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 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. The competition is restricted to first and second narrative features, so filmmakers compete against peers at a similar career stage.
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 key trade-off: the festival is not Oscar-qualifying and has no attached film market. Its value is the USD $10,000 Grand Prize, career-building exposure on the Asian festival circuit, and access to Taiwanese industry professionals. Filmmakers seeking acquisitions should target Busan or Hong Kong instead.
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 2026 edition received 430 submissions for 10 competition slots.
The Taipei Film Awards has focused on Taiwanese films since its establishment, promoting Taiwanese filmmakers and encouraging diverse subjects and innovation. The 2026 edition introduced the Best Original Film Song category and renamed Best Score to Best Original Film Music.
The festival's venues - Zhongshan Hall, SPOT-Huashan Cinema, and Eslite Art House - are all located in central Taipei, creating a walkable festival zone.
Past Winners
2025 (27th edition):
- Grand Prize: Drowning Dry (Lithuania), directed by Laurynas Bareisa. Won Best Director and Best Performance at Locarno 2024. Lithuania's submission for the Best International Feature Academy Award.
- Special Jury Prize: Two Times Joao Liberada (Portugal), directed by Paula Tomas Marques
- Audience Choice Award: Family Matters (Taiwan), directed by Pan Ke-yin
2024 (26th edition):
- Grand Prize: Who Do I Belong To (Tunisia/USA), directed by Meryam Joobeur
- Special Jury Prize: My Sunshine (Japan), directed by Daishi Matsunaga. Also won the Taiwan Directors Guild Award and the Audience Choice Award, sweeping three honors.
2023 (25th edition):
- Grand Prize: Under the Fig Trees (Tunisia), directed by Erige Sehiri. Tunisia's official submission for the 2023 Oscars for Best International Feature Film.
- Special Jury Prize: The Burdened (Yemen), directed by Amr Gamal
- Audience Choice Award: A Place Called Silence (Taiwan/Malaysia), directed by Sam Quah
Notable Alumni
- Laurynas Bareisa - won the 2025 Grand Prize with Drowning Dry, his second feature. Already won Best Director and Best Performance at Locarno 2024. His previous film Pilgrims won the Orizzonti Award for Best Film at Venice.
- Erige Sehiri - won the 2023 Grand Prize with Under the Fig Trees. The film was Tunisia's Oscar submission. The Taipei selection helped the film reach Asian audiences.
- Daishi Matsunaga - won three awards at the 2024 edition with My Sunshine (Special Jury Prize, Taiwan Directors Guild Award, Audience Choice Award).
- Past jury members include two-time Palme d'Or winner Ruben Ostlund, Academy Award winner Hamaguchi Ryusuke (Drive My Car), and Golden Horse Award-winning director Pema Tseden.
Submission Tips
- Submissions are free through the festival website. The 2026 edition received 430 submissions for 10 competition slots, making the acceptance rate approximately 2.3%.
- The International New Talent Competition is restricted to first or second narrative features. Documentaries are excluded.
- Minimum length is 70 minutes. Films must be available as DCP.
- Films should have Taiwan premiere status. Films that have already screened widely in Taiwan face a disadvantage.
- Non-Taiwanese films should have English subtitles if the dialogue is not in English. Taiwanese films should have both Chinese and English subtitles.
- The submission window for the 28th edition ran February 6 to March 13, 2026, with notification in mid-May.
- The Taipei Film Awards are a separate competition for Taiwanese films only, with 16+ categories. Taiwanese filmmakers should submit to both competitions if eligible.
- The Grand Prize (USD $10,000) and Special Jury Prize (USD $5,000) are substantial for an emerging filmmaker.
Industry Reputation
The Taipei Film Festival is not a major acquisitions festival. Its industry value lies in two areas: the International New Talent Competition as a platform for emerging directors, and the Taipei Film Awards as the most comprehensive domestic recognition system for Taiwanese cinema.
The International New Talent Competition is the only international competition in Taiwan dedicated to first and second narrative features. The 2026 edition drew 430 submissions for 10 slots. Past jury members include Ruben Ostlund, Hamaguchi Ryusuke, and Pema Tseden.
The festival is not Oscar-qualifying. However, past winners have gone on to Oscar consideration through other pathways. Under the Fig Trees (2023) was Tunisia's Oscar submission. Drowning Dry (2025) was Lithuania's Oscar submission.
For Taiwanese filmmakers, the Taipei Film Awards are the most significant domestic industry event, with 16+ categories covering acting, directing, technical, and craft achievements. The 2026 edition added a Best Original Film Song category and renamed Best Score to Best Original Film Music.
Taiwan's political openness creates an audience receptive to politically engaged and socially challenging cinema, which is a programming advantage over festivals in markets with content restrictions.
Watch
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.
