Taipei, Oct. 23 (CNA) The 2006 South Taiwan Film and Video Film Festival announced 26 nominees in three categories Monday, as the festival featuring independent films looks to rival the mainstream Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival.
Entering its sixth year, the film festival that began as an experiment has been attracting more and more attention and applications, main organizer Huang Yu-shan said, as a record-breaking 213 films were entered this year.
The festival, which takes place Nov. 3- Dec. 9 in the southern cities of Kaohsiung, Tainan, Chiayi and Taichung, was established in 2001 to encourage independent filmmakers and the film culture in south Taiwan, where "you can see a huge 'visual arts gap' compared to the north of Taiwan," said Government Information Office (GIO) minister Cheng Wen-tsang.
Winners of best documentary, film and animation categories will be announced at the award ceremony Nov. 26 in Tainan's Chihkanlou, built during the Dutch occupation of Taiwan.
Over the years, the festival has distinguished itself from its northern counterpart, Huang said. Several independent films, such as "Let it be" and "Jump! Boys," came out of the festival, achieving relative box office success and local accolades.
"It's encouraging for numerous local filmmakers, especially young people who are passionate about making films. It was a driving force that encourages them to keep on producing films," she said.
This year is no different. The opening film, "The Road in the Air," directed by Isaac Lee, and the closing film "Exit No. 6" directed by Lin Yu-hsien -- the same director who directed "Jump! Boys" -- have been the festival's most talked-about independent films of the year.
Dozens of foreign films will be screened during the festival, as well as a feature created by two promising young directors -- Cheng Yu-chieh and Ho Wi-ding.