A Taiwanese movie about children and preteens with cancer is being shown in the US and Canada.
BIG, which is directed by Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖) and is about children living in a Taiwanese pediatric oncology ward who move into Room 816, or “BIG,” as they call it, began its North American tour on Thursday last week as part of the sixth North America Taiwanese Film Tour Festival.
In partnership with Canada’s Pride Asian Film Festival and the Taiwan Film Festival in Toronto (TFFT), BIG is to be screened in 27 cities this month and next month.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Film Festival in Toronto
The film’s first stop was in Southern California where it was first played in Thousand Oaks on Friday last week, followed by Monrovia and San Diego on Saturday.
The film was on Sunday screened in Houston, Texas, and it is tomorrow to be screened in Atlanta, Georgia.
During each screening, director Wei interacts with audience members to give additional insight into the movie and his creative process.
BIG was written and directed by Wei, who is often credited with reviving Taiwan’s film industry with his breakout rom-com Cape No. 7 (海角七號) and the two-part historical blockbuster Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (賽德克巴萊).
Wei said he was inspired to venture into a different genre after he met an amputee a few years ago.
They had bone cancer, but remained optimistic about life, which inspired Wei, he said.
Cutting between animation and live action, BIG first hit screens across Taiwan on Dec. 1 last year.
Although it initially failed to win big at the box office, the film went on to amass a following among fans and supporters who resonated with the topic.
Fans of the film helped BIG establish a reputation among non-profit groups and also religious, medical, and educational institutions, leading to a record number of screenings in Taiwan.
The film had earned more than NT$40 million (US$1.27 million) domestically by last month, following the screening successes.
The movie features actors such as Hsia Yu-tung (夏宇童), Chen Po-cheng (陳博正) and Van Fan (范逸臣), as well as Taiwanese-American actor Andrew Chau (周厚安) and Japanese actress Chie Tanaka.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated