TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉) found time and space for reflection after receiving the Golden Mulberry Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 27th Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in Udine, Italy.
The acclaimed multi-hyphenate filmmaker took to the stage inside the Teatro Nuovo Giovanni da Udine to accept applause and pay tribute to her craft, praising the movies for offering audiences two hours to “believe the world is beautiful.”
Later, in conversation with Taiwan News, Chang reflected on her 50-year career — its many highs and occasional lows. The lesson she’s taken from it all? “Work harder,” she said. “My whole career has been about that.”
Chang came to Udine with the 2024 feature “Daughter’s Daughter,” in which she stars as a middle-aged mother navigating generational tensions between her traditional mother and modern daughters. She also co-produced the film, directed by Huang Xi (黃熙). Alongside this new work, the festival screened her beloved 1984 comedy “Shanghai Blues,” a collaboration with Hong Kong director Tsui Hark (徐克), who also received a Golden Mulberry Award.
Chang’s recent projects also include “Ai’s Kitchen,” a Netflix-backed variety show that places her alongside younger stars such as Ko Chia-yen (柯佳嬿), Darren Wang (王大陸), and Tony Yang (楊祐寧). Set in a kitchen, the show casts Chang as both mentor and host.
“When I work with younger people, I feel happy because they don’t feel nervous with me, and I respect what they do,” she said. “I give suggestions — sometimes we fight about it. I don’t force people to do things that aren’t necessary. What matters is making the film the best it can be.”
Chang made her screen debut in the 1970s and quickly drew the attention of directors like Edward Yang (楊德昌) — who cast her in “That Day, On the Beach” — and Stanley Kwan (關錦鵬), who cast her in “Full Moon in New York.” Looking back, she recalled her eagerness to learn from senior collaborators while also contributing new ideas of her own.
“Daughter’s Daughter” made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Chang received a special mention from the Platform Prize jury — a first for an individual. The film later won Best Original Screenplay for Huang Xi at the 61st Golden Horse Awards, with Chang also earning a Best Actress nomination.
Another example of her commitment to emerging talent came in 2018, when she appeared in Bi Gan’s Cannes-premiering drama “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.”
“I watched Bi Gan’s earlier works and thought, ‘Interesting! How challenging!’” she said. “We shot in Guizhou, and I had to learn the local dialect — and then he changed the dialogue on set. We had reshoots and more reshoots. But I knew he was a special director. I rarely meet directors like these, so I took the jump.”
At the 60th Golden Horse Awards, a montage of major Chinese-language works closed with Chang’s voice: “We will keep on filming.”
She stands by that sentiment. “Asian cinema will continue to be special,” she said. “But new technologies like live-streaming are changing how audiences experience stories. For filmmakers, we need to reconsider how to use the current circumstances.”
She cited Netflix’s “Adolescence” — which features entire episodes shot in a single take — as a recent standout. “It was exceptional,” she said. “I was struck by how well done it was.”
In the end, Chang returned to the mindset that has guided her since the beginning.
“If you think [something] is hard, it will become hard,” she said, adding that if you enjoy it, you’ll forget the obstacles in a day or two and move on.
