'Left-Handed Girl' continues award streak with L.A. and Stockholm wins

Taipei, Nov. 15 (CNA) Taiwanese film "Left-Handed Girl" (左撇子女孩), which has garnered international recognition and accolades since May, continued its hot streak this week when its two leading actresses won awards at film festivals in the United States and Europe.

On Friday (local time), actress Ma Shih-yuan (馬士媛) was named best actress at the annual Stockholm International Film Festival (SIFF), becoming the first Taiwanese actress to win the accolade in the festival's 36-year history.

Upon hearing of the honor, the 25-year-old actress said she was grateful for the recognition from the festival's jury panel and was happy the film could be screened in the Swedish capital to showcase Taiwan's beauty to the city.

The young Taiwanese actress did not personally receive the SIFF award Friday as she is currently on tour in the U.S. with most of Left-Handed Girl's cast and crew to lobby for support for the film's bid for best international feature film at the 98th Academy Awards in March 2026, representing Taiwan.

The latest screening of the film, directed by Taiwanese director Tsou Shih-ching (鄒時擎) and co-written by Oscar-winning director Sean Baker, will be in the Culver Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday (local time) as a part of the Asian World Film Festival's (AWFF) Focus on Taiwan program.

Since its inauguration in 2015, the annual festival has also become known for its Snow Leopard Awards.

On Tuesday, the organizers of AWFF named Left-Handed Girl's 9-year-old child lead Nina Ye (葉子綺) the winner of the festival's Snow Leopard Award for Rising Star.

"I think I am the luckiest child in the world," Ye said upon hearing the news.

"Thank you I-Jing (宜靜, her character in the movie) for letting me find my left hand again and fulfilling my dream. I am really happy."

Left-Handed Girl was released across Taiwan on Oct. 31 and will be released on the streaming platform Netflix in the U.S. on Nov. 28.

Narrated from the perspective of the young left-handed girl, a trait still seen as taboo in traditional Taiwanese society, each member of the family of three has to find their place in a new environment while figuring out the nuances of the family's dynamics.

The film started winning awards before it was commercially released in Taiwan. Its first honor, the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution, came at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in France, where it made its world premiere on May 15.

It then received a special mention at the Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland in late September, was honored with the best film award at the International Rome Film Fest in Italy in October, and received the award for breakthrough director at the Montclair Film Festival in the U.S., also in October.

Aside from being nominated for many categories at the 62nd Golden Horse Awards, being held on Nov. 22, the film has been selected as the Taiwanese entry for best international feature film at the 2026 Oscars.

Baker, who also edited and produced the film, most recently won Oscars in March 2024 for best film editing, best original screenplay, best director and best picture for his film "Anora."

Its lead actress, Mikey Madison, also was honored as best actress at the Oscars.