Taiwan's 'Left-Handed Girl' wins International Rome Film Fest

Rome, Oct. 25 (CNA) "Left-Handed Girl" (左撇子女孩), a film by Taiwanese director Tsou Shih-ching (鄒時擎) and co-written by Oscar-winning director Sean Baker, won Best Film at the International Rome Film Fest on Saturday.

Shot entirely on an iPhone, the plot of Left-handed Girl follows the eponymous character who is forced to move to Taipei from the countryside with her sister and mother.

Narrated from the perspective of the left-handed girl, each member of the family of three has to find their place in a new environment while trying to figure out the nuances of the family's dynamics.

The Taiwanese film was a part of the Progressive Cinema Competition of Rome's annual Festa del Cinema di Roma (International Rome Film Fest).

A panel of judges headed by Italian comedian, actress, screenwriter, author and director Paola Cortellesi, and including American author and illustrator Brian Selznick, British director and screenwriter William Oldroyd, French-Finnish actress Nadia Tereszkiewicz as well as Finnish director and screenwriter Teemu Nikki, awarded the honor to Tsou's film, whose title was translated into Italian as "La mia famiglia a Taipei" (My Family in Taipei).

The film was honored with the top accolade of the competition at the Sala Petrassi of the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, where Tsou and lead child actress Nina Ye (葉子綺) made English acceptance speeches over pre-recorded video messages.

"Hello everyone! This is Nina Ye, and I am so happy and honored that 'Left Handed Girl' can receive the Best Picture in the Rome Film Festival," the child actress said in her video. "I hope you guys can love this movie as much as I do."

Meanwhile, Tsou thanked the jury and Cortellesi.

"I am deeply honored that our film has received the first prize at the Rome Film Festival," Tsou said in her message. "This film began as a very personal story and took over 20 years to bring to the screen. To have it embraced here in Rome, where cinema and humanity are celebrated so beautifully, means the world to me."

Tsou went on to acknowledge her Taiwanese cast and crew as well as her international producing partners for making the film possible.

While shot in Taiwan, Left-Handed Girl included a plethora of international influences, including Baker who not only co-wrote the script, but also edited and produced the film.

Baker and Tsou have collaborated on many projects since 2004, first with "Take Out," an independent film written and directed by the duo.

Baker recently won Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture at the 97th Academy Awards in March this year for his 2024 film "Anora," a film whose lead actress Mikey Madison also won Best Actress at the Oscars.

Left-Handed Girl first had its world premiere at the Critics' Week section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 15 May, where the film also won its first award, the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution.

Aside from being nominated for many categories at the 62nd Golden Horse Awards this November, the film has also been selected as the Taiwanese entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards in March 2026.

The film will be released across Taiwan next Friday and on streaming platform Netflix in the United States on Nov. 28.