I Have Laughed Again

Energetic, colourful reworking of Shakespeare’s love story played entirely by women, set in the bustling metropolis of Taipei.

Across three eras, eerie dreams of a red snake connect the intertwined fates of two families. In 2026, Xiao Lian’s play about her grandmother Paochu’s guerrilla tales sparks a political backlash. Seeking Paochu’s hideout with the guide, Yulao, they find a dead Vietnamese logger. In 1989, police informant JunXian breaks from his handlers after confessing to Ya-Hong, Xiao Lian’s mother, who's the editor in chief of a magazine, then is framed for robbery and is tortured by the police. In 1952, A-Kun, an idealistic enforcer for Paochu’s guerrillas is also a henchman for them. History repeats itself as love and justice struggle against a legacy of hatred.

In his sophomore year, An faces the pressures of exams, love, and music, realizing that rock n’ roll and passion know no boundaries.

On the eve of Taiwan’s controversial referendum related to same-sex marriage, the world is crying for an outlet under the stiffing social atmosphere. Jie, a woman in her early 30s, is trying to balance her life between taking care of her ill mother in Taipei city, her aspiration as a substitute teacher in a rural county, and her lesbian identity. Her effort to earn recognition from her parents and from work falls apart after experiencing a major train derailment accident, followed by the death of her mother. Such life-changing events awaken her desires to break free from the status quo burdened by social and familial responsibilities to “fit in” and “impress”. She realizes she cannot fulfill her aspiration as an educator in the current education system and starts making peace with life of her own accord.

Three poetic tales of seeking the true identity. In the first story, Jing, a blind singer, falls in love with her band's tomboy accordionist Diego. In another time and place, Lily, an elderly lesbian and Yen, her gay friend, create an unexpected bond and support each other in a time of crisis. Finally, we see Diego before she joined the band, when as a teenager she came to grips with her gender identity.

Alifu, a 25 year-old Paiwan boy, works as a hair-dresser in Taipei and struggles between his dream of getting a sex change operation and following his father’s footsteps to inherit the title as Chief of the indigenous Paiwan tribe. His lesbian roommate, Pei-Zhen, is also his best friend and confidante. Sherry, a transgender man, is the owner of a drag queen bar. For years, Sherry has been in love with the plumber, Wu, even though Wu only sees him as his buddy. Chris, a civil servant, lives a dull life. A one-time gig as a drag queen in the bar unexpectedly becomes his unique and secret way to relief stress. Chris has no choice but to keep this gig a secret from his girlfriend Angie. Across different genders and sexualities, the only common ground these people share is their search for love, understanding and acceptance. (Source: Golden Village)

At 20, Ling balances boxing and helping with her mother's lunchbox business, all while her family quietly unravels. Her parents fake harmony, but when her father brings home a new "girlfriend," the illusion is shattered. Refusing to look away, Ling endures the blows - bloodied and tear-streaked. In facing reality head-on, she discovers a deeper truth: only with honesty in her heart do her punches carry real weight.

The story is centered around the transgender protagonist Tzu-chi who has left home for six years and her sister Tzu-chuan with whom she has fallen out of touch for years. From reencountering each other with Tzu-chuan unable to recognize Tzu-chi, to the emotional nuances triggered by the subsequent recognition, the story profiles the protagonist’s gender identity, the contempt and even discrimination she faces from her work and social environment, and conflicts with her family. In the story, the protagonist goes through a series of unfortunate incidents with her sister. Long-repressed emotions and pressures finally pop the cap off, but this also becomes an opportunity for Tzu-chuan to resolve her inner conflicts. This film presents the theme “one can only truly move forward in life by newly confronting the obstacles they did not overcome in the past.”

The life of seventeen-year-old Xuan is anything but ordinary: She lives and works with her mother and sister in a recycling center surrounded by things others have thrown away. One day, at the suggestion of a boy she likes, she tries to escape into the life of a normal teenage girl.

After a bizarre bus accident, Ming Ze awakens from a coma to discover that his mind now shares the consciousness of four fellow passengers – all of them dead; all of them suspects in a serial kidnapping and murder case. To prove his own innocence, Ming evades capture by the police and tries to track down the killer’s only surviving victim. But in order to unmask the murderer’s true identity, Ming must first fight the monster within himself.

High school student Li Chih-hui worships martial arts movie star “Long” and dreams of becoming a kung fu master so he can defend himself from bullies. When classmate Chien Li-hua shows concern for the bullied Chih-hui, he begins to develop feelings for her. And when he finds out Li-hua is into divination and wants to become a spirit medium, Chih-hui pens a script entitled “Long and the Magic Princess” and invites her to star in it, but the bullies show up and knock Chih-hui unconscious. When he wakes up, however, Chih-hui suddenly declares that Long’s spirit now possesses his body.

Police officer Chou is about to propose to his girlfriend Chen. He then receives a homicide case report and follows it to the mountain area. Sadly, the deceased is his girlfriend Chen. Devastated as he is, he tries his best and arrests the murderer Li. However, from Li's confession, Chou learns that Chen has voluntarily let Li kill her. Why do Li and Chen go on a murderous journey together? Or is it Chen who kills herself?