Chinese Name: 傅天余
Born: 1973
Birthplace: Taichung (Central Taiwan)
Did You Know That…?
In 2024, Fu Tien-yu received the Kurosawa Akira Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival, becoming the second Taiwanese film director to receive the honor after Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢).
Fu Tien-yu is a Taiwanese film director, scriptwriter, and author. She studied Japanese literature at the National Chengchi University (政治大學) in Taipei and earned her Master’s degree in media and film studies from New York University.
Fu did not initially aspire to become a film director. Passionate about writing, she submitted her work to various publishers, eventually winning the China Times Literary Award and the Central Daily News Literary Prize. “After winning these awards, some people told me that my novels were very visual and encouraged me to explore scriptwriting,” she said. In the beginning, she lacked a clear direction, but through constant submissions to competitions, her scripts gained recognized, building her confidence and increasing her motivation to producing scripts.
During her senior year, she took part in a scriptwriting workshop led by renowned filmmaker Wu Nien-jen (吳念真), fostering a close mentor-student relationship with him. Wu is a director, author, actor, and lyricist, and a key figure in launching the New Taiwanese Cinema. Recalling on their first encounter, Wu said, “I noticed at the workshop that she is a talented writer, and she is also passionate about films.” Encouraged and guided by Wu, Fu shifted her focus to scriptwriting and directing.
Fu is an accomplished director with multiple nominations and awards. In 2008, her screenplay “A Spy’s Tale (偵探物語),” was nominated for Best Screenplay at the Golden Bell Awards (GBA). In 2009, her directorial work “Somewhere I Have Never Travelled (帶我去遠方)” was featured at the Hong Kong International Film Festival, Taipei Film festival, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, among others. In 2012, she both wrote and directed “The Happy Life of Debbie (黛比的幸福生活),” which won GBA’s Best Mini-series/Movie Award. In 2023, “Day Off (本日公休)” received international acclaim at Osaka Asian Film Festival and Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy. The film was also a fan favorite at the Taipei Film Festival, where its lead actress, Lu Hsiao-fen (陸小芬), won Best Actor.
Rooted in Fu’s family background, “Day Off” took three years to complete, from conception to production. The film’s protagonist, A-Jui (阿蕊), was inspired by Fu’s mother, and main scenes were shot at her family home in Taichung. With its realistic portrayals and sentimentality, the film vividly captures everyday of life in Taiwan. Fu remarked that this event highlights the place where she was born and grew up, emphasizing the best part of Taiwan is its people and their strong sense of support for each other. She hopes audiences worldwide will experience this spirit through her film.