Experiencing Interruptions?

How to Kill a Chicken

What does it mean to be dead? For 7-year-old Little Monkey, it’s something far, far away—definitely farther than the fried chicken shop at the end of the street. With both a funeral and a newborn in the house, the atmosphere turns strange. Mom is overwhelmed, and while Grandpa always stands by Little Monkey, he often gets her into trouble.
Then, a relative from the countryside brings a live chicken as a tonic for Mom. No one knows how to handle it, and chaos erupts. Determined to fix things, Little Monkey grabs Grandpa and sets off on a mission: to turn the clucking bird into chicken soup.
But where to go? The unlikely trio—Little Monkey, Grandpa, and the stubborn chicken—wander through the city. From a beautifully kept park to a rundown street market, they encounter curious strangers, absurd situations, and moments that blur the line between reality and imagination.
As they near their final destination, Little Monkey turns to Grandpa and asks, "Where do we go when we die?" The chicken clucks softly in her arms.
To kill, or not to kill?

Supported by the Kaohsiung Film Festival Short Film Grant and the Ministry of Culture Short Film Grant of Taiwan, How to Kill a Chicken is a heartfelt tale of a child’s fantastical quest to bring order to her absurd world. Following its screenings at the Kaohsiung Film Festival and Taipei Huashan, the film played to sold-out audiences and received enthusiastic responses. It was also selected as a Kaohsiung Film Festival recommendation and has been invited to the 2025 Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market. Most recently, the film was selected as an Official Selection in the 2025 Golden Harvest Awards Short Film Competition, Taiwan’s most competitive and prestigious short film competition, further cementing its recognition and acclaim.

  • Chiahsin Hsieh
    Director
  • Chiahsin Hsieh
    Writer
  • Tami Xu
    Producer
  • Thanos Fan
    Producer
  • Sofia Chen
    Key Cast
    "Little Monkey"
  • Jason King
    Key Cast
    "Grandpa"
    A Journey in Spring
  • Peggy Tseng
    Key Cast
    "Mama"
    The Pig, The Snake and The Pigeon
  • Yong Yu Xiao
    Key Cast
    "Papa"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Fantasy, Coming-of-Age, Road Movie, Dark Comedy
  • Runtime:
    25 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 13, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    64,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Taiwan
  • Country of Filming:
    Taiwan
  • Language:
    Chinese - Min Nan, Mandarin Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, RED Gemini, Anamorphic
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Kaohsiung Film Festival
    Kaohsiung
    Taiwan
    October 13, 2024
  • 2025 Taiwan Golden Harvest Awards
    Taipei
    Taiwan
    Official Selection (Short Film Competition)
Director Biography - Chiahsin Hsieh

Chiahsin Hsieh is a Taiwanese director and screenwriter, recognized for her work on PTS drama series One Vote Wonder and The Last Stop. She holds an MFA in Film from the National Taiwan University of Arts and a bachelor's degree in Physics from Fu Jen Catholic University. Before transitioning to filmmaking, she worked as a journalist, translator, and assistant producer for international news programs, enriching her storytelling with a unique perspective.

In 2023, her feature-length script Malice won the First Prize at the Ministry of Culture Excellent Screenplay Awards. Currently, Hsieh is focused on directing and screenwriting, including the development of several internationally collaborative series, while continuing to explore diverse narratives that balance humanity and absurdity.

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Director Statement

When I was little, I first learned that people die. Terrified of the idea, I made a naive vow to never die myself. But despite my resolve, family members and pets still left me, one by one. To comfort me, the adults told me that the deceased never truly leave us—they are always around. When my grandfather passed away, I genuinely believed he was still hiding somewhere in the house.

As I grew older, I realized those comforting words were just lies. Lies told to help children cope, or perhaps to make us quiet. Years later, as an adult myself, a relative passed away. Her eight-year-old granddaughter asked me, “Where did Grandma go?” I reflexively told her, “She’ll come back to visit us in seven days.” (According to our tradition, the deceased return to see their loved ones on the seventh day.) She glanced at the roast chicken on the dining table, set her chopsticks down, and refused to eat. Panicking, I quickly reassured her, “The chicken on the table won’t come back… unless you let it live in your heart.”

In that moment, my childhood memories came rushing back. Death isn’t just about losing someone—it’s about saying goodbye to a part of yourself. That realization became the foundation for How to Kill a Chicken, a whimsical and absurd children’s comedy. Through this film, I explore how children often sense the truth long before adults give them credit for it. The journey they embark on isn’t about answers—it’s about collecting evidence for what they’ve already suspected all along.