Surrogacy and Same-S*ex Relations Highlighted in ‘Daughter’s Daughter,’ Secures Sales Before Toronto Film Festival

Andrews Film, based in Taiwan, has acquired the international sales rights to Daughter’s Daughter, which is set to premiere in the Platform section of the Toronto International Film Festival.

The film, helmed by Huang Xi, known for Missing Johnny, boasts a distinguished pedigree with executive producers Hou Hsiao-hsien and Sylvia Chang, the latter also appearing in the film alongside Karena Lam and Eugenie Liu from Old Fox.

The narrative centers on a 60-year-old woman grappling with the death of her daughter in an accident. She learns that she holds responsibility for her deceased daughter’s IVF embryo and seeks out the other daughter she had as a teenager. The film delves into the intersection of past regrets and future responsibilities, while also exploring the problems of reproductive issues within the LGBT community.

Produced by Sun Lok Productions with project investment from TAICCA under the National Development Fund, the film’s first international sale has been secured by Andrews with Hong Kong’s Edko Film, ahead of its Toronto debut.

The supporting cast includes Alannah Ong, Winston Chow, and Tracy Chou. The production team features Shao Dongxu and Lu Hsin-li as producers, Yao Hung-I as cinematographer, Agnes Liu and Chu Shih-yi for sound, Kay Huang, Liang Angu, and Mukio Chang for music, and Liao Ching-Sung and Jerry Kao for film editing.

Hwarng Wern-ying served as the production designer, and Shirley Kao handled costume design. Huang has had a longstanding collaboration with Hou, dating back to Hou’s 1996 film Goodbye South, Goodbye. Huang’s work often addresses themes of urban relations, loneliness, and chance.

His debut solo directorial effort, Missing Johnny (2017), was showcased at Busan, Tokyo FILMeX, and HK Asian FF, and received accolades at both the Taipei Festival and the Golden Horse Awards. His 2022 HBO series Twisted Strings continued this exploration, examining the humor and absurdity surrounding death and desire, and also featured Sylvia Chang.

With Taiwan legalizing same-se*x marriage in 2019, the film tackles the ongoing surrounding reproductive issues beyond marriage, particularly focusing on IVF. “The journey towards legalizing same-se*x marriage in Taiwan has revealed broader, more complicated issues, such as IVF, which affect a larger population than one might expect. I wanted to address this modern topic from the perspective of a mother, a woman, or humanity as a whole,” said Huang.