Cannes: Oscar-winning director Sean Baker attended Taiwan Cinema Night at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on Thursday to support a Taiwanese film he contributed to. Baker, who won four Academy Awards for “Anora” in 2024, was part of a packed house at the premiere of “Left-Handed Girl,” which he co-wrote with the film’s Taiwanese director, Tsou Shih-ching. He has collaborated with Tsou several times since her first film, “Take Out,” a 2004 production that she co-directed with Baker.

According to Focus Taiwan, although Baker did not take part in the filming of “Left-Handed Girl,” he expressed amazement at what Taiwanese filmmakers had achieved and called it an honor to work with the team. “Left-Handed Girl,” Tsou’s first solo-directed feature, centers on a family of three women living in a Taipei night market, led by a single mother, and explores their struggles and conflicts.

In an official interview released by the festival, Tsou shared that each of the three characters represents “a fragment of myself,” revealing that the idea for “Left-Handed Girl” predated her 2004 debut. The inspiration for the title came from her grandfather’s remark: “Left hand is the devil’s hand and you’re not supposed to use it.” Tsou and Baker developed a script in Taiwan based on that idea, but due to funding issues, the project was initially shelved.

Tsou described the film’s release as “a long-time coming.” The film was selected for the festival’s Critics’ Week section, standing out among 1,000 submissions from 102 countries. It will be screened five times during the event.

Over 100 guests attended Taiwan Cinema Night, including Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, actor Lily Franky, and Taiwanese model-turned-actress Lin Chi-ling. In addition to Tsou’s film, Taiwanese titles such as “Yi Yi” by the late Edward Yang, “96 Minutes,” and “Gravity, Movement” are also being screened at the French film festival, which runs until May 24.