Running Time: 30 mins / Production Year: 2014 / Theatrical Release: Taiwan, 16 January 2015 / Screens: 2
Ken Chen, a film director, has been in the film industry for a couple of years but still has yet to make any name for himself. He is working in a pub for a living. Because of a photo of giraffe puppet, Ken gets to know Gianna through the Internet, who’s far away in Italy. A Taiwan-Italy relationship blossoms amazingly.
One day, after knocking off from the pub, Ken meets Gianna at his doorsteps surprisingly. The beautiful Gianna has offended the Italian mafia due to her criticism in a piece of film review. As she has no other place to go, she escapes to Taiwan and asks to stay at Ken’s place for a few days.
The next day, Gianna goes to the 7-11 nearby to get some food. At the same time, two gangsters ridiculously barge into Ken’s house. They could not find Gianna and beat up Ken instead. Ginna soon returns to Ken’s place, she feels sorry for what happened to Ken, an ambiguous affection has begun to bud between the couple. Just then, the gangsters return. Almost immediately after, the trio from the pub also comes to Ken’s house and unexpectedly assisted Ken in chasing away the gangsters.
Just as peace seems to have been restored, the international polices appear. Gianna and Ken has both kept secrets from each other, causing an ultimate twist to their story…
CREW & CAST
CREW
Producers: YEH JUFENG, LEE LIEH
Scriptwriters: CHENG-YU TUNG, SUE CHEN
Director of Photography: CHIENN HSIANG
Gaffer: LI JIA-YU
Production Designer: LIANG SHUO-LIN
Costume Designer: LORE SHIH
Editors: CHARLENE CHONG, KALVIN FANG
Sound: AGNES LIU, TU DUU-CHIH
Music: WENG JR-LIANG
CAST
HUANG CHIEN-WEI as Ken
MARGOT SIKABONYI as Gianna
SANDRINE PINNA as Jonathan
MICHAEL CHANG as Gangster
CHRISTOPHER LUANG as Gangster
RALPH CHIU as Tall
HSIEH KAN-CHUN as Fatty
HUANG YI-SIANG as Shortie
DIRECTOR
CHO LI
A producer-turned-director, graduated with M.S. degree in Radio/TV/Film from the Indiana State University. After producing critically acclaimed films with producer YEH Jufeng, she turns career to directing, in the hope of developing multi-faceted genre films with unique and irreplaceable point-of-view.
DIR’S STATEMENT
The first draft and the final look of Soap Opera are almost entirely different. During the scriptwriting process, I’ve had serious doubts about what it means to make a good film. It was the lowest point of my career as a filmmaker. I was in tremendous agony and pain looking into all sorts of the ostentatious mainstream media members and self-proclaimed experts, who denounced everyone and everything (my films included, of course). I could not find joy and confidence in filmmaking. My life was drenched in an emotional downpour. Then I changed my thoughts. Filmmaking is supposed to bring me happiness. I’d make the most of this opportunity. The result is a highly amusing comedy that is beyond your imagination.
Maybe I will find my audiences—somewhere outside Taiwan!
AWARDS
*Selected for the OUT OF COMPETITION section at the Venice Int’l Film Festival, 2014.
TRAILER
