Taipei Film Festival audiences delight in 'Family Matters'

台北電影節觀眾對《我家的事》讚不絕口

27th Taipei Film Festival features up-and-coming directors and international talent


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On the opening weekend of the Taipei Film Festival, an early audience favorite emerged with the Taiwan premiere of the multi-generational family drama, "Family Matters" (我家的事).

First-time feature director Pan Ke-yun (潘客印) follows the lives of a seemingly ordinary family in rural Taiwan, spanning 24 years and four distinct periods. The film is told from different family members’ perspectives, and explores how love and resilience shape complex family bonds, per CNA.

According to the film synopsis, each family member faces a life-altering challenge: an elder sister searching for her true origins, a mother struggling with the process of artificial insemination, a younger brother who always cries in secret at midnight, and a father desperately trying to change his fate.

The film benefits from an excellent ensemble cast as four actors have been shortlisted for the Taipei Film Awards, and the film was chosen from 443 submissions to represent Taiwan in the "International New Directors Competition."

At the Taiwan premiere on Saturday at Zhongshan Hall, actress Alexia Kao (高伊玲), who plays the mother in the film, said she had to creatively think of new ways to scold people every day of shooting. She explained that her role was a woman who used criticism to express her concern for her family and others.

Actress Queena Huang (黃珮琪), who was nominated for "Best New Performer," attested to the emotion involved in the movie. "Actually, though I have already seen it twice, I still cried when I was in the audience tonight. This role made me feel a lot of emotions."

Tseng Jing-hua (曾敬驊), who plays the emotional son in the film, expressed gratitude at being included in the movie. "I feel that all of our performances were one; it is something we all did together, and the honor of being nominated is something we all created together."

And the father in the film, Yao Chun-yao (姚淳耀), said, "I enjoyed it after watching, I feel very happy to be on this team and in this story."

The Taipei Film Festival runs until July 5 and includes screenings at Zhongshan Hall, Vie Show Cinemas Xinyi, and SPOT Huashan. This year's filmmaker in focus is Dag Johan Haugerud, who will screen his trilogy "Sex," "Love," and "Dreams (Sex Love)," and the city in focus is Oslo, Norway.

The Taipei Film Awards will take place on July 5 and broadcast live on CTS and streamed on the festival’s Facebook page. For more information, please visit the festival website.