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Shih-Ching Tsou, dir. of LEFT-HANDED GIRL (2025)
Description
From the looks of it, LEFT-HANDED GIRL (2025) has everything going for it. Fantastic film. Taiwan's 2025 Oscar submission (and widely expected to be a nominee.) Edited and co-written by Sean Baker. A Netflix rollout. But the reality is much more complicated.
This was a 20 year labor of love by my guest, director Shih-Ching Tsou, and we talk about everything related to her career, how her perspective of the film changed after its release, the drawbacks of filming this on an iPhone 13, the pros and cons of going with Netflix, and more.
Shih-Ching Tsou's story is one of the best in independent film, and I'm so excited for you to hear her perspective about filmmaking and her personal, wholly original, gorgeous film, LEFT-HANDED GIRL.
We talk about:
- Taiwan's role in her filmmaking;
- how she feels about LEFT-HANDED GIRL now versus when it was released;
- the challenges making the film, even with a top EP; streaming on Netflix; Taiwan's Oscar entry, etc.;
- how she got involved in filmmaking;
- why LEFT-HANDED GIRL trusts the viewer instead of going for quick hits during the film;
- what it was like directing a six year old;
- the challenges of filming with an iPhone 13;
- how she takes lessons from Sean Baker's support as EP and editor and passes it on to other filmmakers;
- her recommendations on how directors can give back to others;
- the pros and cons of going with Netflix;
- opening in Cannes;
- the differences between audiences in the United States and globally when watching the film;
- why you should make films in Taiwan;
- what's next for her.
Shih-Ching Tsou's Indie Film Highlight: JAIL TIME RECORDS (2026) dir. by Dione Roach and Steve Happi
Memorable Quotes:
" When I first made the film, I, I didn't know how people would react to it."
" A lot of people told me about their own left-handed stories, about their own mother and daughter stories."
"I didn't study film. I met Sean when when he was editing his first feature, Four Letter Words."
"The only challenge [with the iPhone 13] is the focus."
" With Netflix, I feel like LEFT-HANDED GIRL really reached to every corner of the world."
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