2025 Kaohsiung Film Festival International Short Film & XR Competition Winners Announcement

The awards ceremony for the 2025 Kaohsiung Film Festival International Short Film & XR Competition took place on the evening of October 24 at the Kaohsiung Main Public Library. This year, a remarkable total of 2,380 outstanding short films from 100  countries were submitted, with 40 international short films and 20 Taiwanese short films ultimately competing for awards. The XR Section featured 23 immersive works from 15 countries. With over a hundred nominated filmmakers and crew members in attendance, the event stands as Taiwan’s largest international short film competition and the only international XR competition of its kind.This year’s ceremony was hosted by Alexia Kao, nominee for Best Leading Actress at the 62nd Golden Horse Awards. Patrick Shin, the festival ambassador, and Shao Yu-wei, special guest for the short film section, also joined the celebration as award presenters. Prior to the ceremony, a special nominees’ reception was held at FULLON HOTELS, followed by an awards after-party at Tai Urban Resort, where filmmakers gathered to celebrate and share the joy of this remarkable evening.

This year’s Short Film Competition jury features an impressive lineup, including YANG Ya-che, director of “The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful” and “The Magician on the Skywalk”; Laha Mebow, director of “Gaga” and “Lokah Laqi”; TSENG Pei-yu, acclaimed actress known for her performances in “Gatao”, “Workers“, and ”The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon“; Sung MOON, Programmer of the Jeonju International Film Festival; and UGANA Kenichi, the renowned Japanese maverick filmmaker.

The XR International Competition jury brings together leading figures in immersive storytelling, including Barry Gene MURPHY, award-winning director of “Goliath: Playing with Reality” and “Impulse: Playing with Reality”; MACHIBA Katsutoshi, XR producer whose works have been featured at the Venice Immersive section for five consecutive years; and Jimmy Cheng, Vice President of Operations at Digital Domain Holdings Limited, representing over a hundred immersive content studios across Asia.

The winners of 15 awards across the International, Taiwan, and XR sections have been announced, with the top prizes—the Golden Fireball Awards—going to “God is Shy”, ”Little Mirage”, and “The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up”, respectively.

The International Section Golden Fireball Award went to the French director Jocelyn CHARLES  for “God is Shy”. The jury praised the film for using animation to explore unpredictable narratives and existential questions, transforming the meaning of survival into profound fear and emotion, while showcasing remarkable imagination and tension within the short film format.The International Section Jury Award was awarded to Spanish director María SALGADO GISPERT for “When the Cold Weather Arrives”. The jury noted that the film depicts fragile moments of childhood with sincere and restrained storytelling, moving audiences deeply without being sentimental, leaving a pure and touching impact. The International Section Special Mention Award  went to American director Christopher Radcliff for “We Were the Scenery”. The jury highlighted the film’s ability to approach the heavy theme of the Vietnam War from ordinary perspectives, delivering it with a deftly ironic touch and highly skilled technique.

The Taiwan Section Golden Fireball Award was awarded to LIU Ren-feng for “Little Mirage”. The jury praised the film’s use of diverse techniques and materials, noting that while its subject may seem simple, it carries profound and natural significance, offering a microcosm of contemporary Taiwanese family life. Its emotions transcend borders, leaving a deep resonance with audiences.The Taiwan Section Jury Award went to “After the Cat”, which navigates between virtual and documentary styles. The jury highlighted the purity and precision of the performances by animals and elderly characters, with director CHU Hoi-ying skillfully handling themes of life and death. The Taiwan Section Special Mention Award was given to HUANG Ping-an’s “Vor”. The film uses unique animation techniques to convey feelings of marginalization and emotional vulnerability. Though not a mainstream technical approach, it showcases the director’s distinctive style and strong visual perspective, leaving a memorable authorial imprint. The Taiwan Student Award was awarded to HUNG Wan-yu for “Essence”. The film demonstrates remarkable technical skill and creativity, using plants to create dynamic visual imagery, presenting a level of maturity and visual impact beyond typical student works.

The Asian New Wave Award open to both the International and Taiwan sections, was awarded this year to Taiwanese director HUANG Hsiao-shan for “Rocked by the Wind”. The film draws on themes from a typical East Asian family and employs innovative animation techniques and styles to vividly convey the emotional connections within the family. Its attention to everyday details and dramatic elements resonates deeply with audiences. The Formosa Human Rights Award went to “Worms”  from Germany and Italy. Director Domenico DISTILO impressed the jury with a delicate and intelligent narrative, as well as precise handling of details, portraying a young girl’s strength navigating vulnerability and resilience. The film’s performance was striking, demonstrating strong potential for a feature-length work.

The XR Golden Fireball Award was awarded to Taiwanese director Singing CHEN for the latest VR adaptation of Wu Ming-Yi’s novel, “The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up”. The jury praised the work demonstrates the creators' absolute control over the medium and the intention in its storytelling method, adaptation brilliance, visual quality, sound design, editing, and pacing. It is creating a new storytelling method for the XR industry. The XR Immersive Award went to “Uncanny Alley: A New Day.”  The jury commented: “This is such an unusual and brave thing to experience, with a major breakthrough and creative use of VRChat. The characters and the script are spot on, and the story is on the pulse.” Christopher Lane DAVIS, director of “Gumball Dreams” which won the XR Golden Fireball Award in 2022, served as the technical director for “Uncanny Alley: A New Day”  this year and accepted the award on behalf of the team. When serving as an award presenter in 2023, Christopher Lane Davis amazed the audience in a dreamy wedding gown, appearing as “Marilyn Monroe.” This year, he returned to the stage wearing a vest printed with “Rainbow Taiwan” and matching rainbow earring. As soon as he stepped on stage, he warmly embraced juror and presenter Jimmy Cheng, and the two happily posed for photos together, creating a lively and heartwarming atmosphere.

DAVIS first thanked the audience in Mandarin: “Thank you, everyone. I’m really happy.” He then emotionally expressed, “Thank you to Taiwan, the people of Taiwan. I think my favorite thing about this festival is not watching the other XR creators' pieces, it's watching the other XR creators fall in love with Taiwan. They have the best of the best here. The 101 is just a building, but the people, the hearts of this country is what it's all about. and that is on full display in this room. The world is kind of dark right now and that's obviously what our show reflects. There's some really scary people doing really scary things. A lot of us in this room feel at home in this room, with the ability to wear this shirt anywhere in this country and feel totally safe. Maybe we're not proud of the things that our government is doing and I think that things have to get a little bit worse before they can get better. But I know that even if things do get worse and darker like the sky in our show. You can't even see the clouds anymore just remember that we'll always have each other. Even if you can't see it at the moment the sun is always there and it always has been. Thank you.”

The VR360 Award went to was presented to “PLAY LIFE”, a work inspired by the paintings of Lithuanian artist Algis KRIŠČIŪNAS. The jury praised it as “an ambitious and monumental work that combines touching dialogue with beautiful surreal imagery. The pacing and execution were superb, redefining the landscape of VR360.” The XR Special Mention Award went to Taiwanese director LIN Pei-ying for “Happy Shadow”. The jury described the work as “simple, fun, and utterly delightful.” They further noted that “the technical skill required to achieve such smooth and seamless immersion in a multiplayer environment is truly outstanding — a work that deserves continued support and further development.”

The Children’s Jury Award at the Kaohsiung Film Festival has entered its eighth year. For the final selection stage, a dedicated jury of children aged 9 to 12 is invited to participate, engaging in courses and discussions before personally selecting the winners. This year, 10 films from 9 countries were shortlisted to compete for the top prize in the hearts of Kaohsiung’s young jurors, the Children’s Jury Grand Award. The award ultimately went to Taiwanese director Hsieh Chia-hsin’s How to Kill a Chicken. The film’s protagonists are close in age to the jury members, delivering a humorous story full of Taiwanese flavor. The jury noted that actor Xi Xiang, who plays the grandfather, often made them laugh out loud, and they praised his realistic performance, especially in scenes with the young girl “Little Monkey,” which reminded them of their own conversations with grandparents. The jury described the film as lively, engaging, and relatable. The Children’s Jury Special Award was presented to another Taiwanese entry, Where We Sit Together. The jury appreciated director Joshua Yang’s clever approach to depicting differences between two families. They were particularly impressed by Xiaofang’s efforts for her family—though she initially made mistakes, she courageously admitted them and earned her family’s forgiveness, ultimately bringing everyone closer together. The jury described the film as deeply touching and heartwarming.

As part of the Kaohsiung Film Festival’s International Short Film Competition, the Youth Creation Art Exhibition showcased creative reinterpretations of selected short films. The Art Inspired by Art: Grand Award was awarded to CHIU KUAN LING’s “The Bubble Fortress”, inspired by Taiwanese director HUANG Ping-an’s animated short “Vor”. The work presents the fantastical visions of the story’s two characters with vibrant colors, unique forms, and imaginative creativity. Rather than strictly following the original animation style, the artist reinterpreted the film from their own perspective, demonstrating both maturity and originality.The Art Inspired by Art: Audience's Choice Award  went to KUNG LEI CHIEN’s “Behind That Side”, which drew inspiration from Taiwanese director Wan Kin-fai’s short film “Side A: A Summer Day”, receiving a total of 1,127 likes during the voting period. The award-winning short films will be screened on October 25 at 1:30 PM at the Kaohsiung Film Archive. Audiences are warmly invited to attend and experience these creative works.

2025高雄電影節國際短片競賽完整得獎名單

The full list of winners for the 2025 Kaohsiung Film Festival International Short Film Competition

【國際組 International Section】

金火球大獎Golden Fireball Award 《恐懼的形狀》（God is Shy）

評審團獎Jury Award 《當夏日漸寒》（When the Cold Weather Arrives）

評審團特別提及Special Mention 《我們在現代啟示錄當佈景》（We Were the Scenery）

【臺灣組 Taiwan Section】

金火球大獎Golden Fireball Award 《跳房子》（Little Mirage）

評審團獎Jury Award 《貓與雞》（After the Cat）

評審團特別提及Special Mention 《春天》（Vor）

臺灣學生獎Taiwan Student Award 《化》（Essence）

【國際組與臺灣組共同角逐 Award Eligible for International and Taiwan Section】

亞洲新浪潮獎 《風的前奏》（Rocked by the Wind）

美麗島人權獎 《賣蚯蚓的女孩》（Worms）

【XR 國際競賽 XR Section】

XR 金火球大獎 XR Golden Fireball Award 《雲在兩千米》（The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up）

XR 沉浸體驗獎 XR Immersive Award 《駭客搞五人》（Uncanny Alley: A New Day）

VR360 敘事獎 VR360 Award 《戀戀畫時光》（PLAY LIFE）

XR 評審團特別提及獎 XR Special Mention 《快樂的陰影》（Happy Shadow）

【兒童評審團獎 Children’s Jury Award】

兒童評審團心動獎Children’s Jury Grand Award 《殺雞》（How to Kill a Chicken）

兒童評審團特別獎Children’s Jury Special Award 《小房革命》（Where We Sit Together）

【青少年創作美展Kaohsiung Film Festival International Short Film Competition - Youth Art Exhibition】

青少年創作美展 聯想創作「首獎」Art Inspired by Art: Grand Award

邱冠綾〈氣泡的堡壘〉

青少年創作美展 聯想創作「最佳人氣獎」Art Inspired by Art: Audience's Choice Award

宮蕾茜〈在那一面背後〉