A short film from Taiwan has won the Sonje Award for best Asian short at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea. The film is called “Stairway”, and was directed by actor-turned-director Matt Wu. Wu is the first Taiwanese to win the award.
The 30-minute film is also Wu’s directorial debut. He shared the Sonje Award with South Korean Director Choi Kiyun, who was honored for best Korean short for his work, “The Night.”
In his acceptance speech, Wu thanked his late grandmother, who he said was the inspiration behind the film.
“Stairway” tells the story of a boy who helps his grandmother train so that she can climb a long stairway to reach his grandfather’s grave during the Tombsweeping Festival.
The winners of the Sonje Award each received prize money of 10 million Korean won (which is about US$9,310).