From Viewers to Participants
The credits rolled, the lights were on, but the audience remained seated. A hot discussion ensued. Children raised their hands eagerly, throwing questions at the guest on the stage… The Taiwan International Children’s Film Festival (TICFF) experience is more than just watching films, as film directors and other professionals are brought into the theatre to interact with the audience.
In 2012, TICFF started presenting films by themes rather than by region: gender, self-identity, life & death, and social issues like refugees and children’s safety regularly came up during in-depth discussions after screenings. TICFF project manager Lesley Yang: “The idea is to encourage the audience to go beyond simple viewers and become participants.” This idea became a feature of the festival ever since.
More development is on the way. Even though the event lasts for eight days and attracts an audience close to 15,000, many are still unable to attend. In addition to screening tours after the festival an off-year project is underway, hoping to meet the needs of the festival’s growing popularity.
More info: www.ticff.org.tw/index_english.html