Taiwan actress Kwai Lun-mei and mainland actor Chen Kun, who play the main roles in Beautiful Accident, at a promotional event. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"When her life is changed, she almost collapses. But when she sees the beautiful aspects of her new life, she finds out what kind of person she wants to be," he says.

A graduate from New York University, Ho moved to Taiwan because he adores its cinematic masters such as Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang.

The emotional parts of Beautiful Accident have struck a chord with the cast and the film's financers.

Chen, who is also a father, says the fictional family and its conflicts remind him of his son.

"Children's worlds are so different. When you perform with a child actor, you find that his cries, sorrow and joys are real. It's difficult to make them act or disguise their feelings like adults, which is such a precious experience for me," he says.

Wang Zhonglei, the president of the Chinese studio Huayi Brothers, says the tale caught his attention as it has similarities with his family.

He even convinced his 9-year-old son, who had never acted in a big-screen movie, to join the cast.

But despite positive feedback on the story, the art-house-style director still faces challenges.

Speaking to the media, Ho says that while the sluggish movie industry in Taiwan gives him "an easy and free environment when it comes to creativity", the booming market of the Chinese mainland is overwhelming, dominated as it is by blockbusters with heavy action or localized humor.

So, is Ho, an art-house veteran of sorts and outsider, feeling stressed in the box office-dominated mainland market?

Saying that he is not affected by commercial concerns, Ho says the investors treat him well and make him feel a part of a "family".

Beautiful Accident is the second joint production of Huayi and South Korean investment-distribution firm Showbox Mediaplex.

The two industry giants signed a contract in 2015 to produce at least six titles within three years.