As one of Asia’s leading documentary festivals, the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF) took place from October 9 to 16. This year, four Taiwanese documentaries were selected for its renowned competition — the highest number of Taiwanese films in competition in the festival’s history! Riding on this momentum, Taiwan Docs -an initiative of Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) dedicated to bringing Taiwanese documentaries and filmmakers to international audiences, - partnered with YIDFF to present the special program “Taiwanese & Japanese Home Movies: Small Film, Vast Universe.” This collaboration highlighted TFAI’s precious archival collection, including rare footage from both Yamagata and Hualien filmed in the 1960s, making their screening especially meaningful today.
TFAI and YIDFF also co-hosted a Taiwan Night, expanding international exchange and visibility for Taiwanese documentary filmmakers. At the event, TFAI Director Iris DU remarked, “It's really a pleasure to collaborate with the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival on a special program this year and to co-host the Taiwan Night, celebrating friendship, creativity, and our shared love for documentary films,” while Wood LIN, TFAI Supervisor of Research and Curation and Program Director for Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF), noted, “YIDFF and the TIDF share a long and profound friendship. We hope this partnership will continue for years to come, and we warmly invite everyone to join us at next year’s TIDF in May .”
Teams of all four Taiwanese competition films were present at YIDFF:
● Sayun Simung, director of SPI (world premiere, New Asian Currents Competition)
● SONG Cheng-ying, HU Chin-ya, directors of The Tales of the Tale (New Asian Currents Competition)
● Frankie SIN, director of Another Home (International Competition)
● SO Yo-hen, director of Taman-taman (Park) (International Competition)
Over 100 documentary professionals from around the world gathered alongside Taiwanese filmmakers, creating a lively and inspiring exchange.
The program “Taiwanese & Japanese Home Movies: Small Film, Vast Universe” concluded recently, featuring selected works from last year’s TIDF program “Untitled Reel: Amateur, Small-gauge Films and Others.” It showcased 8mm film collection from TFAI, accompanied by contextual commentary by SU Ui-tiok, co-curator of the program. The lineup included films by Dr. TING Ray-yü of the TING family in Lukang from the period under Japanese rule (1935–1943) and works by documentary photographer HSU Tsang-tse, who captured his family and daily life in the 1960s–70s. These touching everyday scenes transcend time and space, engaging in a cross-cultural dialogue with Japanese small-gauge home movies and receiving enthusiastic acclaim from audiences.
Another highlight this year was “Return: Yamagata × Hualien 1960s,” co-presented with the Hualien Film Center. Dedicated to preserving audiovisual heritage, TFAI drew from its Taiwan Film Culture Company’s (TFCC) newsreels collection to revisit footage of 1960s Hualien, paired with contemporaneous images of Yamagata City. The program also featured an original score by musician LIM Giong, transforming archival materials into emotionally resonant audiovisual works through creative reinterpretation. These films guided audiences back to the everyday memories of the two cities in the 1960s and evoked the enduring friendship between Taiwan and Japan, strengthened through mutual support in times of major events.
Through Taiwan Docs, TFAI continues to foster strong relationships with leading international documentary professionals, promoting Taiwanese documentaries on the global stage and helping local filmmakers build international networks and strengthen industry connections.
For the latest updates, please visit the Taiwan Docs website, Facebook page, and Instagram.
