A boy and his new friend hunt their village's last sparrow for a reward to save his sick Grandma during Communist China's Great Leap Forward (1958-1961).

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Wenting Deng

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Our film is based on true events so that was the inspiration. Growing up in China, I've learned about the Great Leap Forward from history classes and heard stories from my elder family members. The screenplay is inspired by real events. Luke reminded me from an outsider's perspective that lots of people don't know about this event and it will be an interesting story to tell.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

From 1958-1961 approximately 30 million people starved to death. It is the greatest famine in human history which has mostly been unknown to most viewers for two reasons: 1. The Chinese government's censorship and desire to "save face" to the world. 2. The West's narcissism. Rarely do we look outside our own borders to see the suffering of others around the world.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

It's a coming of age story, it's also a political story told through children's perspective. We all grow up in different political environments. Lots of people say they don't care about politics but politics are everywhere in your day to day life. Our decisions are often affected by it at some point.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

We've had lots of help from the development of the script, to the production and the post-production. But it has stayed pretty much true to how we originally started the project.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback has been very positive. This is the first time for us to make a historical film. From previous screenings, I found how powerful this kind of film can be. Lots of people told me they’ve never heard of this historical event before, and they are glad they learned about it through our film. We recently found out that after seeing our film, a mother tells her child a bedtime story about China hunting sparrows and the pain it caused. As far as audience reactions go, it's pretty hard to beat that.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

We are very happy with the feedback so far. I've noticed some audience crying during the screenings from time to time which is very encouraging for a filmmaker to see how powerful a film can be.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We are hoping to develop more and bigger productions through this short film and inspired people.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists all welcome to reach out.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

We hope the film will reach more audience and more people will know about the historical event and learn how dangerous the unchecked authorities are. It’s a good way to remind people of the past and avoid making similar mistakes.The cultures and countries might be different, but the lessons are global.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

How come so many people don't know about this event since it's the biggest famine in human history?

Would you like to add anything else?

We faced censorship while we tried to make this film the first time in China. After fighting against the censorship and having the film being shut down, we came back to the US and funded the film again. The film was eventually shot in the US to fake for the countryside of China.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Wenting is in pre-production for a feature film to be shot in New Mexico. She will be the director of photography for the film. Luke is going to direct a music video in a few weeks and he's also written short film scripts that are ready to be made into a film, and he's developing a feature-length script.

Interview: May 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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

Empty Skies

A boy and his new friend hunt their village's last sparrow for a reward to save his sick Grandma during Communist China's Great Leap Forward (1958-1961).

Length: 18:32

Director: Wenting Deng Fisher, Luke Fisher

Producer: Patrick Reasonover, Matt Edwards, Victoria Hills, Michael Arter, Curt Chatham, Wenting Deng Fisher, Luke Fisher

Writer: Wenting Deng Fisher, Luke Fisher

About the writer, director and producer:

WENTING DENG FISHER and LUKE FISHER are a Los Angeles based filmmaking team that met back at Ohio University's School of Film. When not in director's chairs, Wenting can be found working as a cinematographer while Luke is writing scripts or editing as a freelancer. The two hope their films inspire li

Key cast: Arthur Welch (Li), ViviAnn Yee (Hong)

Looking for: sales agents, distributors, journalists, film festival directors, producers, buyers

Facebook: Empty Skies

Instagram: @emptyskiesfilm

Hashtags used: #emtpyskiesfilm

Other: IMDb

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? New York City Independent Film Festival/ NYC - May 12; The American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes Film Festival/ Cannes - May 21; Curtas Vila do Conde International Film Festival/ Vila do Conde, Portugal - July 12