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Logline

In the wake of her father’s death, a recently out-of-work Chinese marine biologist reunites with her estranged mother in the U.S. for a road trip up the Pacific coast, for an interview that may be her last hope of staying in the country.

Synopsis

Fearing being denied reentry, LEI (late 20s, Chinese), a marine biologist on a work visa, missed her father’s funeral in China. She reunites with her estranged mother, PAN (50s, Chinese), in Los Angeles, leaving out one small detail: she has just been laid off. As time on her work visa runs out, an interview in Seattle becomes Lei’s only hope to stay in the country.

On their way to Seattle, past arguments and secrets surface after Pan accidentally leaves Lei’s dad’s urn behind. Having to return to retrieve the urn, Lei risks not making it to the interview in Seattle in time. To add to the contention, Pan experiences a near-death allergy the night before the interview. Put off by Lei’s curt translations with the doctor, Pan has a dramatic outburst, forcing Lei to tell Pan the truth.

Just as things couldn’t get worse, they get a flat tire as they approach the interview location. Facing the same dilemma of whether or not to travel to her father’s funeral, future vs family, Lei needs to reconsider her priorities and what it means to be together and apart before making another decision she might regret.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Ziyao Liu – Writer/Director
Z Ziyao Liu is a writer-director based on Earth. She creates character-driven narratives of hybrid genres, often about women. Her goal is to reveal characters’ strengths and weaknesses in everyday moments and reimagine their lives that are otherwise constrained by reality. She loves to find humor in the absurdity of our existence beyond language and cultural barriers.

A member of BAFTA Connect and a fellow of Armed with a Camera, she earned her MFA in Directing from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her BA in Film from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Born in China and now a resident alien in Los Angeles, she spends her free time tending her plants and walking in her neighborhood.

Laura Scarano – Producer
Laura Scarano is a producer based in Los Angeles. After studying at Pratt Institute, she worked in nonprofits in New York City, enabling students to become the next generations of fine artists, filmmakers, and writers. Throughout her career, her mission has been to elevate creatives, giving them a platform to showcase their work and implement change in the world. Scarano has produced a repertoire of feature-length and short films, with an emphasis on queer stories, and her work has screened in a film festivals including but not limited to Hollyshorts, Urbanworld, Montclair, Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, InsideOut Toronto, and more.

Sophie Changhui Shi – Producer
Sophie Changhui Shi graduated from UCLA MFA Producers Program in 2021. She is the fifth Chinese student accepted to the prestigious UCLA MFA Producers Program since its establishment in 1984 and the first Chinese woman admitted in the 2010s. Shi was one of the UCLA Promise Social Impact Producing Scholarship recipients. Her debut feature script was awarded The Sean Slattery Memorial LGBTQ+ Voices Award 2021. She also tracked down the rights to a premium Chinese mini-series and set it up during her internship at Janet Yang’s production company, where she works as a coordinator now.

Akina Van de Velde – Cinematographer
Akina Van de Velde is a freelance cinematographer based in Los Angeles and New York City. For the last 10 years, she has worked in film and video production creating content for nonprofits and commercial clients including: Adidas, Fitbit, Buzzfeed, NYLON, VICE, Hulu and Condé Nast. She received her MFA from UCLA’s Theater, Film & Television program and now focuses on narrative and emotionally resonating storytelling. Her work was screened at Sundance, Outfest and various other film festivals. Akina is a recipient of the MPAA award, the Federico De Laurentiis Memorial Award, the Peregrine Collective Grant, Fred Thorpe Fellowship, Lynn Weston Fellowship and is a 2022 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow. When not on set, she is at the mercy of her Labrador Retriever.

Emily Ge Zhai – Editor
Emily Ge Zhai is a Chinese film editor based in Los Angeles. In the past 9 years, she has worked on various scripted and documentary projects, including the narrative feature Summer Knight, which won the Asian Future Best Film Award at the 2019 Tokyo International Film Festival. The film she co-edited, Taipei Suicide Story, took both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for narrative features at 2021 Slamdance Film Festival. In 2021, she was selected to participate in the Project Involve Program and edited the short film Dear Mama…, which won 2022 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Short-Form (Live Action). Ge is passionate about bringing directors’ visions to life and making stories powerful through editing.

Zekun Mao – Editor
Zekun Mao graduated from American Film Institute Conservatory. She has recently worked on Everything Everywhere all at Once, Devotion and Let the Right One In as assistant editors. She also edited American Girl, currently streaming on Netflix.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.