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Home Competition 2023 KDIAF Award Winners

2023 KDIAF Award Winners

Best Animated Short Film Award　

Monsoon Blue

Director: Ka-yin CHAN, Hiu-kit WONG

Award-winning reason:

Monsoon Blue struck me with its palpable sense of place. Its evocation of Hong Kong’s Goldfish Street, in the Mongkok district of Kowloon, is striking and vivid and is reminiscent of the cinema of Wang Kar Wai. The oppressiveness of the humid air and the lashing of the monsoon storm is like physical presence. The young goldfish vendor at the center of the film struggles to catch her breath, much like the goldfish in plastic bags which she sells. Just as the fish use up the air in the small environment of their bag, the young woman also struggles to breathe. She also fights to reclaim the suppressed memories of her childhood, from a time when she and her childhood friend dreamed of the “original form” of goldfish when freed from their plastic prisons and returned to their free and natural condition. Monsoon Blue skillfully handles the multiple layers of metaphor in the story to create an authentically distressing feeling of the young Hong Kong’s woman’s claustrophobic present and her memories of the possibilities of an unconfined human existence.

Taiwan Special Award　

Ghost of the Dark Path

Director: Fish Wang

Award-winning reason

There is so much creativity in this film, each scene is full of striking visual ideas. A strong story based on a dark historical background and very fluid and lively storytelling. This is obviously a great movie.

Best Student Film Award　

Go Fishboy

Director: Denise CIRONE, Sebastian DORINGER, Andrey KOLESOV, Chiayu LIU, Zhen TIAN, Lan ZHOU

Award-winning reason:

The inheritance of Japanese craftsmanship, the thoughts of fathers and sons, the interplay between traditional constraints and the freedom to wander – this work presents a captivating story intertwined with Japanese culture.

The narrative visuals are precise, cleverly using the fish on the chopping board as a metaphor for the father-son relationship; it's an outstanding piece

A cute style with a mature narrative, a cold distance between the characters that immerses the audience.

Taiwan Student Award　

Good Bye

Director: Wen-Ru Li, Zinc Liew

Length 05:34

Award-winning reason:

Good bye. I really like the way they handle the story twists. A small story can beautifully capture the emotions of two generations on both sides – heartwarming and heartbreaking.

Expressing the longing for departed loved ones in a humorous and lifelike manner, it breaks from conventions and is delicately touching. -by Bang-yao Liu Vivid's voice acting and authentic dialogue; even though the setup is apparent, it still manages to move the audience in the end.

We wanted to give an award for Good Bye, a student film full of charm. The choice of the materials and the sound design are intelligently well thought out, it is immersive and attractive. We could almost smell the food. It is a simple sweet story but captivating at the same time. It is a very promising work.

Best Taiwanese Film Score　

Ghost of the Dark Path

Score: Tsai An-ga, Cheers Entertainment Studio

Award-winning reason:

--The music score design is exquisite and mature, with comprehensive composition and beautiful harmonic applications. The string performance is perfectly balanced. The work's sound mixing is well-rounded, and it harmonizes seamlessly with the visuals, allowing the audience to swiftly immerse themselves in the scenes and emotions of the work. It effectively elevates the visuals, making it a highly professional production.