Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei

KuanDu International Animation Festival was launched and organized by the Department of Animation, Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA). Since its commencement in 2011, the Festival now celebrates its seventh anniversary this year. Through international open call for works, it has achieved much success on the international stage and become an important film festival for talented animation artists and directors around the world. Since 2013, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Taipei has been a collaborator in the project, promoting Taiwanese and foreign animations and films by showcasing these works in exhibitions. During the Festival, one of the major events is the annual KuanDog Prize, which has been receiving submissions of more than one thousand animation short films worldwide. Among all the competitors, there are thirty-one nominees for "The Best International Animated Short Film," fifty-five nominees for "The Best International Student Animated Film," and fifty-six works for special screenings. These works cover a wide and diverse range of topics in digital, traditional, artistic and experimental forms. This exhibition showcases and screens more than one hundred works, and aims to prompt interaction and mutual learning between Taiwanese and international animation artists through the collaboration between the two institutions and the incredibly rich content of the animation films. Through such efforts, it is hoped that the international vision and future development of Taiwanese animation can be further broadened. International Short Films Selected I
Nine animation short films are included in this section. These animations are lively and cover a diverse range of genres, such as puppet animation, sand animation, and 3D animation. Through vivid depiction of familial relations and heartwarming narratives in the urban setting, they convey the amusing and interesting aspects in daily life. International Short Films Selected II
This section includes thirteen animation short films, which delineate an array of topics in 2D animation created with a refined style. These topics range from ecological issues introduced through the harmonious co-existence between a young hunter and animals, a profound conversation regarding a retrospective look of one's life between elders in a hospital, or the subject of exploration in life portrayed by small creatures seeking suitable pools in a bathing house. International Short Films Selected III
This section showcases eleven animation short films and explores the subject of life through the scenarios of different living experiences, which include enriched stories about animals' separation anxiety, adventurous expeditions in the polar region, extraterrestrial life forms, and tolerance and conflicts between different species. International Short Films Selected IV
This section includes eleven animation short films and centers on images and an atmosphere that are romantic, heartwarming, and informed by a sense of child-like innocence and splendid colors. The topics touch upon love, friendship and family, that each work expresses in a characteristic and imaginative way. International Short Films Selected V
Nine animation short films are showcased in this section. They guide the viewers to contemplate on various issues on a deeper level through exaggerating and humorous animation. Through 2D, 3D and paper-cutting animation, these works visualize the concept of diversity. International Short Films Selected VI
This section showcases ten animation short films, which shatter stereotype about traditional animation with their unique subjects, refined and precise images and music. Together, these works present a glamorous yet shadowy world of sensual stimulations, offering viewers a rather different and alternative experience.