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Logline

A tough goodbye on the border.

Synopsis

28 years old Chinese-American girl Ash, a rebellious artist wannabe, flees her family’s expectation of taking a stable job to Calexico, a border town in California. She has bonded with Lo, a Mexican transborder college senior who crosses regularly to school and helps to deliver flowers to her uncle’s shop in the US as both are stuck in limbo. After the on-and-off sweet days seeing each other, Ash and Lo have what could have been their last day to say goodbye before Lo’s border crossing visa expires. Both drifters in a land that is foreign to them, the two must confront societal pressures of family, identity, and immigration status and come to terms with their relationship on what could have been their last day together amidst the half-desert half-green land between US and Mexico.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Jingwen Felix Qiang – Writer/Director
Recently completed several Film Directing Workshops from Sundance, Jingwen Felix Qiang is a made-in-China, LA-based technologist and multi-media artist who mainly practices in still and moving images, and now…narrative filmmaking! Felix’s work explores the universal complication and nuances in human emotions and relationships regardless of culture and language. 

Her work has been exhibited and screened internationally, including UCCA Beijing, AIPAD NYC, VICE Media, Artium Gallery, Goldilocks Gallery, Cerulean Gallery in Philadelphia, and many more. She received an honorable mention from International Photography Awards at the age of 19. 

Outside of art,  she wears many hats! She is a Software Engineering Lead at Amazon, creating the next-generation cloud filmmaking technology, and a former investment banker. Her background in art and science well-armed her to lead and work with teams from different backgrounds. 

She earned her B.A. in Photography and Mathematics from Bryn Mawr College and an M.S. in Computer Science at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Tianyu Yang – Producer
Tianyu Yang is a producing fellow at American Film Institute Conservatory. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Emory University. The short film Year that Tianyu worked on won the 2018 Tribeca Campus Documentary Special Category Grand prize. He worked on several internships at A24, Media Res, Dreamscape Immersive, and Mister Smith Entertainment. He also works as a screener for Academy Award Qualifying Festival Urbanworld Film Festival and New York City Shorts.

Zhuoran Xiao – Producer
Zhuoran “Rita” Xiao is a second year producing fellow at American Film Institute and a recent graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, with a BFA in Film and Television Production. from Beijing, China, and a newcomer producer with previous experiences in production sound mixing and post-production sound engineering. Her recent producing work, a short narrative film titled UFO: PM, was selected by Beverly Hills Film Festival, New York City Aphrodite Film Awards, and Chicago Indie Film Awards.

Mufeng Han – Director of Photography
Mufeng Han is a Chinese cinematographer based in Los Angeles. He earned MFA at American Film Institute cinematography program.He is dedicated to driving the core of storytelling by exploring the subtle relationship between imagery and text, as well as the emotive power conveyed through visuals. He strives to create unique and independent visuals that are tailor-made for each story. Through his expertise in audiovisual language, he aims to assist creators in capturing their true artistic intentions. Mufeng had experience in narrative features and shorts films, music videos, and commercials. Several short films he has served as Director of Photography for have been selected for numerous international film festivals, with the short film A Quiet Night in Monterey Park premiering globally at the Cairo International Film Festival.

Shicong Zhu – Editor
Shicong Zhu is an award-winning writer, director and producer. She graduated with an MFA degree in TV & Film Production from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, and received the USC Alfred P. Sloan Production Grant for her short film Heather’s Voice in 2020. Her thesis film, Snake Trail, was officially selected by several Oscar/BAFTA Qualifying festivals including Fantasia Film Festival and LA Shorts International Film Festival. Her latest directorial short film, de closin night, in collaboration with actress and screenwriter Ella Rouwen Chen, had its world premiere in Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Her other works have been officially selected and screened by esteemed festivals like AFI Film Festival and Cannes.
 

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.