2014 TIDF Award-Winning List
Asian Vision Competition
Grand Prize
Yumen
HUANG Xiang, John Paul SNIADECKI, XU Rou-Tao｜China, US
A haunting, mysterious and artistically adventurous film that expands the notion of documentary while capturing the cultural history of past, present and future China. Lying somewhere on the vanishing borders between contemporary art, experimental cinema and ethnographic documentary, it is a unique and intelligent work on memory, which is unforgettable.
Merit Prize
Paldang
KAUH Eun-jin｜South Korea
It completely documents and reflects the process of a social movement. Different perspectives and actions have been presented to a certain degree, in which contains the emotions of the filmmaker and the protagonist.
Spark
HU Jie｜China
It is not about how large the production scale is. When I watch the film, I gradually forget that I’m a filmmaker or a juror. I become one simple audience. I am deeply moved, by the strength of the film. I cry, because of the beauty of humanity and the solitude of persisting in one’s ideology.
International Competition
Grand Prize
The Empire of Shame
HONG Li-gyeong｜South Korea
The film mournfully but skillfully reveals the hidden unjustness and insincerity of one of the world biggest companies with fierce anger. It also proves that the influential, extraordinary power of documentary can still agitate the audience and let them move.
Merit Prize
Stop-over
Kaveh BAKHTIAR｜Switzerland, France
Through its lens, this film brought us to the dreamers,who comes and goes, persisting and strugglingover the seemingly endless waiting of the big success and realization of theultimate goal.
Glowing Embers
Mary JIMÉNEZ, Bénédicte LIÉNARD｜Belgium, Peru
Through poetically-woven beautiful cinematography, this film makes its audience painfully experience the isolated and struggling life of a woman and her family at the bottom of the society in Peru. The merciless pressure of capitalism and reproduction of despair.
Special Jury Mention
National Diploma
Dieudo HAMADI｜Democratic Republic of the Congo, France
The film portrays the young people's struggles and efforts in every way in order to pass the test of life. Whilst under the dysfunctional government and education system, these kids never give up the exam that determines their future. It seems absurd in every aspect, yet,extremely real.
Taiwanese Competition
Grand Prize
Civil Disobedience
CHEN Yu-ching｜Taiwan
Civil Disobedience courageously faces police violence in an emotionally charged and politically embodied way. It makes the civil movement in Taiwan a movement of images and bodies at the very front of confrontation.
Merit Prize
Face to Face
CHUNG Chuan｜Taiwan
Face to Face challenges the boundary between the documentary film and the feature film, between reality and fiction in a stylishly innovative way. It gives us a fantastic stage of wrestling with strong, vivid characters in the fast tempo of the contemporary youth culture.
Chinese Documentary Award
Grand Prize
Yumen
HUANG Xiang, John Paul SNIADECKI, XU Rou-Tao｜China, US
The filmmakers consciously choose and arrange the various media to convey a sharp political criticism, including the contrast between images and sound/music with great power, and mise en scène of space, character and performance in a non-traditional method. It portrays a lost city and its history with a highly engaging artistic and poetic approach.
Special Jury Mention
Spark
HU Jie｜China
It is a piece of history that’s rarely known, and a time we must not forget. It is precious to manifest this issue through the discussion around oligarchic and democratic socialism. 50 years ago, some youngsters plucked up courage, trying to change the current situation back then; 50 years later, we could still identify that attempt and courage. It is because the historical value and the difficulty and great bravery in tackling this issue that we would like to present this award to this film.
Author’s POV Award
A Dream of Iron
PARK Kelvin Kyung-kun｜South Korea, US
The film has posed a deep introspection toward this newly industrialised country, showing how gigantic corporations eliminate individuality as if they were the new supreme, which could be a huge inspiration to Taiwan. Though the integrity and maturity of the film may not be the most outstanding, still, we think that it deserves the recognition. This is an award selected by Taiwanese documentary filmmakers, and we would like to encourage and stimulate our colleagues as well as trigger more profound examination to our society.
Next Generation Award
The Lost Sea
HUNG Chun-hsiu｜Taiwan
In the process we keep asking ourselves: what documentary deserve this award? What is the viewpoint that would represent our generation? We found out till the very end that there is no standard answer to our questions. Yet what we could do is to see, to feel the films as juveniles, and chose one film that might echo our voice.
The we felt connected to these six nominees. Some film even led us to hot debates because it moved us in wildly different ways. Also, we would like to note that, to us, a good documentary should: 1. provides viewpoint that leads us to shed more thought on its subject; 2. leading audience to its world.
As a result, we pick the winner of the Next Generation Award by its strength, length, and width of resonance among the jury, and its distance to the audience.
We were profoundly surprised by the narrative and the rich layers of its issue. This film manipulates of time and space with its humor, and make the audience laugh for what they saw. The Next Generation Award goes to--The Lost Sea.
Audience Award
The Walkers
Singing CHEN｜Taiwan
Outstanding Contribution Award
The Green Team