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A Collaborative ⁢Vision: Shih-Ching Tsou and Sean Baker on “Left-handed Girl”

Filmmakers Shih-Ching‌ tsou ⁤and Sean Baker, ​known for their⁣ community-focused⁢ and frequently⁤ enough unconventional approach ⁢to filmmaking, brought their established methods to their latest project, Left-Handed Girl. the film features a blend of experienced actors and newcomers, a casting strategy the duo has frequently employed.

A key element that ⁢sparked Tsou’s ​interest in the story was a seemingly simple detail: the protagonist’s left-handedness. “For being ‌left-handed, I found that intriguing,”⁢ Tsou explained.”We saw potential in that, to say how‌ would a little six-year-old interpret that in a literal way, and how⁤ would⁤ that play out? it’s very Little Rascals in a way. There’s a lot of humor that can come from ‌that.”

To portray the mother, ⁤Shu-Fen, Tsou ‌cast Tsai, a celebrated ‍Taiwanese actress ​and model who has twice received ‍the ⁢Golden Bell Award, Taiwan’s equivalent of an emmy. Tsou was⁢ initially drawn to Tsai after ‍hearing her express a desire to⁤ take on new challenges in a post-acceptance speech interview. “When I heard that, I reached out to her to say we have this script, and it’s something you’ve never ⁣acted before: a mother role.‍ So she took the⁣ challenge right away.”

The role of I-Jing was filled by Ye, who, despite‌ her young age, already⁢ possessed three years of commercial acting‍ experience. ⁢Tsou noted Ye’s professionalism ⁢and natural‍ presence, praising her “very natural performance.”‌

The casting of I-Ann proved particularly serendipitous. Tsou discovered Ma, a college student with no prior ​acting experience, on Instagram.While acknowledging the risk inherent in casting a first-timer, Baker emphasized Ma’s immediate talent. “As an editor, seeing this footage of Shih-Yuan Ma, you​ would never know she was a first-time actor. Sometimes as an editor with first time actors, you have to manipulate the performance through cutting; not ‍with her.​ You could hold on ⁤a shot forever ‌with her. I am so excited to see where her​ career goes, as​ if this is ⁣her first film, she’s going to shine.”

Baker lauded Shih-Ching’s casting choices, stating, “Shih-Ching did an amazing job casting this film. We love ensemble⁤ casts, but we’ve learned over the years that an ensemble cast will only work ‍if there is not a weak link, and ‍there is not a weak link in this ​cast.”

To foster a cohesive⁢ performance across varying experience levels,Tsou⁤ adopted a​ hands-off directorial approach,eschewing extensive rehearsals. Rather, she provided the script and encouraged the actors to draw upon their personal experiences. ⁣”I don’t like to over-rehearse actors,” she said, “so in this film I didn’t have any ⁢rehearsal with them.” She asked the cast “to put in their own life ‌experience. They’re all⁣ native taiwanese people from Taiwan, so they all ⁢have‌ very similar family dynamics.” The ⁣result, she explained, was a collaborative creation where “they worked together to create ‌the film.”

This approach reflects⁢ a filmmaking⁤ method developed over two decades, beginning with their 2000 micro-budget film Take Out, which they largely‍ created ⁢themselves for a budget of $3,000.”Take Out was so autonomous,” Baker recalled. “We made the film just the two ‍of us… So we had to ‍wear so​ many hats and ⁤we ‍had to learn so many things.I think that those lessons⁤ that ⁢we learned have been applied to every film since, and you can ⁢see a lot of it play out in Left-Handed Girl.The very fact that we were⁢ using iPhones, and Shih-Ching did her​ own casting.Everything has been applied to Left-Handed in such ‍a wonderful way.”

Tsou​ added that their consistent approach ⁤involves “going​ to the community and working in ‌a real location, and also street casting.” This dedication to authenticity and collaboration continues to define their filmmaking style.