Archive - 12th Five Flavours Film Festival

Grandma and Her Ghosts

Mo fa a ma
Taiwan 1998, 80’
subtitles: Polish and English
director: Wang Shaudi
screenplay: Huang Li-ming
cinematography: Richard Mai
editing: Lei Chen-ching
music: Gerald Shih a.k.a. Shih Jei-young
cast: Wen Ying, Zhuang Bo-wen, Zhuang Jain-yu
producer: Huang Li-ming
production: Rice Film International Co. Ltd.
sales: Rice Film International Co. Ltd.
source of print: Rice Film International Co. Ltd.
language: Mandarin, Taiwanese
colouration: colour

Awards and festivals

Best Film Award - Taipei FF 1999, Golden Horse Awards 1998, Vancouver International FF 1998, Chicago International Children's FF 1999, Hong Kong IFF 1999

Film description

Five-year-old Dou Dou is sent to the countryside, where he is put under the care of his maternal grandmother, because his parents are going abroad for work. The boy is used to living a comfortable life in modern Taipei, so he feels lonely and lost in the new circumstances. Before he did not have much contact with his grandmother, who seems caustic and harsh. Dou Dou is rebelling against the whole situation and carelessly invites an unwanted guest. The boy notices that in the old house some strange things start happening and grandmother's cat acquires surprisingly devilish traits.

Director Wang Shaudi highlights the contrast between the city and the countryside, official Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese dialect, new technologies and folk beliefs. Such comparison makes "Grandma and Her Ghosts" a very vivid image of the daily life in Taiwan. The drawings and designs by Richard Mai, cult local manga writer, allows characters and places to gain it's own life and unforgettable character. 

Maja Korbecka

Wang Shaudi

Born in 1953 in Taipei, she studied at the National Taiwan University of Arts, then completed a master's degree in theatre at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. In 1979 she returned to Taiwan and started working in TV production. Simultaneously she assumed a tenure at  Chinese Culture University theatre department. One of Wang Shaudi's students was Tsai Ming-liang for whom she became a mentor and helped him start a career in Taiwan film industry through writing and directing TV series. In 1992 Wang Shaudi co-founded production company Rice Film International with fellow director Huang Li-ming. Currently she is involved in various social movements in Taiwan and continues to work in TV production.

Filmography:

1996 Fei tian / Accidental Legend

1997 Wo de shen jing bing / Yours and Mine

1998 Moja babcia jest czarownicą / Mo fa a ma / Grandma and Her Ghosts

2004 Yong bao da bai xiong / Bear Hug

2010 Ku Ma / Fantôme, Où es-tu

2011 10 + 10 (nowela)

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