《愛子歸來》Come Home, My Child
“Walks may keep you in, but love can set you free.”
For more than two decades, Mama Yang, a Taiwanese immigrant, has dedicated her life to corresponding with inmates in New York's prison system. At home, Mama Yang and her granddaughter Ellen, a troubled soul, struggle to communicate with each other, living under the dark shadow of devastating family tragedies.
Filmed over ten years, the documentary follows Mama Yang's extraordinary life journey as she tells the stories of a group of people who encounter each other in a world of loneliness. How do they cope with the pain and how can they survive?
“Come Home, My Child” reveals the harsh truths of the unpredictable ups and downs in life, while showcasing the transformative power that love can reach and liberate captive souls across races and generations.
About the Movie
一部歷經十年，跨越美國和台灣拍攝的紀錄片。
一段因著監獄，由陌生到情同親人的動人故事。
一個屋簷底下，祖孫由疏離到敞開心扉的轉變。
楊媽媽經歷重大家庭變故，面對生命的絕境從臺灣移民美國，卻開啟了不可思議的人生。而一群也是懷抱美國夢的年輕人，最後卻深陷牢獄，甚至被判刑一百多年！
回不了的家，停不了的筆，
一群渴望愛的人，在苦難人生尋找出口，在孤獨的世界奇妙相遇...
About the Director
Ching-hui Lee 李靖惠
An independent filmmaker for more than 20 years, Director Lee's award-winning work centers on themes of migration and family. Her films are gentle but forceful, which derives unique power from her long-term relationships with her film subjects.
Director Lee was the first Taiwanese recipient of the Asian Network of Documentary Fund. Her films have been well-received, and have won international awards at prestigious film festivals, including the Busan International Film Festival's AND Distribution Award, the International Women's Film Festival in Seoul's First Prize, the Network of Asian Women's Film Festival's NAFF Award, Taiwan Documentary Film Festival's Audience Choice Award, Taipei Film Festival, Best Individual Achievement, etc.
Her signature work is the “Homeland and Womanhood documentary series”. “Money and Honey “, the sixth film of the series, won ten international film festival awards, enjoyed a theatrical release in Taiwan, and was selected by more than 50 international film festivals. In 2015, Taiwan's Ministry of Culture ranked the film as one of the best in the Taiwanese Film Toolbox program. It was subsequently distributed in more than 100 countries to promote international art and cultural exchange. "Come Home, My Child" is the seventh of the series.
Director Lee is not only dedicated to film productions, but also devoted a career to film education. She was a visiting scholar of American Studies at Brown University in the United States and Associate Professor at the department of Communication Arts at Day-Yeh University in Taiwan.
曾任布朗大學美國研究系訪問學者。1996年至今為獨立製片導演，台灣創作長期照護題材的先鋒，長期關注老人與女性族群、家庭與遷移題材，透過長期蹲點，作品展現溫柔堅毅的風采，時間長河的力量，深受觀眾喜愛與媒體好評。
為首位獲得亞洲電影基金會「亞洲紀錄片連線」獎助的台灣導演。榮獲許多國際獎項肯定，例如釜山國際影展AND發行獎、亞洲女性電影聯盟首獎、韓國女性影展首獎、台北電影節傑出個人表現獎、台灣國際紀錄片影展觀眾票選獎等。
其代表作【家國系列紀錄片】，源自導演1996年親身照顧外公外婆的經驗，進而關懷其它的家庭，最後拓展至跨國來台灣照顧老人的外籍看護工。《麵包情人》是繼《家在何方》、《阿嬤的戀歌》、《思念之城》、《親親我的愛》、《暗夜飛行》之後〈家國系列紀錄片〉最終回。《麵包情人》歷經15年製作，榮獲10大國際獎項、入圍金馬獎最佳紀錄片、最佳電影剪輯，於台灣戲院上映。《愛子歸來》為此系列第七部作品。
愛與遷移是永恆的題材，李靖惠導演延續過去創作脈絡對女性與移工的長期關懷，2013年在紐約誕生《愛子歸來》創作契機。知名策展人游惠貞評論李靖惠導演的作品：「她是個用自己的人生與受訪者搏感情的紀錄片導演。」為了專注完成《愛子歸來》，甚至辭掉大學教職，十年來不計代價，跨越台灣與美國製作，展現時間長河愛的力量。
