Private Project

Touching the Sound

This film tells a magical surrealistic story about a classical pianist, Stephan. He is consumed by perfectionism in the world of music competitions and is confronted by disparate expectations from his family. He comes across a female blind Asian pianist who is a figment of his sub-consciousness. As the story unfolds, she awakens Stephan’s full sensory abilities and re-invigorates his internal universe.

  • xiaoyin zhang
    Director
    The Director and Choreographer of the dance film " The Irretrievable Moments"
  • Xiaoyin zhang
    Writer
  • Xiaoyin Zhang
    Producer
    The producer of the dance film " The Irretrievable Moments"
  • Maggi Delgado
    Producer
  • Siran Xu
    Producer
  • Brian Daniel Walters
    Key Cast
    "Stephan ( The protagonist) "
    Vocal performer/singer in Musical theatre works
  • Xiaoyin Zhang
    Key Cast
    "Xiaoyin Zhang ( The blind Asian girl Josie) "
    Dancer and actress in dance theatre and dance film works including " The Irretrievable Moments' " and Submerged"
  • Kathryn Hanner
    Key Cast
    "Mom "
  • Horst Dieter Baum
    Cinematographer
  • Kuan He
    Music Composer
  • Sirajus Salehin
    Visual effect artist
  • Todd Lockwood
    Sound Mixer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Magical surrealism
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 10, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    46,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Best Shorts Competition Award of Recognition in the category of women filmmaker
    8861 Villa La Jolla Dr. #13131 La Jolla, CA 92039
    United States
    No screening
    Award of Recognition in the category of women filmmaker
  • Golden Door International Film Festival
    Jersey City NJ
    United States
    September 21, 2018
    New Jersey Premiere
    Nominated for the Women in Cinema award
Director Biography - xiaoyin zhang

Xiaoyin Zhang, a founder of Xense Media and a New-York based filmmaker and producer, the independent film titled "Touching the Sound" that she wrote, directed, edited and produced has won the Award of Recognition in the category of Women Filmmakers in the 7TH Best Shorts Competition 2018. She has also produced, directed and choreographed dance films and dance theater works in London, Beijing and Philadelphia. This includes ’The Irretrievable Moment’ , ‘Submerged”, “内知”. ‘The Ultimate Secret of Life Cycle’. Xiaoyin's dance film ‘The Irretrievable Moments’ was showcased in Beijing in 2016 and the dance theater version of this film premiered at Conwell Dance Theater in Philadelphia in 2016. She holds double Masters in Dance (Temple University , the US) and Contemporary Theater (The university of Warwick, the UK). Xiaoyin’s inter-disciplinary trajectory between film and dance and her international background across Europe, China and the US pushes her to further delve into filmmaking and producing.
See more of her works: www.xensemedia.com

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The film Touching the Sound is relevant to us because it deals with the issues of the dichotomy between seeing the pursuit of music as a means to material and tangible gains and as a process of reinvigorating our inner being and untangling the mystery of our internal universe. It also investigates the concept of Asian philosophies including mind-body centering and its impact on our visions of the pursuit of happiness and the measurement of success.

Touching the Sound explores the concept of mind-body centering through the eyes of a competitive classical pianist and his subconscious. The methodology of mind-body centering is highly influenced by the synthesis of Eastern Philosophy and theories from Western frameworks.

Touching the Sound is a compelling art film because it delves into exploring the inter-disciplinary dialogue between narrative, live classical music and contemporary dance in the cinematic art framework. The tone of the film blends contemporary style with Eastern aesthetics that are embedded in both the cinematic language and the special effects of the film.

The writer, director, and producer of this film Xiaoyin has been playing the piano since she was four. The creation of this film is inspired by her visceral experience and journey in music, and the career she embarked on before as a choreographer and her scholarly research into the fields of dance somatic and mind-body centering.