Written/Compiled and Reported by Liu Jiawen
Movie lovers looking to save money are in luck. The annual European Film Shadows Festival is back, with screenings touring 10 cities including Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, and Hualien from now until January 15, 2012. The venues include campuses and local cultural centers, with no prior reservation required—all screenings are free of charge. This year’s festival features 13 films recommended by 12 countries including Denmark, Hungary, Spain, and France. Among them are Venice Film Festival Jury Prize winner Soul Kitchen, Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film The White Ribbon, as well as popular domestic films from various countries such as Belgium’s Illegal (original title: Rundskop) and the UK’s The Selfish Giant, offering audiences a chance to enjoy the diverse flavors of European cinema in one go.
This year’s European Film Shadows Festival opening ceremony was held in Tainan, and the screenings will also tour multiple cities across Taiwan including Taipei, Taichung, and Hualien. (Photo provided by Tainan City Government)
The 13 films participating in the European Film Shadows Festival span various genres such as comedy, romance, and documentaries, catering to different audience preferences. The internationally acclaimed Golden Globe-winning film The White Ribbon depicts a teacher recalling a series of strange events during his time teaching in a rural village in northern Germany on the eve of World War I. Venice Film Festival Jury Prize winner Soul Kitchen uses comedy to tell the story of two brothers trying to save their family restaurant. The festival’s opening film Victory portrays how a talented young pianist faces a crossroads in life and rediscovers his future and glory.
This year’s festival features 13 films, many of which have received recognition from the Venice Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival. (Photo provided by Tainan City Government Tourism Bureau)
This year’s festival will hold screenings at multiple locations in Taipei, including Taipei Film House, Taipei College of Business, Tamkang University, and Ming Chuan University. Today (the 7th), the first screening at Tamkang University is 9 1/2 Days, running until January 7. The final screening in Taipei will be Illegal at Taipei Film House. Other counties and cities such as the Taoyuan County Government Cultural Affairs Bureau, National Chung Hsing University, and National Yunlin University of Science and Technology also started screenings today, ending on December 31, December 30, and December 20 respectively. The tour will then move on to Tainan City Cultural Center and Xinying Cultural Center, concluding all screenings on January 15. For detailed screening schedules and related information, please visit the official blog: teff.pixnet.net/blog.
| Region | Venue | Dates |
| Northern Region | Taipei Film House | December 10 – January 7 |
| Taipei College of Business | December 8 – December 29 | |
| Tamkang University | December 7 – December 22 | |
| Ming Chuan University | December 12 – December 15 | |
| Taoyuan County Government Cultural Affairs Bureau | December 7 – December 31 | |
| National Central University | December 23 – December 29 | |
| Hsinchu Image Museum | December 24 – December 31 | |
| Central Region | Shalu Film Art Museum | December 10 – December 25 |
| Taiwan University of Science and Technology | December 13 – December 23 | |
| National Chung Hsing University | December 7 – December 30 | |
| Southern Taiwan | Tainan Cultural Center | December 24 – January 15 |
| Xinying Cultural Center | December 11 – January 15 | |
| National Yunlin University of Science and Technology | December 7 – December 20 | |
| National Sun Yat-sen University | December 12 – January 3 | |
| Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages | December 14 – December 30 | |
| Eastern Taiwan | Yilan County Government Cultural Affairs Bureau | December 11 – January 8 |
| National Ilan University | December 10 – December 31 | |
| Luodong Township Library | December 10 – January 7 | |
| National Dong Hwa University | December 12 – December 27 |