Left-Handed Girl
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| Chinese | 左撇子女孩 |
| Directed by | Shih-Ching Tsou |
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| Edited by | Sean Baker |
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Running time | 109 minutes[1] |
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Left-Handed Girl (Chinese: 左撇子女孩) is a 2025 drama film, written, directed and produced by Shih-Ching Tsou. It stars Janel Tsai, Shih-Yuan Ma, Nina Ye, Brando Huang, Akio Chen and Xin-Yan Chao. Sean Baker serves as co-writer, producer, and editor.
The film had its world premiere at the Critics' Week section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 15 May. It was released in the United States in a limited release on November 14, before streaming on Netflix on November 28. It was selected as the Taiwanese entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.[2]
Cast
[edit]- Janel Tsai
- Shih-Yuan Ma
- Nina Ye
- Brando Huang
- Akio Chen
- Xin-Yan Chao
Production
[edit]In November 2012, Sean Baker revealed the project, with Shih-Ching Tsou set to direct, however, the film was facing difficulty to secure financing.[3]
Principal photography began in July 2022.[4] By February 2025, the film was nearing the end of post-production.[5] The film was shot using an iPhone.[6]
Release
[edit]Left-Handed Girl had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Critics' Week section where it won the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution.[7][8] In May 2025, Netflix acquired rights to the film for the world excluding the Baltics, the Benelux, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, France, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Scandinavia, Poland and Taiwan.[9] It also screened in the Competition section of the 30th Busan International Film Festival on September 22, 2025 for 'Bosan Awards',[10] the 'Official Section' of the 70th Valladolid International Film Festival,[11] the 69th BFI London Film Festival on October 15, 2025,[12] and the 20th Rome Film Festival,[13] where it won Best Film.[14]
It was released in the United States in a limited release on November 14, 2025, before it will stream on Netflix on November 28, 2025.[15]
In August 2025, Taiwan's Ministry of Culture submitted Left-Handed Girl to compete for the Academy Award for Best International Feature category at the 98th Academy Awards.[16]
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 43 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "A warm tour through Taipei distinguished by its lived-in cultural specificity and relatable family dynamics, Left-Handed Girl is a winning first solo feature from writer-director Shih-Ching Tsou."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[18]
Accolades
[edit]| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 24 May 2025 | Critics' Week Grand Prix | Shih-Ching Tsou | Nominated | [19] |
| Gan Foundation Award for Distribution | Won | ||||
| Zurich Film Festival | 4 October 2025 | Golden Eye Feature Film Competition – Special Mention | Left-Handed Girl | Won | [20] |
| Montclair Film Festival | 19 October 2025 | Breakthrough Director | Shih-Ching Tsou | Honored | [21] |
| Rome Film Festival | 26 October 2025 | Progressive Cinema Competition – Best Film | Left-Handed Girl | Won | [14] |
| Valladolid International Film Festival | 1 November 2025 | Golden Spike | Left-Handed Girl | Nominated | [22] |
| Stockholm International Film Festival | 14 November 2025 | Best Actress | Ma Shih-yuan | Won | [23] |
| Golden Horse Awards | 22 November 2025 | Best Narrative Feature | Left-Handed Girl | Pending | [24][25] |
| Best Supporting Actor | Brando Huang | Pending | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Janel Tsai | Pending | |||
| Nina Ye | Pending | ||||
| Best Original Screenplay | Shih-Ching Tsou, Sean Baker | Pending | |||
| Best New Director | Shih-Ching Tsou | Pending | |||
| Best New Performer | Ma Shih-yuan | Pending | |||
| Best Film Editing | Sean Baker | Pending | |||
| Best Cinematography | Chen Ko-chin, Kao Tzu-hao | Pending |
See also
[edit]- List of submissions to the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
- List of Taiwanese submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
[edit]- ^ "Left-Handed Girl (15)". British Board of Film Classification. November 4, 2025. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (28 August 2025). "Taiwan Selects 'Left-Handed Girl' as Oscar Submission". Variety. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ Lavalee, Eric (November 8, 2012). "IONCINEPHILE of the Month: Sean Baker". IonCinema. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ^ Lavalee, Eric (July 11, 2022). "Street…Food for Thought: Shih-Ching Tsou Begins Production on "Left-Handed Girl"". IonCinema. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ^ Whipp, Glenn (February 13, 2025). "Director Sean Baker doesn't know he's the front-runner with 'Anora'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ^ "Sean Baker". Metrograph. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (14 April 2025). "Cannes Critics' Week Unveils 2025 Selection – Full List & Details". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ Balaga, Marta (2025-05-21). "Cannes Critics' Week Awards Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke's 'A Useful Ghost'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (3 June 2025). "Netflix Takes A Bulk Of The World On Shih-Ching Tsou's Cannes Movie 'Left-Handed Girl'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ Shackleton, Liz (August 26, 2025). "Busan Film Festival Unveils Inaugural Competition Line-Up, Including Ten World Premieres". Deadline. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
- ^ "Bi Gan, los Dardenne, Sergei Loznitsa, Lav Diaz y Mascha Schilinski competirán por la Espiga de Oro en la 70 Seminci". Kinótico (in Spanish). July 24, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
- ^ "We are looking forward to these six films at the BFI London Film Festival". Wallpaper*. 2025-10-03. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ "Festa del Cinema di Roma 2025, il programma completo (diretta)" [Rome Film Fest 2025: Full program (live)]. Ciak Magazine (in Italian). 19 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ a b Scarpa, Vittoria (2025-10-27). "Left-Handed Girl wins Best Film at the Rome Film Fest". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
- ^ D’Alessandro, Anthony (July 30, 2025). "Netflix Sets Fall Release For Shih-Ching Tsou & Sean Baker's 'Left-Handed Girl'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (2025-08-28). "Taiwan Selects 'Left-Handed Girl' as Oscar Submission". Variety. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "Left-Handed Girl". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
- ^ "Left-Handed Girl". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
- ^ Dalton, Ben (22 May 2025). "Thai comedy-drama 'A Useful Ghost' wins top prize at Cannes Critics' Week 2025". Screen International. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (October 4, 2025). "Slovak Oscar Contender 'Father' Wins Zurich Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
- ^ "The Montclair Film Festival Announces 2025 Honors". Montclair Film. September 17, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
- ^ "Avance de Seminci: estos son los nombres que competirán por la Espiga de Oro". Cadena SER. 24 July 2025.
- ^ "Here are the winners of the Stockholm International Film Festival 2025". Mynewsdesk. 14 November 2025. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
- ^ Chou, Inna (2025-10-01). "2025金馬獎｜金馬完整入圍名單一覽！范冰冰、林依晨角逐影后；張孝全、張震競爭影帝；黃秋生、曾敬驊、方郁婷都入圍". Vogue Taiwan (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-10-02.
- ^ Wong, Silvia (1 October 2025). "'A Foggy Tale', 'Left-Handed Girl' lead Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards nominations". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2 October 2025.