Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2019 – Ah Gong (Grandpa)
Eleven year-old Chris arrives at the hospital only to realize that his mother and uncles have decided to pull the plug on his beloved grandfather.
Interview with Writer/Director Clifford Miu
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Ah Gong is inspired by events that I went through when I was about 10 years old. I have held onto this story for almost 15 years before telling this story verbally to a few friends. As my friends and even some local new headlines made me aware that family conflicts causes by a loved one suffering from intubation isn't all that uncommon, I realized that this is a timely, relatable story with important messages. I wanted to not only share my story for therapeutic purposes, but I thought it was important to shine a light on a rather common (but somehow overlooked) issue that a lot of people may some day encounter.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Pulling the plug on a loved one is something that unfortunately, a lot of people have gone through (or may one day have to go through). It is integral that people consider the concept of putting how they intend to be treated (if they do end up intubated), as that will make the jobs of the immediate family a lot less excruciating. It is also important to consider the different reasons why a family member may choose to consider pulling or not pulling the plug on a loved one. And it is especially important (and often overlooked) to consider how these decisions may affect not only the children of the intubated patient but the children of the children. I cannot tell people what the best decision is for a family as every family is different, but I do hope audiences who watch the film can discuss and consider the different options one may encounter during a situation like this.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
There are many personal and universal themes that work into the film: the importance of the quality of dying, sibling rivalry, family conflicts, intubation and extubation, practical vs emotional arguments, dealing with death as an adult, dealing with death as a child.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script and the nature of the film itself has evolved greatly over the course of the development. Initially, the "true story" aspect of the story was less literal and more of a hovering theme. The film was originally set in Hong Kong (a place I've always loved) and not Taipei (where the real story actually took place in). The first five drafts of the script were either centered on the parent's perspective or simply adopted a variation of a third-person omniscient point of view. It was when I realized that I was actually ready to tell the story from my point of view (or at least the point of view of a younger me), that I re-wrote the story into a child's perspective and moved the film back to Taiwan.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
It was rather daunting to screen at SBIFF (Santa Barbara International Film Festival) because it was the first time that was screening the film to a foreign, and in some cases, more elderly audience that the audiences of our test screenings (most of whom were usually under 40 years old and Mandarin speaking). It was quite emotional for me to see that many of the audience members got very emotional during the screening (some audience members even cried). Most importantly, there were audience members that came to share with me about similar scenarios that they found themselves in, and discussed with fellow audience members about their different experiences.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Honestly, I really wasn't sure how the majority of the content was going to be translated to a foreign audience, so in that sense I was somewhat surprised that the audience members not only understood the themes and the plot but also felt an emotional impact. As for the audiences sharing their experiences and opinions about "pulling the plug on a family member," I wasn't exactly surprised but I think it's reassuring to know that this is a topic that people care about, and something that people find therapeutic and even educational upon sharing these experiences.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope that more people will watch the film, and share with people their thoughts and experiences on the subject matter.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I would love sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors and journalists to come on board onto this project and amplify the film's message.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope that people are emotionally impacted by the film, moved by the film, and I hope that the film will get audiences to talk and consider different ways to handle and prepare for a situation in which a loved one is intubated.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do we intend to improve not just our quality of living but our quality of dying? What can we do to better handle the death of a loved one? How do we help our kids deal with the death of a loved one?
Would you like to add anything else?
I'm especially grateful for my cast and crew members, many of whom shared with me similar stories that they themselves went through. I couldn't have pulled off the film without my producer Linhan Zhang, assistant director Adrian Lau, cinematographer Chan Chi-Lap, and my incredible cast: Weng Hong, Teresa Daley, Wu Kun-Da, Ben Pai, Wu Zhi-Xuan.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Director Clifford Miu and producer Linhan Zhang are two of the producers of the upcoming short film Dirty directed by Mathew Puccini, whose latest short film Lavender has just been acquired by Fox Searchlight. Linhan Zhang is set to direct a new short film in Hong Kong, and Clifford Miu is planning to direct a black comedy short film in Taiwan titled Friday. The upcoming projects are produced via Clifford and Linhan's Bering Pictures Co.
Interview: February 2019
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Ah Gong (Grandpa)
Eleven year-old Chris arrives at the hospital only to realize that his mother and uncles have decided to pull the plug on his beloved grandfather.
Length: 13:50
Director: Clifford Miu
Producer: Linhan Zhang
Writer: Clifford Miu
About the writer, director and producer:
Born in Canada and raised in Taiwan, CLIFFORD MIU is a writer/director/producer who graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He has worked on Martin Scorsese's SILENCE, and recently served as second assistant director on Renny Harlin's Chinese language film BODIES AT REST. He is a producer on Emily Ann Hoffman's animated short NEVADA, currently Oscar-qualified. He also produced JIE JIE and DEATH METAL GRANDMA, both of which have been selected by over ten Oscar-qualified festivals. He had previously directed PORCUPINE and BARGAIN, both of which had premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
LINHAN ZHANG grew up between Beijing and Hong Kong. He worked on the film GATEWAY TO HEAVEN, commissioned by Shanghai Film Festival. He is currently studying film and television at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He was the 2017 Sundance Ignite Fellow.
Key cast: Weng Hong, Teresa Daley, Wu Kun-Da, Ben Pai, Wu Zhi-Xuan
Looking for: sales agents, distributors, journalists, film festival directors, buyers
Facebook: Bering Pictures
Instagram: @cliffordmiu
Website: https://www.beringpictures.com/
Other: IMDB
Made in association with: Bering Pictures