The closing ceremony of the 13th Kuandu International Animation Festival took place on October 28th. On that day, in addition to many attendees, several teachers, dignitaries, and nominated directors were present. This edition of the Kuandu International Animation Festival received over 2,000 submissions from more than a hundred countries. After careful consideration by the judges, four outstanding films were selected and awarded the Kuan Dog Award during the closing ceremony.

"A seven-day animation journey has come to a close, but I believe we all cherish the experience," the event began with the screening of highlights, reminiscing the wonderful moments of the week. The host then introduced the curators, the judging panel, collaborating units, and other important guests of this edition of the animation festival. Director Joanne Choa, the curator, gave an opening speech. She thanked the directors for generously sharing their experiences through lectures, providing diverse inspiration to the audience. She also mentioned plans for future touring screenings to expand the audience and broaden their horizons.

Next, Mr. Wang Hong-Yang, Chairman of Reallusion Imc, delivered a speech. He expressed his admiration for the Kuandu International Animation Festival, which TNUA has organized for many years, and he hoped this event could evolve into the Golden Horse Awards of the animation industry in the future. Chairman Wang firmly believed that the festival would have a profound impact on the creative skills and thinking of TNUA students and encouraged all the nominees, winners or not, stating that they were all winners.

Before moving on to the awards segment, a compilation of nominated short films was screened to allow everyone to revisit these outstanding works. The judges took the stage to share their thoughts. Judges for the general competition, Kim Keukeleire, Fabrice Faivre, and Calmin Borel, expressed their delight at seeing so many excellent works in a cinema and encouraged TNUA students with the phrase "Fight for your festival!" They appreciated the tremendous support given by the students to this event and felt that hosting the animation festival at their school was a wonderful thing. Wu Chih-Cheng, a student competition judge, hoped that fellow students would remember the feeling of their university years and look back on it with gratitude and nostalgia. Finally, music judge representative Professor Luo Jhih-Jie explained the four criteria for selecting the music award: emotional expression, alignment with the visuals, production quality, and the skill of mixing.

After the judges' sharing, the event reached its climax with the award presentation. The Best Animation Award of this edition went to "Monsoon Blue" from Hong Kong, and the Best Student Animation Award was presented to "Go Fishboy," directed by a team of directors from different countries. Both films received the judges' favor for their subtle metaphors. The directors of these two award-winning films conveyed their messages through video messages. The directors of "Monsoon Blue" expressed their hope that the film would help the audience remember the beauty of their homeland, while the directors of "Go Fishboy" mentioned that, despite the team's diverse national backgrounds, they could resonate with the story during production.

Following this, awards were presented for Taiwan's local creations. The Special Taiwan Award of this edition and the Best Taiwan Student Award were given to "The Ghost of the Dark Alley," directed by Director Fish Wang, and "Goodbye Goodbye" directed by Li Wenru and Liao Ziling, respectively. These directors personally received their awards, with Li Wenru speaking about the importance of the award money to creators. "The Ghost of the Dark Alley" also won the Taiwan Music Award this year, with the judges describing its music as effectively enhancing the work and immersing the audience in the story. To inspire other nominees, the judges selected multiple works for the General Jury Award, Student Jury Award, and Music Jury Award, encouraging talented animators to continue creating.

As the event came to a close, Director Joanne Chao presented certificates of appreciation to the staff, thanking the hardworking student team who worked behind the scenes to ensure the smooth running of the animation festival. The closing ceremony concluded with a group photo, leaving a lasting and beautiful memory of the 13th Kuandu International Animation Festival in the hearts of everyone. We eagerly anticipated the arrival of next year's animation festival, promising even more exciting content.