5Q's w/Yudi Zhang "Marie" Director
#1: Can you describe your movie and why somebody should see it in less than 140 characters?
A transgender woman, Marie's toughest commitment of all, and her journey home to reconnect with her father, who has never known her.
#2: What do you want the Borrego Springs Film Festival audience to know about your film that isn't obvious from its title?
This film's original idea is based on a real story of a transgender actress I worked with. The moment we met in the audition room, I knew I would make a film about her. Later, we met more transgender actresses during the audition process for this film, and all of them brought their own stories to this film. In the end, it's not just based on one real story, but the life experience of many different people.
#3: What is your movie making background? Tell us about yourself.
Coming from the world of journalism and non-fiction films, I was gradually attracted by the beauty of narrative stories a few years ago. So I came to the U.S and studied film at USC, which allowed me to write and direct stories of my own. My first Chinese short film, The Midsummer's Voice, was made in the summer of 2018. It was lucky enough to get into several film festivals. I am currently developing a feature film based on it.
#4: What was the biggest lesson learned in getting your film made?
Spend as much time and effort as needed during the casting process. This is also one of the most important lessons I learned at USC. As our professor told us, you never settle in the casting process. A great actor can really take the project to a different level. For the film Marie, the casting process was extremely long and challenging since we looked for a transgender actress with some other specific requirements. After many rounds of auditions, we finally met Jen, who brought so much to this story.
#5: What does the future hold for your film and you?
My film Marie just starts its journey in the film festivals; hopefully, it will find more audience in the future. I am currently in the editing process of an independent feature film made during the Covid time. It's an experimental project made with only two crew and a DV camera.
