Taipei Film Festival

Overview

The Taipei Film Festival is Taiwan's leading international film festival. The 28th edition runs June 26 to July 11, 2026, at Zhongshan Hall, SPOT-Huashan Cinema, and Eslite Art House in Taipei. The festival presents competitive international and Taiwanese cinema through two main competitions: the Taipei Film Awards, dedicated to Taiwanese films, and the International New Talent Competition, dedicated to emerging directors worldwide.

Taiwan's film tradition has produced some of world cinema's most acclaimed directors, including Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang in the 1980s and 1990s, and more recently Wei Te-sheng and Chung Mong-hong. The Taipei Film Festival provides a domestic platform for this tradition alongside the Golden Horse Awards, which are administered separately.

The International New Talent Competition is the only international competition in Taiwan dedicated to emerging directors' first and second narrative features. For the 28th edition, 10 films were selected from 430 submissions, representing Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the UK, Canada, Argentina, and other countries. The 2026 International Jury is headed by Sabrina Baracetti, President of the Udine Far East Film Festival, with members including Taipei Film Awards Best Actress Nikki Hsieh, Golden Horse Best Director Jun Li, and Eiko Mizuno-Gray, CEO of Loaded Films and producer of the Oscar-nominated "Plan 75."

Key Sections

• International New Talent Competition - 10 first/second narrative features from emerging directors worldwide, competing for the Grand Prize (USD $10,000)
• Taipei Film Awards - Taiwanese films competing across four categories: Narrative Features, Documentaries, Short Films, and Animations, with 16+ individual awards
• Taiwan Film Marketing Creative Award - recognizing excellence in film marketing (renamed from Taiwan Film Marketing Award in 2026)
• Outstanding Contribution Award - honorary recognition for contributions to Taiwanese cinema
• Non-competitive programs - curated international and Taiwanese cinema screenings

Submission Details

The Taipei Film Festival accepts International New Talent Competition submissions through its official website. Submissions are free of charge.

28th edition (2026) submission timeline:

• Submission window: February 6 to March 13, 2026
• Submission fee: FREE
• Notification date: mid-May 2026

International New Talent Competition eligibility:

• Films must be a director's first or second narrative feature (documentaries are excluded)
• Minimum length: 70 minutes
• Must be available as DCP
• Film must have premiered after March 15, 2025
• Films should have Taiwan premiere status
• Each selected film will be screened in its finalized version
• Non-Taiwanese films should have English subtitles if the dialogue is not in English
• Taiwanese films should have both Chinese and English subtitles
• Submissions are done via the festival's website (registration required)

The Taipei Film Awards accept submissions for Taiwanese films across four categories: Narrative Features, Documentaries, Short Films, and Animations. The submission timeline for the Taipei Film Awards typically runs alongside the International New Talent Competition window.

What Filmmakers Should Know

The International New Talent Competition is one of the few festival competitions in Asia that offers a significant cash prize with no submission fee. The Grand Prize of USD $10,000 and Special Jury Prize of USD $5,000 are substantial for an emerging filmmaker. Additional honors include the Audience Choice Award and the Taiwan Directors Guild Award (renamed from Taiwan Directors Association Recommendation Award in 2026), both of which expand international exposure opportunities.

The competition's restriction to first and second narrative features means filmmakers compete against peers at a similar career stage. The 2025 edition drew 17 countries of origin among its 10 finalists, with the Grand Prize going to "Who Do I Belong To" directed by Tunisian-American filmmaker Meryam Joobeur. The Japanese film "My Sunshine" won the Special Jury Prize, the Taiwan Directors Guild Award, and the Audience Choice Award, demonstrating that a single film can sweep multiple honors.

Past jury members include two-time Palme d'Or winner Ruben Ostlund, Japanese director Hamaguchi Ryusuke (Academy Award winner for "Drive My Car"), Golden Horse Award-winning director Pema Tseden, and renowned Japanese director Yamashita Nobuhiro. The jury composition signals the festival's international ambitions and its ability to attract high-caliber industry professionals.

For Taiwanese filmmakers, the Taipei Film Awards offer the most comprehensive domestic recognition system, with 16+ categories covering acting, directing, technical, and craft achievements. The 2026 edition introduced a new "Best Original Film Song" award, recognizing original songs written specifically for films. The former "Best Score" award was renamed "Best Original Film Music" to emphasize originality in film music composition.

Major Awards

International New Talent Competition:

• Grand Prize - USD $10,000 cash award, selected by an international jury
• Special Jury Prize - USD $5,000 cash award
• Audience Choice Award - voted by festival audiences
• Taiwan Directors Guild Award - selected by the Taiwan Directors Guild

Taipei Film Awards (Taiwanese films only):

• Grand Prize - top honor across all categories
• Best Narrative Feature
• Best Documentary
• Best Short Film
• Best Animation
• Best Director
• Best Actor / Best Actress
• Best Supporting Actor / Best Supporting Actress
• Best New Performer (newcomers who have not previously served as lead or supporting actor in a feature film)
• Best Original Screenplay / Best Adapted Screenplay
• Best Original Film Music (renamed from Best Score in 2026)
• Best Original Film Song (new category in 2026)
• Best Cinematography
• Best Art Direction
• Best Editing
• Best Sound Design
• Best Visual Effects
• Outstanding Contribution Award - honorary recognition

Festival History

The Taipei Film Festival was founded in 1998 and has operated alongside Taiwan's established film culture institutions, including the Golden Horse Awards (administered separately since 1990). The festival has grown into a two-week event presenting competitive international and Taiwanese cinema.

The International New Talent Competition was established to discover and support emerging filmmakers worldwide, with a focus on directors' first and second narrative features. The competition highlights bold new voices in contemporary cinema, embracing diverse storytelling approaches, visual languages, and aesthetic styles. Over the years, the competition has attracted submissions from hundreds of filmmakers globally, with the 2026 edition receiving 430 submissions.

The Taipei Film Awards has focused on Taiwanese films since its establishment, promoting Taiwanese filmmakers and encouraging diverse subjects and innovation. The awards have become an annual major event in the Taiwanese film industry, attracting attention from filmmakers in Taiwan and abroad. The 2026 edition introduced the Best Original Film Song category and renamed Best Score to Best Original Film Music, reflecting evolving creative practices in Taiwanese cinema.

The festival's venues - Zhongshan Hall, SPOT-Huashan Cinema, and Eslite Art House - are all located in central Taipei, creating a walkable festival zone. Taipei's character as one of Asia's most politically free and culturally open societies creates an audience receptive to politically engaged and socially challenging cinema from around the world.

See Also

To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. To estimate your probability of acceptance based on festival tier and film characteristics, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For East Asian cinema markets, see International Film Markets. For Taiwan's other major cinema event, see Golden Horse Film Festival.