Taiwanese singer-actress Amber Kuo Tsai-chieh started her musical career after winning a university singing contest, and released her debut album Invisible Superman in 2007. The 24-year-old has also found success in movies, winning the best new talent accolade at the Taipei International Film Awards earlier this year. She played a bookstore clerk in Au Revoir Taipei, Taiwanese new-wave director Arvin Chen Chun-lin's debut feature. Produced by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, the romantic comedy was named best Asian film at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Kuo was recently in Hong Kong to promote the movie and her third album, Sparklers.
Au Revoir Taipei had an international crew, including cinematographer Michael Fimognari. What was it like to work with filmmakers from different corners of the world?
It was fun and rewarding. It made me realise that there is no language barrier in the world of movies. On the set, there were people speaking French, English, Taiwanese and Mandarin, but we worked together well and respected each other's cultures. The director has a multicultural background, too. He is Chinese and was raised in the US, and he brought a different perspective to a Taiwanese film. People in Taiwan used to feel distanced from local films [which were often art-house productions]. But now, there are more young directors with fresh ideas to attract local audiences, which is a good thing. This could also help Taiwanese movies connect to the international arena.
The movie has been shown at a number of international film festivals. Have you been going to the screenings?
I only went to the Berlin International Film Festival and Singapore when the film was released there. It was amazing. I'm not too keen on travelling. One of the reasons is that I like everything to be well-planned. I can't go to other countries without a perfect plan. My work has helped with this. It became the motivation for me to leave home. Now, whenever I go abroad for work, I'll use the chance to visit different places and experience other cultures.