Toronto: Taiwanese director Tsou Shih-ching and Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa discussed women’s roles in today’s film industry and offered advice to aspiring female directors at an event held during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Speaking at the “New HERizons: Asian Women Shaping Film” conference on Monday, Hayakawa highlighted the similarities between her latest film, “Renoir,” and Tsou’s directorial debut, “Left-handed Girl”. Both films feature a young girl as the protagonist and explore inconvenient family secrets, she said.
According to Focus Taiwan, the film industry is undergoing many changes, making this an opportune time for Asian women pursuing filmmaking, Hayakawa noted. Throughout her career, she has attended numerous film festivals and built a mutual-support network with fellow directors, Hayakawa added. The Japanese director suggested that women in the industry participate in international gatherings to explore opportunities.
Echoing Hayakawa, Tsou said female filmmakers should unite by supporting one another. She said that at TIFF, she had met women who had been told they were “not cut out to be a director.” Tsou encouraged them not to let others decide their future and to “give it their all” while working with people willing to support them along the way.
In August, Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture announced that “Left-handed Girl” will represent Taiwan as its official entry for Best International Feature Film at next year’s Academy Awards. In a statement, the ministry praised the film for its “vivid portrayal of Taiwan’s night markets through the perspective of a left-handed girl, highlighting her coming-of-age journey amid clashes with traditional patriarchal society.”
In addition to Left-handed Girl, several other Taiwanese productions are participating in TIFF, including actress Shu Qi’s directorial debut “Girl”, the animated feature Praying Mantis, and the short film “Side A: A Summer Day”, according to Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto Director-General Liang Yi-peng. Also selected was “Palimpsest: The Story of a Name”, an international co-production, Liang said. He added that this marks the highest number of films produced or co-produced by Taiwanese filmmakers at TIFF, showcasing Taiwan’s liberal and open creative environment.
Launched in 1976, TIFF is Canada’s most prestigious film festival. It is dedicated to presenting acclaimed films to audiences and providing opportunities for industry professionals to connect, according to the festival’s website.
