Before Fireworks

The unforeseen odyssey of a thief named Ziyuan following his planned burglary of a historic Chinese residence belonging to Mei.

  • Xueyang Lyncis Niu
    Director
  • Xueyang Lyncis Niu
    Writer
  • Historia Yi Wang
    Producer
  • Qi
    Key Cast
    "Ziyuan He"
  • Forest Lin
    Key Cast
    "Youjie Lee"
  • Qian Wang
    Key Cast
    "Mei Tang"
  • Justin Chan
    Key Cast
    "Mei's son"
  • Craig Tsuyumine
    Key Cast
    "Landlord"
  • Xingjian Di
    Executive Producer
  • Xueyang Lyncis Niu
    Executive Producer
  • Siren Siren Lai
    Co-producer
  • Randy Leopardi
    Production Assistant
  • Patrick Shartzer
    Production Assistant
  • Lizette Castro
    1st Assistant Director
  • Cindy So
    2ed Assistant Director
  • Xueyang Lyncis Niu
    Casting Director
  • Eri Wong
    Casting Director
  • Zehua Yang
    Cinematographer
  • Ha-Joon Daniel Park
    1st AC
  • Aerin Oh
    2ed AC
  • John Kim
    2ed AC
  • Nolan Kearney
    Gaffer
  • Micaiah To
    Grip
  • Reese Dawkins
    Grip
  • Caitlyn Rbbins
    Grip
  • Dallas Calkins
    Grip
  • Katelyn Adkisson
    Grip
  • Trevaughn Leslie
    Grip
  • Jiancheng Xi
    Grip
  • Duke Du
    Grip
  • Peter Phan
    Grip
  • Dana Kopetzky
    Sound mixer
  • Rajeshwari Ragampudi
    Production Designer
  • Sean Harvas
    Art Director
  • Hayoun Kim
    Assistant Art Director
  • Emery Moberg
    Art PA
  • Raymond Gage
    Art PA
  • Christopher Sanchez
    Art PA
  • Everett Reeves Routt
    Makeup
  • Jorge Salgado
    Makeup
  • Yulia Semenova
    Script Supervisor
  • Roger Yuxi Lin
    Behind-The-Scenes Photographer
  • Ryan Wellence
    DIT
  • Xueyang Lyncis Niu
    Editor
  • Tim Teng
    Supervising Editor
  • Sally Wang
    Assistant Editor
  • Xueyang Lyncis Niu
    Subtitle
  • Tianqi Wang
    Post-sound
  • Heng Yuan
    Colorist
  • Shuyu Liu
    Coloring Assistant
  • Jimmy Huang
    VFX
  • Josué Vera
    Original Score
  • Cheng Ma
    Extra
  • Charlotte Cheng
    Extra
  • Benson Ni
    Extra
  • Ariel Zhou
    Extra
  • Yuntao Ling
    Extra
  • Yilin Zhang
    Extra
  • Leo's Family
    Extra
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    September 15, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    12,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    Chinese, English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Xueyang Lyncis Niu

My name is Xueyang Lyncis Niu, born and raised in Sichuan China. I'm a recent graduate from NYU Tisch with a major in film, and about to study at UCLA MFA for Producer Program. I'm passionate about bringing stories to life through the art of cinema. From a young age, I've held a vision of harnessing the power of film to instigate positive societal transformations. I firmly subscribe to the notion that the realm of the arts knows no boundaries, and my aspiration is for my work to authentically encapsulate the narratives and genuine perspectives of others on the silver screen.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I was, like hundreds of kids who grew up in my neighborhood, raised by my grandparents. This strange, conflicted relationship between grandparents and grandchildren always fascinated me. These are two groups with drastic cultural differences but who somehow manage to understand each other fully. In my film, I not only want to explore this fascinating relationship but also want to explore the inner loneliness of these two marginalized groups. I want to explore the meaning of “family” and raise my concerns about the mental health of empty nesters and left-behind children.