TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese director Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖) is in the U.S. screening his recent film "BIG" on a 40-day North American Taiwanese Film Tour Festival (NATFTF), visiting 30 cities before concluding on April 14 in San Francisco.
The film details the daily lives of six children and their families in a children's oncology ward, showing the children's remarkable courage to live despite overwhelming odds. The film is based on a true story told to Wei by a college student who overcame childhood cancer.
Wei would learn that all children facing terminal illnesses feel an overpowering urge to live despite their conditions. After a screening in Rockville, Maryland, on Friday (March 22), Wei made a similar comment to CNA: “If the smallest and weakest children show resilience in the face of death, shouldn't healthy people try to live a wonderful life?"
Wei's inspiring film has achieved domestic success, with a 16-run theatrical release, 1,000 screenings, and box office sales of NT$43 million (US$1.45 million). Extra screenings have also been planned for Children's Day (April 4), and a list of this week's screening times can be found here.
In addition to inspiring audiences to encounter whatever challenges they encounter in daily life, Wei is also raising money to allow more children to view the movie. He said that support from major business enterprises and everyday citizens has allowed 7,155 disadvantaged children in rural areas in Taiwan to view "BIG" in theaters.
Wei said the inspiration for "BIG" came at a low point in his professional life when work on his wide-sweeping historical drama "Taiwan Trilogy" came to a halt due to the COVID pandemic and lack of funding. He faced lots of personal doubts and external criticism, with no clear path forward for his historical film project.
Taiwanese director Wei Te-sheng speaking to the media on a tour of the U.S. (CNA photo)
Later, Wei began to write and develop the script for "BIG," allowing him to feel reborn and hopeful about life. He wanted the film to have a similar impact on audiences.
Wei said Taiwanese society needs hope and positive energy as the internet is full of negative messaging. He hoped his movie could inspire audiences and encourage them to live joyful lives.
As for the "Taiwan Trilogy," Wei said this is his personal passion project that he must complete. The script that he completed in 2000 tells Taiwan's 400 years of history from three different perspectives: Indigenous people, Han people, and Dutch missionaries.
After securing initial funding, the "Taiwan Trilogy" encountered numerous delays and will now see his completed screenplays translated into animated form with special on-site sound recording, allowing Taiwan's diverse geography to play an important role in the films, which Wei pledged to complete as soon as possible.
