Taiwanese short film 'Dua Ji' screens at San Francisco film festival

San Francisco, May 1 (CNA) Taiwanese filmmaker Tsai Yu-han's (蔡渝涵) short film "Dua Ji" (大姊，賢慧) screened Friday at the 69th San Francisco International Film Festival as part of a shorts program focused on women's lives and responsibilities.

The 18-minute film, starring veteran Taiwanese actress Yang Kuei-mei (楊貴媚), follows a group of siblings whose unresolved tensions surface during their mother's funeral.

Tsai, who is based in New York, told CNA ahead of the screening that she was delighted the film had been selected for the festival.

At this year's festival, organizers screened five short films by women directors from different countries under a program exploring the pressures placed on women as mothers, professionals, caregivers and members of their communities.

"Dua Ji" was the only film from Asia in the shorts program. Officials from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco and members of the overseas Taiwanese community attended the screening.

During a post-screening Q&A session at the Marina Theatre, Tsai said she had Yang in mind while writing the script because the role required a particularly strong performance.

Tsai said the story was inspired by her mother, who she felt carried emotional pressure and had things she wanted to say but could not express because of family and cultural expectations.

"It's a feeling that's hard to explain, so I wrote a story," she said.

Although the short film is set in a Taiwanese cultural context, Tsai said its emotional themes could resonate with audiences outside Taiwan.

Some international viewers became interested in Taiwanese funeral customs after watching the film, she said, adding that she hopes to direct a feature film set in both the United States and Taiwan in the future.

The 69th San Francisco International Film Festival opened on April 24 and runs through May 4.