The South Taiwan Film Festival (STFF) was founded in 2001 by professors and students from the College of Sound and Image Arts at National Tainan University of the Arts as an independent film festival. It has been over 20 years since its establishment. Later, the Southern Film Association was established and rooted in Tainan City.
The STFF is held biennially and in addition to the “The South Award—Chinese Films Competition,” which focuses on Chinese artists with aesthetic and social issue, it also holds “Panorama” and “Auteur vision”, and collaborates with other film festivals in Asia, committed to providing a promotion and communication platform to filmmakers and audience globally.
Based on visual aesthetics and contemporary social issues, the STFF is not just a commercial activity, but a platform that stimulates creators and audiences’ collective imagination and making action. STFF can be an art exhibition and also an inspiration of social participation.
南方影展由台南藝術大學音像藝術研究所師生於2001年以獨立電影節形式創立，迄今已超過20年。其後成立南方影像學會並生根於台南市。
南方影展以雙年展方式舉行，除【南方獎—全球華人影片競賽】關注具影像美學觀點和社會關懷之華人創作者外，並舉辦國際觀摩、焦點影人等單元，並與亞洲其他電影節合作，致力於提供海內外創作者與觀眾一個推廣與交流平台。
南方影展不只是商業活動，而是一個以影像美學與當代社會議題為初衷，刺激創作者與觀眾的共同想像並產生行動的影展。電影可以是藝術展演，更可以是推動社會實踐的力量。