“Tank Fairy,” a co-production between Taiwan and U.S. filmmakers, won the Best Narrative Short Award at this year’s Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival June 26 in the U.S. city, according to the Ministry of Culture.
Directed by Taiwan-based American filmmaker Erich Rettstadt, the movie depicts how Jojo, a lonely 10-year-old boy who dreams of dancing and dressing in drag, is inspired to embrace his authentic self by a drag queen who delivers gas tanks to his family’s apartment. The musical extravaganza encourages people to unapologetically express themselves, the MOC said.
Since premiering at the Kaohsiung Film Festival in Taiwan in October 2021, the short has collected numerous awards at various international film festivals, including an Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival, a Special Jury Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival and the Martin Contreras and Keith Orr\aut\ Film Award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival.
The MOC said that given the short’s accolades and success on the festival circuit, Rettstadt is developing the story into a half-hour anthology series.
Founded in 1977, the San Francisco film festival is one of the longest-running and most widely recognized LGBTQ+ film exhibitions in the world. Three other local productions were also selected this year, namely “Moneyboys,” which premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, the lesbian miniseries “Fragrance of the First Flower” and the short film “Kiss.” (SFC-E)
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