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Projects



Parachute Kids

S. Leo CHIANG

  • Taiwan, USA
  • 80min
  • DCP, mov
  • color

Synopsis

I was born in Taiwan. At 15, my parents sent two younger siblings and me to the U.S. while they stayed in Asia to take advantage of the booming economy. To them, an American education equaled a secure future. Since the 80s, families from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, and China have sent their kids abroad unaccompanied to escape military service, grueling educational systems, and political instability for a better life.

 

Our first years were chaotic. We lived with my uncle, but soon he moved us out on our own: three teens without adults. My mother planned to live with us part-time but grew ill after one visit and passed away two years later. We lived unaccompanied as my brother, and I grappled with our queer identities. As our lives continued in the US, my father remarried in Taiwan. My brother struggled with schizophrenia, which may have been brought on by his experience. Our regrets remain unresolved, even though we know that everything was done with good intentions. After 30 years in the US, a pandemic brings me back to Taiwan. As I reconnect with family and other adult parachute kids, I may finally be able to make sense of this event that has defined my life and this place I once again call home.

 

Review

With Parachute Kids, I am exploring these existentially human questions: What is home? Family? What does it mean to belong? And how do we reconcile our sacrifice with the hope of a better future? My documentary work has been heavily influenced by my training in fiction filmmaking, squarely focusing on building strong character arcs within a classical dramatic structure. I have strived for intimacy and empathy in my work with some success. For this project, I want to challenge my reliance on documentary classicism to incorporate more experimental approaches. I am fascinated by artists such as Bill Viola and Shirin Neshat, who make visually stunning, formalistic, yet emotionally resonant video works. I am inspired by how Agnes Varda and Patricio Guzman tackle profound issues of humanity with cinematic yet personal approaches. With this project, I am eager to grow as a filmmaker and branch out with my film language while still doing accessible work.

Director

  • S. Leo CHIANG

     

Credit

  • ProducerYvonne WELBON À̺» À£º», Betsy TSAI ºª½Ã »çÀÌ