The Taiwan Academy of the Taipei Economic Office and Cultural Office in Los Angeles along with the Asia World Film Festival (AWFF) co-organized "Taiwan Film Day," featuring a special screening of "American Girl (美國女孩)" on June 5 at the Landmark Theater, Westwood. Based on the personal experience of writer-director Roan Feng-i (阮鳳儀), the film spotlights a family torn apart by culture clash, troubled by the economic crisis, plagued by cancer, yet still struggling to reconnect after years of separation.
Director Roan, producer Clifford Miu (苗華川), and production designer Chen Yu-hsuan (陳昱璇) attended the screening followed by a Q&A event hosted by UCLA professor Michael Berry (白睿文). They shared the behind-the-scenes of funding, marketing, casting, set design, and more. Many audiences were fascinated by the perspective of someone confronting "reverse culture shock" upon returning to their hometown after living abroad for a long period of time.
"American Girl" was premiered at the 2021 Tokyo International Film Festival and it was nominated in the Asian Future section. It won five Golden Horse Awards, including Best New Director, Best New Performer, and Best Cinematography in the same year. The film was also nominated for 12 awards at the upcoming Taipei Film Festival this year. Set during the SARS pandemic in 2003, "American Girl" captures not only the struggle of a mother and daughter adapting to life in Taiwan after residing in Los Angeles for a period of time, but also the conflicts between family members. The movie pictured the culture shock and family relationships of Taiwanese immigrants in the 90s. The experiences illustrated by the movie resonated with many, especially when the screening took place at where the story started and demonstrated the creativity of the Taiwan film industry.