Asian-New Zealand film makers represented in nationwide festival

A nationwide film festival is currently showcasing the top short films from New Zealand and overseas.

The Show Me Shorts Film Festival, which is playing at multiple venues and streaming online until 30 October, includes films from 27 countries, divided across 13 themed sections.

Several film makers with works in the festival are Asian migrants to New Zealand. Lina Tianyue Hu and Stephen Kang are two such film makers.

Hu’s film 女儿来了(My Daughter Is Coming) tells an intergenerational story of migrant life in New Zealand, reflecting Hu’s Chinese and Japanese background. In the film, a young woman reluctantly returns home to her mother, whose lifestyle she tried not to emulate, only to realise that they are similar in many ways. For her work, Hu was nominated in the best director category of the festival.

Hu was born in China, raised in Japan, and finished her education in New Zealand. She says that the film is about womanhood and motherhood and the conflict between family responsibility and personal freedom. Although the story is fictional, “the emotional struggle is real and relatable to all Chinese migrant families,” she says.

There are a limited number of films in mainstream media in New Zealand that deal with topics of diaspora. However, Chinese-New Zealand filmmakers continue to emerge, says Hu, and her film represents the “Chinese-New Zealand diasporic experience on screen.”

She cites traditional Chinese art as a major influence: “I experimented with combining traditional Chinese aesthetics with New Zealand’s geographical and cultural context in the film.” Her family was also influential. “My great-grandfather directed some amazing theatre plays. He and my grandma used to read plays and novels to me every day. I suppose this is why I became a filmmaker – I love stories.”

Stephen Kang’s film Breathe tells the story of a young girl who develops an unorthodox healing method.

Like Hu, Kang immigrated to New Zealand with his parents. His film Breathe, which also featured in this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is a thriller about a gifted twelve-year-old girl who develops an unorthodox healing method.

Kang, who was born in Korea, says that his mixed cultural heritage was also a major influence on his work. “The way I grew up and the experience I had is always embedded in my work one way or another, especially the Korean culture that I cannot avoid. As a so-called ‘1.5-generation’ Korean-New Zealander, it’s like being a middle child … I can oversee two different worlds.”

As a student Kang says that he was interested in narrative work and constantly making short narrative films. As soon as he made a one-minute film, he was “hooked”.

He says that he originally had the idea for a feature film, but “jumped at the opportunity to apply for the New Zealand Film Commission’s funding [for short films].”

The film is both terrifying and sad, but also fun, says Kang. However, he experienced difficulty in casting the main character. “We were lucky to find Gloria who was willing to memorise pages of prayers and wasn’t afraid of fake blood or [to act out] a crazy healing process,” he admits.

Both films, along with all other films in the festival, can be viewed online at: www.ondemand.showmeshorts.co.nz.

女儿来了 (My Daughter Is Coming) (Drama, 18 mins, written and directed by Lina Tianyue Hu) is playing at the following venues: