Independent Era: Taiwan Shorts Restoration Projects 1997-2005
The late 20th century is often regarded as one of the lowest points in Taiwanese cinema. Yet in 1999, a group of young filmmakers boldly shot independent films on 16mm and organized their own event—the “Pure 16 Film Festival.” These works entered the market with a spirit of creative independence, injecting much-needed vitality into a long-dormant film industry. In doing so, they opened up an alternative path beyond the mainstream, igniting new hope for the next generation of Taiwanese cinema. Recognizing the fragility of film stock, the Kaohsiung Film Archive undertook the digitization and restoration of independent films produced between 1997 and 2005. Through this effort, these past classics are now reintroduced in renewed form, allowing their historical and artistic value to shine once again.
高雄市電影館為南台灣專責推廣電影的基地，近年以「高雄人」品牌投資電影長片、影集及製作原創短片，並以「高雄拍」、「高雄VR FILM LAB」扶植新銳短片及VR創作，每年定期舉辦之高雄電影節，現為台灣最大的國際短片影展。
8 films
The Skywalk Is Gone
Before Dawn
Fluffy Rhapsody
Respire
Layover
Postcard
Badu's Homework
The Pain of Others
Popular spotlights
Encore, Before the Goodbye
"My Bucket List" holds no grand dreams, only 100 little things yet undone, and a "see you tomorrow" that was never properly spoken. The same goes for "Encore: Before Saying Goodbye"—here, eternity is left unmentioned; there is only the desire to perform one last song for oneself before the lights go down. The scars of youth, the terror at the edge of the boxing ring, the wordless closeness between strangers, and the farewells quietly practiced in daily life—six films, each rehearsing the very same question: If only an encore remains, what sound do you wish to leave behind?