Hsu Li-wen

Directing

Hsu Li-wen

Born 1984-08-26

Acting credits

Into the Greenworld poster
NR

A high school student who has lost his father is bullied at school while also being misunderstood by his mother. He decides to return to his father’s hometown to find the tobacco field that was painted in the torn painting he takes along on the journey.

Into the Greenworld

2020

Drifting Flowers poster
5.7

Three poetic tales of seeking the true identity. In the first story, Jing, a blind singer, falls in love with her band's tomboy accordionist Diego. In another time and place, Lily, an elderly lesbian and Yen, her gay friend, create an unexpected bond and support each other in a time of crisis. Finally, we see Diego before she joined the band, when as a teenager she came to grips with her gender identity.

Drifting Flowers

2008

Untold Herstory poster
7.3

On Green Island in the 1950s, the female thought prisoners chose to fight for freedom, but were more forcefully suppressed by the authority. They held on to their beliefs and hoping for true freedom to come.

Untold Herstory

2022

The Crucian poster
NR

Born never to cry, Fish seeks his missing mother through the underworld. He believes her ghost is imprisoned within a deity puppet — yet, it conceals neither his mother nor an informant, but a survivor. Through the puppet’s mouth, the seaside street’s buried past unfolds.

The Crucian

2026

No artwork available
NR

Hao-Yang is a young man that loves the sea and loves to surf, but just as his life was about to begin, he was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease that was from his father. After some time, his body will begin to paralyze part by part, not able to move or speak and eventually he will die. His brother refused to take the test and their single-parent mother still tries to find a cure for her boys. One day, Hao-Yang told his brother he wanted to see the ocean and begged his brother to take him surfing again. When Hao-Yang had finally fulfilled his wish and got on the surfboard, he disappeared in the ocean after a big wave.

Wave Breaker

2009

Behind the camera

The Carry-On poster
NR

What haunts us is not only death, but aging. Pei-Hua is drawn like a blurred sketch—gray, undefined, embodying the quiet experience of a woman growing older.Mothers often remain fixed in place, becoming a point of reference for their daughters’ journeys. Each of us carries a “carry-on”—unfinished burdens or lessons meant to be faced in this life. When we finally leave, do these carry-ons remain? In the film, a fire becomes a ritual of release, a way of saying goodbye. Life is rarely pure joy or sorrow, and The Carry-On is no exception.

The Carry-On

2026

The Carry-On poster
NR

What haunts us is not only death, but aging. Pei-Hua is drawn like a blurred sketch—gray, undefined, embodying the quiet experience of a woman growing older.Mothers often remain fixed in place, becoming a point of reference for their daughters’ journeys. Each of us carries a “carry-on”—unfinished burdens or lessons meant to be faced in this life. When we finally leave, do these carry-ons remain? In the film, a fire becomes a ritual of release, a way of saying goodbye. Life is rarely pure joy or sorrow, and The Carry-On is no exception.

The Carry-On

2026

The Child of Light poster
7.0

Yu-lan came to Taipei from southern Taiwan. She has got a successful career as a dancer. When her foster mother gets dementia, she has no choice but to retire and go back home. However, the trial and tribulation of her new life have reminded her of her childhood memories. During an argument with her mother’s foreign caretaker, the cause of her foster brother’s death and the secrets about her biological mother are gradually being revealed... As a woman of the advanced maternal age, Yu-lan has found herself unexpectedly pregnant with a baby. Following her heart, she has entered the circle of destiny. Departure means coming back, and her starting point is also her finish line. Is birth adjacent to or far away from death? Maybe at last, you’ll see that the shadow you met will be also the light to guide your life.

The Child of Light

2021

The Child of Light poster
7.0

Yu-lan came to Taipei from southern Taiwan. She has got a successful career as a dancer. When her foster mother gets dementia, she has no choice but to retire and go back home. However, the trial and tribulation of her new life have reminded her of her childhood memories. During an argument with her mother’s foreign caretaker, the cause of her foster brother’s death and the secrets about her biological mother are gradually being revealed... As a woman of the advanced maternal age, Yu-lan has found herself unexpectedly pregnant with a baby. Following her heart, she has entered the circle of destiny. Departure means coming back, and her starting point is also her finish line. Is birth adjacent to or far away from death? Maybe at last, you’ll see that the shadow you met will be also the light to guide your life.

The Child of Light

2021

Hotel Blackcat poster
NR

The Hotel Blackcat's owner, Mang, never leaves the counter. Guests include the immigrant worker, whore, losing-job Japanese, sex-abused man, little Lolita.... The police forces the Hotel to shut down and all guests must leave. What should they do? It's not necessary to lock each room anymore. Keep the door open, you'll find out traces imprinted with figures as well as times.

Hotel Blackcat

2011

Summer Skirts poster
NR

The little girl facing her first menstruation met a pretty girl just become a woman. At the junction of women and girl, they are both deeply moved by love. What should they choose? Stay or leave?

Summer Skirts

2011