A feature of Taiwanese actress Shu Qi ’s career has been showcasing strong female roles in movies by helmers such as Hou Hsiao-hsien, Feng Xiaogang, Jiang Wen and Stephen Chow. For her powerful directorial debut “Girl”, she turns her attention to social issues faced by women, such as abusive husbands, generational trauma and gender discrimination.

‘Girl” tells the story of Hsiao-lee, a withdrawn girl growing up during Taiwan’s remarkable economic transformation in the late 1980s. The changing social environment on the self-ruled island is mirrored in the way the women and girls of the movie fight to get ahead.

The movie is a major addition to a growing canon of movies by female filmmakers in Asia. There is growing awareness of women behind the camera and support is increasing — gender

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