The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI)’s Taiwan Docs promotion platform and the Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF) are joining forces with the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) for the first time this year to present “Focus Taiwan: Beyond the Frame.” Taking place from November 20 to 30, this large-scale program will present 12 Taiwanese documentaries and experimental films, with five filmmakers and one DJ traveling to Montréal to attend the festival in person. In addition to the screenings, the program will also include a live cinema performance, panel discussion, and a Taiwan Night. In addition, two Taiwanese projects are invited to the industry event, Forum RIDM, to participate in pitches and workshops, reflecting the vibrant diversity of Taiwan’s documentary landscape.
Founded in 1998, RIDM is renowned for its bold, innovative, and artistically driven curatorial approach, drawing countless audiences and establishing it as one of North America’s most iconic documentary film festivals. The Forum RIDM, which brings together more than 500 industry professionals every year, is dedicated to nurturing emerging talents and fostering the creation of new works. This year’s “Focus Taiwan: Beyond the Frame.” marks RIDM’s first country-focused program in many years. Featuring a robust lineup of films and events, the program has generously invited several Taiwanese filmmakers to attend in person, underscoring its genuine commitment and deep appreciation of Taiwanese documentaries. This large-scale collaboration was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Taipei Cultural Center in New York and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Montréal.
“Focus Taiwan: Beyond the Frame” opens with SO Yo-hen’s award-winning Taman-Taman (Park), and features a diverse lineup that includes the North American premiere of Sayun Simung’s SPI; LO Yi-shan’s After the Snowmelt, a personal reflection on grief following a friend’s mountaineering accident; LAU Kek Huat’s Taste of Wild Tomato, which delves into the lingering trauma of Taiwan’s February 28 Incident; and WU Tzu-an’s This Shore: A Family Story, which explores his family history spanning Taiwan and the United States. These five feature-length films, each distinct in theme and style, either confront pressing social issues in contemporary Taiwan or unfold from profoundly personal perspectives, inviting audiences to look beyond the surface of the image and peer into the ideas, histories, and realities that shape Taiwanese cinema today.
Moreover, the program also features six experimental short films, highlighting the creativity and vitality of Taiwanese filmmakers. These include HUNG Wei-lin’s K’s Room—the Creation and Destruction of the World; HUANG Pang-chuan’s Last Year When the Train Passed By; Johan CHANG’s Flight and Frame; Erica SHEU’s don’t be afraid let it show; WU Tzu-an’s The Embryo's Dream, Upon the Moon; and Fur Film Vol.1: I don't own a cat, co-directed by WU Tzu-an and Erica SHEU. The live cinema event will screen HUANG Pang-chuan and Chunni LINs’ silent work This Is Not a Film by Deng Nan-guang, accompanied by a live music performance by Taiwanese DJ and electronic music artist Vice City, who will infuse new life into the images of Taiwan’s people and landscapes captured during the Japanese colonial era.
To provide audiences with deeper insights into the creative context of Taiwanese documentary filmmaking, RIDM has invited directors SO yo-hen, HUNG Wei-ling, WU Tzu-an, Sayun Simung, and LO Yi-shan to Montréal to attend the festival. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese projects invited to Forum RIDM are Celin Yi Hui SU’s Da Ra Song, which was selected for the Rough Cut Pitch, and WU Tzu-an’s Hollow Ship, Drift through the Void!, a selection of Doc Lab Montréal. CHEN Wanling, Head of Documentary at TFAI, has also been invited to join the Taiwan Forum and serve as one of the industry decision-makers at Forum RIDM.
TFAI’s Taiwan Docs continues to maintain strong relationships with key international documentary organizations, actively promoting the global visibility of Taiwanese documentaries through different collaborative channels, while also supporting Taiwanese filmmakers in expanding their international presence, building networks, and connecting with the global industry. This year, Taiwan Docs has successfully facilitated Taiwanese documentary showcases in the UK, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, the US, Thailand, France, and Hungary. For the latest updates, please follow the Taiwan Docs official website, Facebook page, and Instagram account.
❃ Full Lineup:
Taman-taman (Park)
SPI
After the Snowmelt
Taste of Wild Tomato
This Shore: A Family Story
K's Room - the Creation and Destruction of the World
Last Year When the Train Passed by
Flight and Frame
Don't be afraid let it show
The Embryo's Dream, Upon the Moon
Fur Film Vol.1: I don't own a cat
This is Not a Film by Deng Nan Guang (ft. DJ Vice City)
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❃ Forum RIDM Projects:
Da Ra Song
Hollow Ship, Drift through the Void!