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Sundance Asia: Sean Wangs Didi Opens Film Festival in Taipei

Sundance Asia has officially kicked off in Taipei, Taiwan.

Over the next five days, 15 feature films and six shorts will screen at the Sundance Film Festival Asian edition, with Taiwanese American filmmaker Sean Wang’s “Didi” as the opening night selection.

Before Wang’s film (which won the audience award and a special jury prize for its ensemble at the Park City festival) made its Taiwan premiere, the Legacy Taipei played host to the opening ceremony gala. Hollywood creatives mingled with local filmmakers and actors: “Fancy Dance” producer Nina Yang Bongiovi, “Joker 2” cinematographer Lawrence Sher, “Porcelain War” director Brendan Bellomo, “Your Monster” director Caroline Lindy and producer Kayla Foster, Wang and Esther Liu, Chen Yi-Wen, Hank Chen and Aviis Zhong were just some of those in attendance.

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With many having flown in from Toronto or Los Angeles, attendees swapped tips on jetlag survival. Wang and “Little Death” director Jack Begert went skateboarding on the streets of Taipei at 4 a.m.; others ventured into 7-11 and some relied on Red Bull for an energy boost, while a few chose to catch up on work. As the opening ceremony got underway and more than 250 people gathered for the “Didi” screening, there was a growing sense of excitement in the venue.

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Sundance Asia has grown and expanded since it launched in 2016. The festival includes more screenings, panels and workshops, as the Institute works to foster a bridge between people who have worked on Hollywood blockbusters and engage with local filmmakers in Taiwan.

“The 2023 Sundance Film Festival: Asia was held in Taiwan for the first time, and we discovered that Taiwan has a strong event capability and production power,” Kim Yutani, the Sundance Institute’s program director, said onstage. “We also hope to foster more exchanges with independent filmmakers in Asia and around the world. I look forward to interacting with everyone in Taipei.”

This year’s event features 14 master panels and workshops, with particular attention on the AI panel. Additionally, the Sundance Asia short film competition features six shortlisted works. The winner will be chosen by the jury which includes members of the Sundance Film Festival programming team and guest jurors producer Justine O., Taiwanese actress Ke-Xi Wu (Nina Wu, “Black Tea”) and producer Wang Si-Jing from “Take Me to the Moon.”

During the opening ceremony, the jury prize for best short film, presented by Gold House, was awarded to “Suo Jiang” by production designer-turned-director Lin Chien-yu. Gold House co-founder Bing Chen was on hand to give the award. In addition to the recognition, she won NT$50,00 and admission to the Gold House membership.

Later this week, Variety will moderate a conversation with Chen, Christine Yi (Gold House’s general manager of futures), Bongiovi and director Lloyd Choi, billed “A Filmmaker’s Creative & Financing Journey.” Sundance Asia runs from Aug. 21-25.

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