Yu-Han Tsai newest short film, DUA JI will screen at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival. The film is set in a rural Taiwan town during her mother’s funeral, DUA JI follows the eldest daughter, as she is forced to confront the patriarchal rituals and quiet weight of duty that has long defined her life.

As the ceremonies unfold and tensions quietly surface, the story positions itself as both an intimate personal journey and a reflection of gender, cultural inheritance, and intergenerational tension.

The inspiration of the story stems from Tsai’s family history in rural Taiwan, where grandmother gave birth to six daughters before finally having a son. Years later, witnessing her grandmother’s Taoist funeral where the rituals centered on the male figure, revealed to Tsai the challenges women face within traditional family structures.

Yu-Han Tsai takes us inside a family’s grief while they prepare for their mother’s funeral and will life just move on after it’s over or does one hold onto the past?

This is a very emotional film as we live it through the heart of A-Hsien, the eldest daughter. We feel her grief, her quiet resentment to her only brother and her struggle to truly say goodbye to her mother. This film will resonate with many people around the world as grief is universal, but how we handle grief is not. Again, grief is just love looking for a place to go. #SXSW #shortfilm #austin #filmmaker #interview #filmmaking #bondoncinema #cinema #film #filmdirector