Asian World Film Festival Announces Focus on Taiwan Program Includes Oscar Submissions and Oscar®-Qualifying Short; Screens Nov. 13-17 at the Culver Theater in Culver City

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Nov 12, 2025, 08:38 ET

Filmmakers Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou to Present Snow Leopard Rising Star Award on Nov. 14

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The 11th annual Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) will present Focus on Taiwan, a special program highlighting Taiwanese cinema—its culture, creativity and unique traditions. Focus on Taiwan will screen Nov. 13-17 at the Culver Theater in Culver City. Select filmmakers and cast members will participate in post-screening Q&As. Focus on Taiwan takes place with the support of Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) and Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles. Ticket information is available at asianworldfilmfest.org/2025-festival-lineup.

"Left-Handed Girl," Taiwan's submission for the Best International Feature category at the 98th Academy Awards, has been selected as the Centerpiece Screening. Director/Co-Writer/Producer Shih-Ching Tsou, Editor/Co-Writer/Producer Sean Baker (Oscar-winning director, "Anora," "The Florida Project"), and stars Shih-Yuan Ma and Nina Ye will be in attendance. The film recently won the top prize of best film at the Rome Film Festival. The Nov. 14 screening will be capped by a ceremony in which Tsou and Baker present Ye with the Snow Leopard Rising Star Award.

Additional Focus on Taiwan screening highlights include "From Island to Island," Oscar submission for Best Documentary Feature Film; "Side A: A Summer Day," Oscar-qualifying entry for Best Live Action Short Film; and "Marching Boys," a 2025 Golden Horse Award nominee. "From Island to Island's" multi-award-winning director Lau Kek-huat; "Side A: A Summer Day's" director Wan Kin-Fai; and "Marching Boys" producer Kelly Chan and marching band choreographer Damien Fan will join post-screening discussions.

"Every year, our Focus on series highlights films that carry the spirit, history and craft of their home regions," said Georges N. Chamchoum, AWFF executive director. "This year's Focus on Taiwan showcases some of the island's most acclaimed films and is an invitation to see Taiwan through its storytellers."

Focus on Taiwan Program Highlights

"Left-Handed Girl," Shih-Ching Tsou, director. Poignant family drama. Official Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, and Busan International Film Festival selection.
"Side A: A Summer Day," Wan Kin-Fai, director. Moving coming-of-age drama. Winner of the 2024 Golden Horse Short Film Award.
"From Island to Island," Lau Kek-huat, director. Sweeping World War II documentary. Winner of the 2024 Golden Horse Best Documentary.
"Marching Boys," Jui-Chih Chiang, director. Touching youth drama. U.S. premiere. 62nd Golden Horse Award nominee.

Focus on Taiwan is one of four Focus on programs, each centered on emblematic filmmakers. The 2025 Focus on series also includes Cambodia, South Korea and Kyrgyzstan.

AWFF 2025's full slate comprises must-see feature and short films from more than 30 Asian countries. Over 10 days, the festival will screen 73 feature-length and short films, including 23 official Oscar submissions for Best International Feature Film. The full AWFF lineup runs Nov. 11-20, 2025, at the Culver Theater in Culver City.

Asian World Film Festival Sponsors
Samsung Onyx; Emporium Thai; Jackson Market; New York Film Academy (NYFA); M Film Lab; Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles (KCCLA); Pechanga Resort Casino; Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA); Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles; Bruce Lee Foundation; My Personal Driver; WDA; The DCP Company

About Asian World Film Festival
Founded in 2015 by Kyrgyz public figure Sadyk Sher-Niyaz, the Asian World Film Festival celebrates cinematic excellence rooted in culture, storytelling and global collaboration. The festival brings the best of Asian cinema to Los Angeles and strengthens creative exchange between East and West. AWFF screens feature films from across Asia — spanning Japan to Turkey and from Russia to India and Southeast Asia. Renowned as a launchpad for awards-season contenders, AWFF remains the only Los Angeles–based festival presenting the majority of Asian submissions for the Academy Award® Best International Feature Film and the Golden Globe® Best Motion Picture - Non-English Language categories. AWFF is a nonprofit under Aitysh USA.

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