Established in 2011, the Kuandu International Animation Festival (KDIAF) is organized by the Department of Animation at Taipei National University of the Arts. As one of Taipei’s leading international animation festivals, it is held in the culturally rich Kuandu Plain, strengthening a connection with the broader cultural landscape of Tamsui.
Held every year in late October, KDIAF offers a weeklong program of diverse activities, including an international animation competition, industry–academia talks, animation workshops, and an animation camp for children. Through these opportunities for exchange and interaction, the festival seeks to foster animation development in Taiwan. Its international open call for submissions has also brought the festival onto the global stage, establishing it as a prominent event that attracts outstanding animation artists and directors from around the world. This year’s key visual features an elegant, mellow palette of warm orange, giving the festival’s iconic mascot, the “KuanDog,” a fresh look. Dressed as a butler in a tailcoat and glasses, KuanDog moves gracefully among the banquet tables, overseeing arrangements while awaiting guests from afar. As visitors step through the doors into a grand hall of light and shadow, they are invited to savor a carefully curated annual feast of animation.
Since 2013, MoCA TAIPEI has partnered with the festival in a collaborative showcase. This year, the festival received an impressive 2,390 submissions from 103 countries. From these, 60 films were selected as competition finalists, along with 9 non-competition showcase films. For this exhibition, MoCA TAIPEI has selected 15 finalists from this year’s competition. Through screenings throughout the exhibition, the museum and festival aim to promote animation and broaden perspectives on moving-image art in Taiwan and internationally, while showcasing global trends in contemporary animation alongside distinctive Taiwanese perspectives.