Toronto, Oct. 29 (CNA) "BIG," a Taiwanese drama about children battling cancer, will screen across 17 major movie theaters in the United States and Canada from Nov. 1.
Directed by Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖), the film is a tragic and heartwarming story about young patients residing in a Taiwanese pediatric oncology ward known as Room 816, and explores the themes of death, friendship, love, departure and union through six stories.
"BIG" was also written by Wei, who is often credited with reviving Taiwan's film industry with his 2007 romantic film "Cape No. 7" (海角七號) and his two-part historical blockbuster "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale" (賽德克·巴萊) in 2011.
During a media screening in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday, Wei told CNA he was delighted because Taiwanese movies are rarely shown in North American theaters, and that the last time his film was shown in the U.S. and Canada was with "Seediq Bale" in 2012.
Wei said he was at a low point in life when he wrote "BIG" and that he felt "reborn and energized" after bringing it to the big screen.
"Many people who watched the movie liked it very much, saying it made them feel good to be alive," he said.
The director expressed hope that "BIG" can be appealing to North American viewers, as there is no boundary between different cultures when it comes to "family, friendship and love."
Henri Cheung (張恒傑), co-founder and president of Chime, a Canadian Asian film distributor that promoted "BIG" to the North American market, said the company had released 10 Chinese-language films across North American theaters since its establishment two years ago.
Being its first Taiwanese movie, "BIG" will be shown across 11 Cineplex theaters and six other mainstream cinemas in the U.S. from Nov. 1, Cheung said.
They will evaluate to see how "BIG" performs in one week, and if the box office meets expectations, they will continue to screen the film, he added.
"It's a tough environment, as fewer people go to the theaters to watch movies these days," Cheung said, expressing hope the Taiwanese movie can bring North American viewers back to cinemas.
"BIG" first hit the big screen across Taiwan on Dec. 1, 2023.
