Left-Handed Girl

Left-Handed Girl
Promotional poster
Mandarin左撇子女孩
Directed byShih-Ching Tsou
Written by
Produced by
  • Shih-Ching Tsou
  • Sean Baker
  • Mike Goodridge
Starring
Cinematography
  • Ko-Chin Chen
  • Tzu-Hao Kao
Edited bySean Baker
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Le Pacte (France)
  • Netflix (United States and United Kingdom)
  • Light year images (Taiwan)
Release dates
  • May 15, 2025 (2025-05-15) (Cannes)
  • September 17, 2025 (2025-09-17) (France)
  • November 14, 2025 (2025-11-14) (United States)
  • November 28, 2025 (2025-11-28) (Netflix)
Running time
109 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Taiwan
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • France
Languages

Left-Handed Girl (Chinese: 左撇子女孩) is a 2025 drama film, co-written, co-produced, and directed by Shih-Ching Tsou. It stars Janel Tsai, Shih-Yuan Ma, Nina Ye, Brando Huang, Akio Chen and Xin-Yan Chao. Sean Baker serves as co-writer, co-producer, and editor.

The film had its world premiere at the Critics' Week section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 15. It was released theatrically in France on September 17, 2025 and in the United States in a limited release on November 14, before streaming on Netflix on November 28. It was selected as the Taiwanese entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards,[2] making the December shortlist.[3]

Cast

Production

The script for the film was written by Shih-Ching Tsou and Sean Baker in 2010[4]. In November 2012, Baker revealed the project, with Shih-Ching Tsou set to direct, however, the film was facing difficulty to secure financing.[5]

Principal photography began in July 2022.[6] By February 2025, the film was nearing the end of post-production.[7] The film was shot using an iPhone.[8]

Release

Left-Handed Girl had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Critics' Week section where it won the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution.[9][10] In May 2025, Netflix acquired rights to the film for the world excluding the Baltics, the Benelux, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, France, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Scandinavia, Poland and Taiwan.[11] It also screened in the Competition section of the 30th Busan International Film Festival on September 22, 2025 for 'Bosan Awards',[12] the 'Official Section' of the 70th Valladolid International Film Festival,[13] the 69th BFI London Film Festival on October 15, 2025,[14] and the 20th Rome Film Festival,[15] where it won Best Film.[16]

It was released in the United States in a limited release on November 14, 2025, before it will stream on Netflix on November 28, 2025.[17]

In August 2025, Taiwan's Ministry of Culture submitted Left-Handed Girl to compete for the Academy Award for Best International Feature category at the 98th Academy Awards.[18]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 96 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "A warm tour through Taipei distinguished by its lived-in cultural specificity and relatable family dynamics, Left-Handed Girl is a winning first solo feature from writer-director Shih-Ching Tsou."[19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[20]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival May 24, 2025 Critics' Week Grand Prix Shih-Ching Tsou Nominated [21]
Gan Foundation Award for Distribution Won
Zurich Film Festival October 4, 2025 Golden Eye Feature Film Competition – Special Mention Left-Handed Girl Won [22]
Montclair Film Festival October 19, 2025 Breakthrough Director Shih-Ching Tsou Honored [23]
Rome Film Festival October 26, 2025 Progressive Cinema Competition – Best Film Left-Handed Girl Won [16]
Valladolid International Film Festival November 1, 2025 Golden Spike Left-Handed Girl Nominated [24]
Stockholm International Film Festival November 14, 2025 Best Actress Shih-Yuan Ma Won [25]
Asian World Film Festival November 20, 2025 Snow Leopard Award for Rising Star Nina Ye Won [26]
Snow Leopard Audience Award Left-Handed Girl Won
Golden Horse Awards November 22, 2025 Best Narrative Feature Left-Handed Girl Nominated [27]
[28]
Best Supporting Actor Brando Huang Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Janel Tsai Nominated
Nina Ye Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Shih-Ching Tsou, Sean Baker Nominated
Best New Director Shih-Ching Tsou Nominated
Best New Performer Shih-Yuan Ma Won
Best Film Editing Sean Baker Nominated
Best Cinematography Chen Ko-chin, Kao Tzu-hao Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 7, 2025 Best Foreign Language Film Left-Handed Girl Nominated [29]
Best Youth Performance Nina Ye Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society December 15, 2025 Best Foreign Language Film Left-Handed Girl Nominated [30]
Best Youth Performance Nina Ye Nominated
Las Vegas Film Critics Society December 19, 2025 Best International Film Left-Handed Girl Nominated [31]
Best Female Youth Performance Nina Ye Won
Pandora International Film Critics December 21, 2025 International Motion Picture Left-Handed Girl Pending [32]
Acting Breakthrough Nina Ye Pending
Critics' Choice Movie Awards January 4, 2026 Best Foreign Language Film Left-Handed Girl Pending [33]
Best Young Performer Nina Ye Pending

See also

References

  1. ^ "Left-Handed Girl (15)". British Board of Film Classification. November 4, 2025. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  2. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (28 August 2025). "Taiwan Selects 'Left-Handed Girl' as Oscar Submission". Variety. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  3. ^ Davis, Clayton (16 December 2025). "Oscars Shortlists Announced in 12 Categories: 'Sinners' and 'Wicked: For Good' Lead, 'Sirât' Gets Strong Showing". Variety. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  4. ^ Ahmed, Zak (2025-11-25). "'Left-Handed Girl' Director Shih-Ching Tsou Shares Her Love For Taiwan and Family". Feature First. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
  5. ^ Lavalee, Eric (November 8, 2012). "IONCINEPHILE of the Month: Sean Baker". IonCinema. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  6. ^ Lavalee, Eric (July 11, 2022). "Street…Food for Thought: Shih-Ching Tsou Begins Production on "Left-Handed Girl"". IonCinema. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  7. ^ Whipp, Glenn (February 13, 2025). "Director Sean Baker doesn't know he's the front-runner with 'Anora'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  8. ^ "Sean Baker". Metrograph. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  9. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (14 April 2025). "Cannes Critics' Week Unveils 2025 Selection – Full List & Details". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  10. ^ Balaga, Marta (2025-05-21). "Cannes Critics' Week Awards Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke's 'A Useful Ghost'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
  11. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (3 June 2025). "Netflix Takes A Bulk Of The World On Shih-Ching Tsou's Cannes Movie 'Left-Handed Girl'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  12. ^ Shackleton, Liz (August 26, 2025). "Busan Film Festival Unveils Inaugural Competition Line-Up, Including Ten World Premieres". Deadline. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  13. ^ "Bi Gan, los Dardenne, Sergei Loznitsa, Lav Diaz y Mascha Schilinski competirán por la Espiga de Oro en la 70 Seminci". Kinótico (in Spanish). July 24, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  14. ^ "We are looking forward to these six films at the BFI London Film Festival". Wallpaper*. 2025-10-03. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  15. ^ "Festa del Cinema di Roma 2025, il programma completo (diretta)" [Rome Film Fest 2025: Full program (live)]. Ciak Magazine (in Italian). 19 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  16. ^ a b Scarpa, Vittoria (2025-10-27). "Left-Handed Girl wins Best Film at the Rome Film Fest". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  17. ^ D’Alessandro, Anthony (July 30, 2025). "Netflix Sets Fall Release For Shih-Ching Tsou & Sean Baker's 'Left-Handed Girl'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  18. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (2025-08-28). "Taiwan Selects 'Left-Handed Girl' as Oscar Submission". Variety. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
  19. ^ "Left-Handed Girl". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  20. ^ "Left-Handed Girl". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  21. ^ Dalton, Ben (22 May 2025). "Thai comedy-drama 'A Useful Ghost' wins top prize at Cannes Critics' Week 2025". Screen International. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  22. ^ Roxborough, Scott (October 4, 2025). "Slovak Oscar Contender 'Father' Wins Zurich Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  23. ^ "The Montclair Film Festival Announces 2025 Honors". Montclair Film. September 17, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  24. ^ "Avance de Seminci: estos son los nombres que competirán por la Espiga de Oro". Cadena SER. 24 July 2025.
  25. ^ "Here are the winners of the Stockholm International Film Festival 2025". Mynewsdesk. 14 November 2025. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  26. ^ McGowan, Andrew (2025-11-21). "'A Sad and Beautiful World,' 'Left-Handed Girl,' Vishal Jethwa and Tandin Bidha Among Winners at Asian World Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  27. ^ Wong, Silvia (1 October 2025). "'A Foggy Tale', 'Left-Handed Girl' lead Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards nominations". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  28. ^ Wong, Silvia (23 November 2025). "'A Foggy Tale' wins multiple prizes including best film at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards". Screen Daily. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  29. ^ Hopson, Travis (December 8, 2025). "SINNERS Takes Best Film At 2025 WAFCA Awards". WAFCA. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
  30. ^ "2025 San Diego Film Critics Society Nominations". San Diego Film Critics Society. 2025-12-12. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
  31. ^ Neglia, Matt (December 19, 2025). "The 2025 Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LVFCS) Winners". NBP. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  32. ^ Write, Robin (December 15, 2025). "World Cinema Grandly Represented as the 7th Pandora International Film Critics Nominations Are Revealed". Filmotomy. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  33. ^ "NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 31ST ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS HOSTED BY CHELSEA HANDLER – Critics Choice Association". Retrieved 2025-12-05.
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