fbpx

Taipei Suicide Story
安眠旅舍

Taiwan202045 minTaiwanese Mandarin with English subtitlesToronto PremiereDrama, Reel Asian Award Winner

In a society different from what we know, a hotel in Taipei welcomes suicidal people and assists them in committing the act by providing several methods that they can choose from. Over the course of one night, a receptionist starts to defy the rules and develops an unusual friendship with a hotel guest who can't make up her mind on whether she wants to live or die. 

Thoughtful and poetic, Taipei Suicide Story uses a few glimpses of grim dystopia to enforce transcendental and deeply human connections. The narrative explores the suffocating sensation of loneliness with a casual, empathetic and sweet approach, thus removing the social stigma and neutralizing the fleeting experiences between the two characters. KEFF's new film reflects on the mundanity of existence, the possibility of death or the opportunities of life, and the gift of choice—and the difference it makes.

- Roland Basmayor

Cast

Vivian Sung

Tender Huang

Recognitions

OFFICIAL SELECTION

Cinéfondation Selection, Cannes Film Festival, 2020

Fantasia Film Festival, 2021

Golden Harvest Short Film Festival, 2021

 

AWARDS 

Grand Jury Prize (Narrative Features), Audience Award (Narrative Features), and Acting Award (Tender Huang), Slamdance Film Festival, 2021

Emerging Director for Narrative Feature Award, Asian American International Film Festival, 2021

 

Director Bio

KEFF

KEFF is a Taiwanese American multidisciplinary artist, and lives in New York and Taipei. He is an open-format DJ and producer, as well as a writer and film director. His first short film, Secret Lives of Asians at Night, was supported by the Spike Lee Film Fellowship and won the Jury Award for Best Asian American Film from the Director’s Guild of America. His second short film and NYU thesis, Taipei Suicide Story, had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival (Cinéfondation) and won the Grand Jury Prize (Narrative Feature) at the Slamdance Film Festival.

10 Nov, 2021

to 19 Nov, 2021

BUY TICKETS
BUY STUDENT • SENIOR • ARTS WORKER • UN(DER)WAGED TICKETS

Sponsors

Rating

AA

Community Supporter

Workman Arts

Accessibility

This presentation has English subtitles.

Active Listener symbol  An Active Listener will be available to offer one-on-one peer support for viewers who may find the content of this presentation triggering. More info on how to access here.

Content Warning:

This film contains the potentially triggering topic of suicide.

You May Also Like...

Reel Ideas
So You Think You Can Pitch?

So You Think You Can Pitch is back! Celebrate our 15th year of pitch competitions by supporting your favourite emerging filmmakers in our live event! Featuring a total of five finalist individuals or teams, the winner will walk away with our amazing prize package to kickstart or finish their short film, including a cash award, in-kind support, and the opportunity to premiere their work with us at next year’s festival!

Features
ENCORE PRESENTATION: ISLANDS

Due to popular demand, we're screening ISLANDS once again, for free on the last night of our 25th anniversary festival at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema at 4PM ET.

Features
Three Sisters

Mi-yeon seems to be living the perfect life as a choirmaster and the wife of a successful man. In comparison, her sisters Hee-sook and Mi-ok seem to be miserable, making Mi-yeon frustrated. But in the shadow behind her perfect smile, Mi-yeon’s also suffering from the three sisters’ shared childhood trauma that they’ve yet to come to terms with.

Open Tickets Cart