The 2021 Kuandu International Animation Festival (KDIAF) starts on October 24 at TNUA’s Center for Art and Technology, running for seven days, with its closing and award ceremony to be held on October 30.

In addition to the outstanding works from all over the world, there will be many exciting events during the seven-day festival that should not be missed.

The KuanDog Prize, the annual competition, is the highlight of KDIAF. This year, more than 2,141 entries from 104 countries were received. After more than a month of evaluation by the preliminary selection committee, the finalists have now been officially announced on the official website of KDIAF. A total of 81 films have been selected for the competition and 43 others as choice films, covering a variety of themes and styles.

The opening film this year is “Calamity,” winner of the Cristal Award for Best Feature Film at the 2020 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. It is about the journey of 12-year-old Martha Jane and her family who head West in search of a better life in the United States in 1863.

The closing film, “The Prince’s Voyage,” is about an old monkey Prince who runs aground on an unknown shore. It was one of the selected films at the 2019 Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival.

This year, KDIAF is again screening a selection of films from Ars Electronica Festival.

In order to promote the animation industry, several talks will be held. The speakers include: Scott Chen, who had previously worked at Walt Disney for 22 years (1996-2018) and held different positions – such as general manager of Southern China, general manager of Taiwan Business and Distribution, and regional director of Greater China and Southern Asia; animation director Yu-Shu Liu; Li-Wei Chiu, who has won many international animation awards; and Yee Chih-yen, winner of the Golden Horse Award for best animation in 2021.

Other speakers to be featured at KDIAF include Brian Houlihan, Chris Armsden and Solomon Temowo. Houlihan is a visual effects supervisor, producer and artist from New York City, and is a founder of FIVE AM FX, a VFX company based in NY. Armsden is a British technical director with over 15 years of experience working in visual effects and animation, and his credits include “Avatar 2,” “Kung Fu Panda 2,” and many others. Temowo is the founder and CEO of Playerium, a lean boutique studio based in Taipei, Taiwan.

Physical activities will be held at the Center for Art and Technology during the event. Film screenings and lectures will be available online.

For more information, please visit: http://kdiaf.animation.tnua.edu.tw
Or visit the official KDIAF Facebook page: Kuandu International Animation Festival