Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival

We are pleased to announce the 11th edition and 20th anniversary of the Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival (TIEFF), to be held in Taipei from October 1 to 5 in 2021. Founded in 2001, the biennial festival is Asia’s oldest and longest running international ethnographic film festival. For 20 years TIEFF has served to promote outstanding documentary films from around the world that are innovative, educational, challenging, and entertaining. These films, directed by both new and established filmmakers alike, all share a commitment to portraying stories and social practices from around the world in a culturally sensitive way. In addition to the main festival in Taipei, TIEFF also sponsors a touring festival, bringing a portion of the selected films to communities and classrooms across Taiwan. TIEFF takes a flexible stance regarding what counts as an “ethnographic” film, including not just works made by anthropologists but also films made by professional filmmakers who display an ethnographic sensibility in their work. That means films which are made in an ethical manner without sensationalizing their subjects. Films that are the product of a long term close collaboration between filmmaker and subject are especially welcome. TIEFF is especially proud of its commitment to celebrating the uniqueness and vibrancy of Indigenous cultures and has been one of Taiwan’s most important venues for showcasing the work of both local and international Indigenous filmmakers. We strongly encourage Indigenous filmmakers to submit their work to our festival. Filmmakers from other marginalized groups are also especially encouraged to submit. All films submitted to the festival must have been completed in the two years prior to the festival or the festival year itself. For this festival that would mean films completed between 2019 and 2021. While we occasionally do accept fiction films, experimental art films, biographies, sports documentaries, and concert films, such films will only be considered if they are accompanied by a convincing statement regarding their suitability for the festival. All festival films go through a highly selective screening process. Films on any topic will be considered, but special consideration will be given to films that match the festival theme (as described below). The festival does not have a competition or offer prizes or awards. The theme for the 2021 festival is “New Normals.” We are in a time of upheavals. In the face of pandemics, impending climate disaster, the rise of authoritarianism, and some of the largest mass protest movements in history, we are all facing the fact that the future will be different from the past -- but how? In this film festival, we want to highlight films about people imagining, creating, and adapting to very different ways of life from what they had before, either out of necessity or desire -- including people dealing with dramatic environmental change, refugees and immigrants adjusting to new circumstances and cultures, activists attempting to establish alternative communities, Indigenous people and others trying to revive or invent more sustainable ways of living, people changing their identities, people developing and engaging with new technologies, etc.. Aside from showing the imaginative and creative capacities of the subjects of documentaries, we also want to highlight the creativity of filmmakers, and screen films that manifest new ways of making ethnographic films and constructing interactions among film subjects, makers, and audiences. 第十一屆臺灣國際民族誌影展(TIEFF)將於2021年10月1日至5日在臺北舉行。本影展創始於2001年，今年20歲了，是亞洲歷史最悠久的民族誌影片雙年展。20年來，我們致力推廣來自世界各國具有創新、教育與啟發性的民族誌影片。不管是出自名家或新秀之手，這些優秀的民族誌影片秉持著高度的文化敏感度，描繪來自世界各地的故事與社會實踐。在影展主要活動之外，我們也進行巡演，將精選影片帶往臺灣各地播映分享。 TIEFF對於「民族誌影片」採取較寬廣的定義：除了人類學家的作品之外，也包含能呈現出民族誌觀點的影片。我們尤其歡迎與拍攝對象長期合作而成的作品。TIEFF以致力於呈現原住民族文化的獨特性和生命力為榮，是臺灣和世界原住民影像工作者發表作品的重要平台。我們強烈鼓勵原住民影像工作者向本影展投片，也非常歡迎其他邊緣群體影片創作者加入影展的行列。 參展作品必須完成於2019年至2021年間。本影展並無設置競賽獎項，題材不限，但我們將優先選擇符合本屆影展主題的影片。若為劇情、實驗藝術、傳記、運動或音樂等類型，則須提出符合本影展主題及性質的說明，否則不予以考慮。 本屆影展主題為「新日常」。我們身處於巨變的時代，面對疫情的擴散、極端氣候變遷、威權主義的興起、和前所未有的大規模群眾抗議行動等，都迫使我們去面對未來必將與過去不同的事實。未來究竟會如何不同？在本屆影展中，我們希望能聚焦於想像、創造、或適應新生活方式的作品；無論是被迫或自發的新日常生活樣貌，究竟會如何實現？本屆影展主題包含人們面對環境的急遽變化、難民或移民適應新社會文化時的處境、行動者嘗試建立新社群的替代方案、原住民族人或其他少數族群嘗試恢復傳統或創造更永續性的生活方式、新身分認同的創建、以及新科技的適應或發明等。除了表現出被攝者的想像力與創造能力，我們也同樣重視拍攝手法的想像與創新，例如民族誌電影還能有什麼樣的創新拍攝手法？拍攝者、被攝者和觀眾之間，又會有什麼樣的互動可能性？