Private Project

Boy In The Secret Forest

This winter, the boy has become very strange. He bursts out in anger, throws random tantrums at school, and refuses to play with his classmates after school. Everyone seems to know the reason, but no one is brave enough to approach him. After school, the boy retreats deep into the forest. There lies his happiest and saddest secret… The wintry forest may seem desolate, but if one listens closely, one can still hear it brimming with life.

  • Tzu Yen TSENG
    Director
  • Tzu Yen TSENG
    Writer
  • Peng Hui LIN
    Producer
  • Kek Huat LAU
    Producer
  • STANLEY YE
    Key Cast
  • IN KANG
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    秘密森林少年
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 7 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 23, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    Taiwan
  • Country of Filming:
    Taiwan
  • Language:
    Mandarin Chinese
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.9 (17:9)
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - National Taiwan University of Arts
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Taipei Film Festival
    Taipei
    Taiwan
    June 23, 2024
    World Premiere
  • International Short Film Festival Oberhausen- Children’s and Youth Film Competition
    Oberhausen
    Germany
    May 1, 2025
    Europe Premiere
  • Seoul International Children’s Film Festival (SICFF)
  • Filmfest Osnabrück children UFOlino

    October 7, 2025
Distribution Information
  • Fubon Cultural and Educational Foundation
    Distributor
    Country: Taiwan
    Rights: All Rights
  • TSENG Tzu Yen
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Tzu Yen TSENG

1997年生，台南人，目前就讀於台灣藝術大學電影研究所，盼透過創作探尋事物之所以發生的意義。

Born in Tainan, Taiwan, she pursues a Master of Film at the National Taiwan University of Arts, aiming to explore the signature of all things through her creative work.

2024 秘密森林少年
2023 一個記憶的場景
2021 我們都走出了電影院
2020 遺留風景
2019 他鄉之石

2024 Boy In The Secret Forest
2023 Scenes From a Memory
2021 The Day We Leave the Cinemas
2020 Time of Our Lives
2019 Stones from Another Hill

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

本片源於自身經驗卻又完全獨立於經驗本身，田野途中聽了許多小朋友分享故事，讓我意識到，若要談論告別與傷痛，必不能略小小生命自己所能成長與療癒的部分，而以森林作為場景則是私心，回到一個原初寧靜的空間，感知的生長與消亡能在裡頭自由來去，希望結尾也能任由觀眾想像。

This film is rooted in personal experience but also completely independent of it. I’ve heard many children share their stories during field research. It made me realize that when discussing the pains of farewells, one cannot overlook the aspects of growth and healing that young lives are capable of. I personally choose a forest as the setting as a signal of returning to a primordial, tranquil place where the perception of growth and demise can freely ebb and flow within. I also hope the ending will allow the audience's imagination to roam freely.