The 26th Taipei Film Festival in 2024 kicked off with the opening film “Ping Pong Boy” premiering at the Zhongshan Hall in Taipei. The film directed by Hong Bohao, featuring stars such as Vivian Hsu, Zheng Renshuo, Ming Shuai, Wei Man, Peng Yuke, and Li Xingwei, marked the beginning of this year’s festival, bringing together the director and cast with thousands of audience members to experience the film’s intense atmosphere.
The movie, produced by award-winning producers Tang Zaiyang, Liang Hongzhi, and directed by Hong Bohao of “The Great Man,” tells the story of two young table tennis players aspiring to become national champions. Despite growing up together as childhood friends and working towards the top together, cracks begin to appear in their friendship and trust.
Director Hong Bohao expressed his nervousness about presenting his work to nearly a thousand audience members at Zhongshan Hall for the first time, hoping that the film would evoke memories of the purest dreams of childhood for the viewers.
Newcomer child actors Peng Yuke and Li Xingwei showcased exceptional table tennis skills and natural performances in the film, capturing much attention and praise.
Director Hong Bohao shared that he spent a lot of time contacting children’s table tennis clubs and schools all over Taiwan to find kids with actual table tennis skills. Eventually, from a list of over 500 auditions, they discovered the two young talents. He mentioned that Li Xingwei stood out due to being left-handed, a requirement for the role, and his dynamic interaction with Vivian Hsu during rehearsals sealed the decision for his casting.
Regarding his acting debut, lively Li Xingwei stated that he didn’t find acting challenging, but rather found practicing “left and right attacking” for the role tiring. On the other hand, Peng Yuke admitted that portraying the emotional fluctuations of the character was more challenging.
Vivian Hsu portrays Li Xingwei’s mother in the film, advocating for her son’s transfer to a big city to access better sports resources.
Zheng Renshuo and Wei Man play Peng Yuke’s parents in the movie. After Wei Man’s character passes away due to illness, Zheng Renshuo takes on the responsibility of caring for their son alone, portraying a heartwarming father character silently supporting his son. Ming Shuai plays the role of a top coach hidden in an old grocery store, rigorously training the kids with the hope of seeing them fulfill their Olympic dreams.
Vivian Hsu shared that during acting classes with the young actors, the director asked her, “Which child do you think most resembles your son?” She immediately identified the lively and mischievous Li Xingwei and proudly declared that both young actors in the film performed remarkably well, expressing her hopes for their future in competing for the Best New Actor award.
Additionally, Vivian Hsu wrote and composed the theme song for “Ping Pong Boy” and performed it herself.
The 2024 Taipei Film Festival will take place from June 21 to July 6 at the Zhongshan Hall, Xinyi WEI Cinema, and Spot Huashan Cinema in Taipei. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live on CTV Main Channel 12, with live coverage on various OTT platforms such as MOD, Hami Video, Dish TV CTV Americas, and Eastern US Taiwan TV. The Taipei Film Festival’s official YouTube channel and LINE TODAY Movies will also broadcast the event simultaneously.