Cannes Short Film Corner - Budai
A 12 year old Vietnamese-American girl named My finds a family heirloom that transports her back in time to relive her family's escape during the 1975 Fall of Saigon.
Interview with Writer/Director My-Hanh Lac
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thanks so much! I feel so honored to be at the Cannes Film Festival. Earlier this year, I made a short documentary about my family's escape from Vietnam. I'm first generation American, and while knew the general fact that my parents came to the US during the Vietnam war, I had never actually asked my parents about their journey here...and they had never told me. It was such a life altering experience getting to hear their story and learning about my history, I was moved to create a narrative short based off the newly told story of my family's escape.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I feel like it's relevant to the time. There are so many first generation, and specifically first generation Asian Americans, who do not know their family history. They have no story or explanation of how they've reached success, and I hope this story inspires young people to learn more about where they come from.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Culture is passed down through generations, but only if we make an effort to preserve it and teach future generations. To me, its important that we understand our heritage—our roots—and if other young people have similar experiences as I did, we could be at risk of losing it. It is our responsibility as young people, which I've only recently learned through the process of filmmaking, to ask questions and tell the stories so that history is not lost.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Originally, the perspective was zoomed out—a high level view of someone else's story. But throughout the process, the script became much more intimate, telling the true story that my family and so many others experienced. This required rigorous work with the crew, especially Jessilyn Poespowidjojo who played a young My, to help her understand a world before her so she was able to truly embody the emotions that were true to the time. Descriptively, we had to evolve the piece in order to sell the suspension of disbelief of a period piece, which was definitely a process.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
As I'm sure many filmmakers experience, after hours of being so entrenched in all the details, it can be difficult to have a realistic expectation of how the piece will be perceived. However, I'm so thankful and humbled by the response to the film. We've heard from many people who were affected by the story and inspired to ask questions about their family history. Personally, my parents and I are closer after the project, and they've expressed gratitude for being allowed to tell their story. I know now that they wanted to tell it all along, they just needed the invitation.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Rather than challenging my point of view, the feedback has motivated me to create work that challenges the viewer. I want to encourage thoughts and conversation that are not necessarily a part of everyday life. I want to ask questions and evoke emotion that might make the audience feel uncomfortable initially, but might actually heal in the end.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I'm early in my career and I'm so eager to touch people with my expressions. I've been lucky enough to have created several successful short films, but I'm ready to work on a feature length project. With this visibility, I hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with other talented filmmakers, particularly other women in the industry.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I'm still so motivated by this story and the story remains to be the most important thing. It is important to me, first, that whoever works on this project is moved by the story. As a director, I take pride in fostering teamwork and inspiration among cast and crew. That being said, a team of producers and a financial source would help bring this project to its full potential.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
For me, this process of giving my family a platform to tell their story that was suppressed for so many years and in turn expressing that through film has been incredibly healing, not only for myself, but for my relationship with my parents. I would like to inspire young people to be curious about their heritage and encourage people to ask questions in order to heal themselves, their relationships, and to create art.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Clearly, there is a broader issue of how the world perceives refugees. What can those of us who are more fortunate do to support families seeking a safer, better life? Is telling their stories enough?
Would you like to add anything else?
Thank you for the opportunity to be spotlighted on www.wearemovingstories.com!
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm currently working on writing the script for my first feature, which evolves from Budai and is another story born from my own life experiences. The film's composer, Lauren Urroz, is currently a student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Producer, Edward Massey, is going into production for an artful short film that he wrote and is directing.
Interview: July 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Budai
A 12 year old Vietnamese-American girl named My finds a family heirloom that transports her back in time to relive her family's escape during the 1975 Fall of Saigon.
Length: 12 min.
Director: My-Hanh Lac
Producer: Edward Massey
Writer: My-Hanh Lac
About the writer, director and producer:
My-hanh Lac is a filmmaker based in the Bay Area of Northern California. She is inspired by the raw process of filmmaking and conveys her work through visual and emotional storytelling.
Key cast:
Jessilyn Poespowidjojo (My)
Vint Carmona (Grandpa Van)
Kaylamay Suarez (Huong)
Chris Wong (C. Lac)
Jason Nguyen (Soldier 1)
Jay Ma'at (Soldier 2)
Adrian Wu (Civilian)
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Producers, investors, however, we're open in hearing from anyone interested in being a part of the the project.
Social media handles:
Instagram: @mtlacfilms
Email: mtlacfilms@gmail.com
Other: Website coming soon! www.mtlacfilms.com