The 8th edition of theTaipei Film Festival closed this weekend with ticket sales of $300,000, almost50% up on last year's box office record.

Cheng Yu-chieh's Do Over, receiving its world premiere,was voted best film in the Taipei Grand Awards by both the jury and festival audience.The $30,000 prize was presented at the festival's closing ceremony on July 8.

The jury, which includeddirectors Ann Hui, Chen Kun-hou and Alan Tuan, also gave prizes in thecategories of narrative film, documentary, experimental cinema and animation(see below).

The festival opened on June 24with a screening of Jean-Marc Vallee's C.R.A.Z.Y.and closed with Atom Egoyan's Where TheTruth Lies, reflecting this year's focus on Canadian cinema. In total thefestival screened 110 features and 55 shorts with most events taking place in theteen mecca district of Hsimenting.

Among other highlights ofthis year's festival was the well-attended "First Look at Three TaiwaneseFilms", a special event now in its second year that screened clips from localfeatures in post-production, alongside presentations by the cast and crew. Thisyear's focus was on Chen Huai-en's IslandEtude, Leste Chen's EternalSummer and Michelle Chu's documentary MissAvon.

The $30,000 Grand Prize ofthe International New Talent Competition - announced mid-festival - went toFrench feature Cold Showers, withadditional prizes awarded to Belgium films SomeoneElse's Happiness and Iceberg.

The prestigious New Talent juryincluded directors Hou Hsiao-hsien (Taiwan), Zhang Yuan (China), Pang Ho-cheung (Hong Kong), Jean Marc-Vallee (Canada) and Laurent Cantet (France).

The festival operates on a $525,000subsidy from the Taipei City Government, more than the Golden Horse FilmFestival which takes place in Taipei in November, which has to share the majority of itsbudget with the glamorous Golden Horse Film Awards.

This year's Golden Horsewill be combined with the touring Asia Pacific Film Festival, which hasseparate funding from Taiwan's Government Information Office.

Despite the success of thisyear's Taipei Film Festival, which attracted Asian programmers from the Pusanand Tokyo film festivals, concerns have been voiced in the local press thatwithout the stability of a year-round organisation and year-round salaries forthe staff, the festival may not be able to sustain its growth in coming years.

TAIPEI GRANDAWARDS
Grand Prize: Do Over (dir. Cheng Yu-chieh)
Best Narrative Film: The Pain OfOthers (dir. Tom Lin)
Best Documentary: Doctor (dir.Chung Mong-hong)
Best Experimental Film: One LessAmerican (dir. Tzou Nien-tsu)
Best Animation: Contagion (dir.Shaun Su)
Special Mentions: An Encounter WithChungliao (dir. Huang Shu-mei); Respire(dir. Ho Wi-ding); Shonenko (dir.Kuo Liang-yin); Jake Pollack (DoP of DoOver, The Pain Of Others, Respire)
Media's Choice Award: An Encounter WithChungliao (dir. Huang Shu-mei)
Audience's Choice Award: Do Over(dir. Cheng Yu-chieh)

TAIPEI IMAGEAWARD
Grand Prize: The City Of Ants (dir. Chang Ing-ming)
2nd Prize: fin (dir. Jo Jhi-hang)
3rd Prize: In The Dream (dir. KuoTzu-lung)
Audience's Choice Award: Mother(dir. Kao Shin-wen)

INTERNATIONAL NEW TALENT COMPETITION
Grand Prize: Cold Showers (dir. Antony Cordier)
Special Jury Prize: Someone Else'sHappiness (dir. Fien Troch)
Audience's Choice Award: Iceberg(dirs. Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon & Bruno Romy)