《美國女孩》波士頓首映 與台美文化的衝突和解
《美國女孩》6月11日於波士頓首映。攝影/劉家樑
【2022年6月11日，波士頓訊】波士頓台灣影展（Taiwan Film Festival of Boston）6月11日與當地社團共同舉辦《美國女孩》（American Girl）放映會。此次放映會為《美國女孩》首次於波士頓地區展映，波士頓台灣影展期望透過此片傳遞台美文化差異，導演阮鳳儀與製片苗華川也特別從台灣來到波士頓參與映後座談，分享創作此片的心路歷程及電影拍攝的幕後過程。
波士頓《美國女孩》放映會由中華民國僑務委員會（OCAC）贊助，波士頓亞裔影展（BAAFF）、Taiwanese American Professionals （TAP）及愛默生學院組織ArtsEmerson協同合作，11日於波士頓Emerson Paramount Center 舉辦，吸引超過百位觀眾來到現場共襄盛舉。
《美國女孩》放映會於波士頓Emerson Paramount Center舉辦，上百位民眾共同觀影。攝影/劉家樑
《美國女孩》由台灣導演阮鳳儀執導，講述女主角芳儀隨母親移民至美國又被迫返鄉的故事，阮鳳儀以個人故事為基底，用再日常不過的生活片段，突顯台美兩地的文化差異在女孩心中造成的矛盾與衝突，細膩描寫家人間對彼此的情感及現實生活中的拉扯與摩擦。《美國女孩》於去年金馬獎一舉拿下「最佳新導演」、「最佳新演員」、「最佳攝影」與「觀眾票選最佳影片獎」四大獎項，近期更榮獲第24屆台北電影節12項提名。
當天參與放映會的觀眾不僅有波士頓當地民眾，更有不少台灣留美學生及長期在波士頓生活的華人。《美國女孩》片中的情節，對部分觀眾來說是認識新的文化差異，對從小在台灣成長的朋友則是引起深度共鳴，讓現場觀眾是又哭又笑。在映後座談中，導演阮鳳儀提到自己之所以選擇「馬」為主角芳儀最喜歡的動物，是因為自己生於馬年；而製片苗華川則表示，拍攝馬的過程十分不易，讓劇組傷透腦筋。
《美國女孩》導演阮鳳儀（左二）、製片苗華川（右二）與主辦團隊Mathew Lee（左一）及Annie Yao(右一)。攝影/劉家樑
現場民眾對電影中的劇情元素及配樂相當感興趣。攝影/劉家樑
此次放映會為波士頓台灣影展首度與當地組織ArtsEmerson合作，波士頓台灣影展希望以電影為媒介，使台裔美籍文化於波士頓持續深耕，讓更多人看見來自台灣的作品。
波士頓台灣影展（Taiwan Film Festival of Boston，TFFB）
波士頓台灣影展為一非營利組織，自2019年起於美國波士頓地區長期推廣台灣電影，期望透過電影與影視作品，強化波士頓地區與台灣社群文化的連結。四年來波士頓台灣影展參與波士頓地區各式活動，成功舉辦三屆影展並邀請台灣導演與製作團隊至波士頓參與座談，2022年波士頓台灣影展將於10月份於波士頓中心舉行第四屆波士頓台灣影展「裂縫與光」（crack & light）。
新聞聯絡人
劉霖林 Lin-Lin Liu | publicrelations@taiwanfilmfest.org
“American Girl” premiers in Boston: The conflict and resolution of Taiwanese and American cultures
Taiwan Film Festival of Boston (TFFB) partnered with local organizations and co-hosted a screening of “American Girl”. By hosting the movie’s premiere in the Greater Boston area, TFFB strives to spark conversations on the topic of cultural diversity through the movie. Traveling from Taiwan and LA, Director Fiona Roan and Clifford Miu were able to join the audience and share the journey of filmmaking and behind-the-scenes.
The screening of “American Girl” was sponsored by Overseas Compatriot Affairs Council (OCAC), as well as co-hosted by ArtsEmerson, Taiwanese American Professionals, and TFFB. The event took place at the Emerson Paramount Center in Boston and received hundreds of audiences.
“American Girl” was directed by Taiwanese director, Fiona Roan. The story follows the leading female character Fen returning to Taiwan after emigrating to the US with her mother. Fiona was inspired by her own story, she leveraged the most mundane moments of the day to contrast the cultural differences that lead to conflicts in the household. She delicately paints the picture of a nuclear family navigating through complex relationships and daily lives. “American Girl” is the proud winner of “Best New Director”, “Best New Performer”, “Best Cinematography” and the “Audience Choice Award” at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. Additionally, it also received 12 nominations at the 24th annual Taipei Film Festival.
The event was supported by the audience from Boston locals, as well as students from Taiwan and Boston residents with Taiwanese roots. The minor details in the movie “American Girl” introduced new cultural differences to some audiences, but to those who grew up in Taiwan, they were heartfelt and deeply resonated experiences. The director Fiona clarified that the reason why the horse was a recurring theme in the movie is because her Chinese zodiac sign is the Horse; whereas the producer Clifford indicated that filming a horse was accompanied by unforeseeable challenges.
This event was a milestone for TFFB to collaborate with local communities, such as ArtsEmerson. TFFB aspires to leverage movies to bring more awareness to Taiwanese American culture in Taiwan and shine the light to more Taiwanese productions.
Taiwan Film Festival of Boston (TFFB)
Founded in 2019, TFFB is a 501©3 organization that promotes Taiwanese films in the Boston community. We hope to leverage films and shows to strengthen the connection between Boston and its Taiwanese communities. In the past 4 years, TFFB has actively participated in events throughout the region, as well as hosted 3 annual film festivals and in-person forums with the Taiwanese film production crew. In October 2022, TFFB will be hosting the 4th annual film festival “Crack and Light” in downtown Boston.