• What is the name of your film? What is it about?

Lucky Peach is 15-minute short film about the tensions that develop between an immigrant mother and her daughter as she prepares to head abroad for an opportunity overseas. 

• What was the most challenging thing that you shot for your film?

One of the most challenging things that I shot in my film was the dream sequence, in which we see the mother go through various life stages in one shot. It involved a bit of vfx trickery, where we time jump and move through different locations. In the scene it’s almost like we’re flipping through an old family photo album, and the mother’s various stages in life. On the day it involved a lot of camera coordination with my fantastic cinematographer Joanna Cameron, rehearsing and trying to nail timing, with both performance and camera. At the end of the day, everyone did a really amazing job though.

• Is this your first film? Where might have people seen your work before?

This is my second short film that I made during my time studying my Masters of Screen Arts in Directing at AFTRS . Prior to that I’d made a short film called Fish Head, which was a queer coming-of-age, which was the short that I used to get into film school. I’ve since gone on to make two more shorts, A Daydream with Fini which is currently on the festival circuit. It’s a short hybrid-documentary made in Mexico as part of the Creator’s Lab with Playlab Films where I was mentored by the Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul and most recently, I’ve just finished post-production on another short film called Spiders on My Lashline, which is just about to start being submitted to film festivals. 

• What was the inspiration for your film?

The origins of Lucky Peach comes from wanting to explore two personal thematics on screen. The first and second generation migrant experience of Chinese Australians and the complexity of mental illness in families. In my experience stories of the diaspora often come deeply rooted in cycles of trauma and in the case of Lucky Peach our story explores ideas of growth and beauty born from old cycles of repression. Looking back at my own experiences growing up, there was a particular moment as an adult where I began reflecting upon the rich life and complex histories my migrant parents had lived well before I had entered the picture. This film provides a space to explore aspects of their story in not only coming to Australia but also raising a family here too. 

• Do you have any tips for aspiring filmmakers?

I think when you’re starting out as a filmmaker, there’s a level of passion and perseverance which is needed to stay motivated to keep going. A couple ways I’ve been able to maintain staying inspired is finding my film community, that can support you through it, as often it can feel like a long journey. Whether that’s the people that you work with on your projects, your creative collaborators, or the people that support you as you move through your filmmaking career, offering advice, guidance, and overall just someone to share their latest favourite film with. I found once you have those people around you, the filmmaking journey stays a lot more fun, inspired and playful.