Three Taiwanese films, Silent Sparks, EEL, and The Trio Hall, along with the Taiwanese international co-production Dreams in Nightmares, have been selected for the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale). The Berlinale and the European Film Market (EFM) are set to commence on February 13. The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) will host the Taiwan Pavilion at EFM, collaborating with 45 film companies to showcase 99 film titles. TAICCA aims to promote Taiwanese films and introduce Taiwan's production environment and filmmaking resources to international professionals as well as to assist Taiwan's film industry in expanding its international market. Moreover, on February 15, TAICCA will present the TAIWAN SPOTLIGHT Pitching Session to promote four projects with potential to international professionals, encouraging Taiwanese teams to find opportunities for international collaboration.

PTS Originals' Silent Sparks is the first feature film by up-and-coming director Ping Chu, starring Shih Ming Shuai (winner of the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actor) and Akira Huang (winner of the Golden Bell Award for Best Supporting Actor) in a uniquely "Taiwanese" LGBTQ+ crime film. The film has been selected for the Panorama section of the Berlinale, and it is a recipient of TAICCA's Creative Content Development Program - Development Fund as a PTS sole production. Dreams in Nightmares, selected for the same section, is a Taiwanese–US–UK co-production by Taiwanese producer Pin-Chun Liu in cooperation with production companies Each Other Films, Track Eight Pictures Limited, and Verdant Peak Films. Both films are contenders for the LGBTQ+-focused Teddy Award.

SILENT SPARKS, image courtesy of PTS

DREAMS IN NIGHTMARES, image courtesy of Each Other Films

The Trio Hall, selected for the Forum section, originates from director SU Hui-Yu’s 2023 exhibition of the same name at the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei. The theme of the exhibition “three halls” is a specific Taiwanese genre from the late 1970s, characterized by three settings: living room, dining room, and disco clubs. During the exhibition period, the film was shot on-site, capturing the essence of this historical cinematic style. EEL, directed by director Chu Chun-Teng and set in Taipei's Shezidao, has been selected for the newly established competitive section, Perspectives. The film narrates the encounter of a mysterious girl and a lost boy on an island on the outskirts of Taipei. As the buried pasts of the two are revealed, the film explores their true selves and senses of belonging.

THE TRIO HALL, image courtesy of Jing Moving Image

EEL, image courtesy of Static Film & Visual Art Productions

At EFM, TAICCA will be showcasing a rich and varied selection of film titles, including A Foggy Tale by Golden Horse award-winning director Chen Yu-hsun, Blind Love by first-time executive producer Ariel Lin and co-starring Wu Ke-xi, That Burning House by the film crew of Tears on Fire, 96 Minutes by The Rope Curse producer Jeff Tsou and The Scoundrels director Hung Tzu-Hsuan, and the short film River Kidsssss by Golden Horse award-winning director Chang Chih-teng.

At the TAIWAN SPOTLIGHT Pitching Session, Taiwanese teams will personally introduce project highlights and engage in in-depth exchange with industry professionals. The works pitched demonstrate an abundance of creative force, including thriller, fantasy, and animated films, such as the psychological thriller Child, Uninvited, produced by Haftix Films and winner of the MIFFest Award at the 2024 Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF); the feature film Black Koi by director Henry Chen, whose short film The Love Motel was shown at the Hawaii International Film Festival, and writer Teresa Daley; Don't Worry About Vampires, the latest feature film by The Teenage Psychic director Ho-Yu Chen and winner of the Taipei International Film Award and BIFAN+Award at the 2024 TCCF PITCHING; and Tender Is The Night, an animated project adapted from the popular original Taiwanese manga of the same title, containing nine independent stories that explore the varied faces of contemporary intimacy.

TAICCA Chairperson Homme Tsai pointed out that Taiwanese creative works and filmmakers have garnered much international attention and have a greater international presence, and TAICCA will keep providing support, encouraging great stories to be produced and brought to global audiences. He also congratulated all the works selected for the Berlinale, wishing the Taiwanese teams all the best in Berlin.

Taiwan Pavilion 2025 EFM｜https://pavilion.taicca.tw/2025-efm/