouragement.
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (Festival International du Film d'Animation d'Annecy) was created in 1960 as a biennial event, but turned into an annual one in 1998. It takes place in June in Annecy, a town in southeastern France. This year the festival runs from June 10 to 15.
It is one of the four international animated film festivals sponsored by the Association d'International du Film d'Animation (or ASIFA, the International Animated Film Association).