Private Project

Crushing

A teenage girl in Hong Kong meets her online friend and crush for the first time, and comes face to face with her own social awkwardness while preparing for the meeting.

  • Maya Barreto
    Director
  • Ema Poposka
    Director
  • Maya Barreto
    Writer
  • Sytric Chan
    Writer
  • Ema Poposka
    Writer
  • Anton Szeto
    Writer
  • Jeremy Hung
    Producer
  • Matthew Leung
    Producer
  • Giselle Ching
    Key Cast
    "Iris"
  • Emilia Kate Oliver
    Key Cast
    "Luna"
  • Sytric Chan
    Cinematography
  • Chloe Lam
    Cinematography
  • Celine Rusli
    Production Design
  • Xilin Yap
    Production Design
  • Sytric Chan
    Editing
  • Ema Poposka
    Editing
  • Celine Rusli
    Editing
  • Maya Barreto
    Marketing
  • Chloe Lam
    Marketing
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Romance, Coming-of-Age
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 22, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    Hong Kong
  • Country of Filming:
    Hong Kong
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Babel Film Workshop
Director Biography - Maya Barreto, Ema Poposka

Maya Barreto loves watching and making movies and listening to music. Her favorite directors are Sofia Coppola and Greta Gerwig.

Ema Poposka has always been passionate about filmmaking for social change. She has directed two short films, one documentary and one animation, both of which have won international awards.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Through telling this story, we aim to explore the role of online friendships in teenagers’ lives today. We want to focus on the transition from having an online friendship to an in-person one and how this creates challenges and awkwardness for a teenager who’s uncomfortable with in-person interactions. We think it’s important to tell this story to give the audience insight and help them understand the perspective of teenagers today. It delves into the inner lives of teenagers, showing concerns such as social anxiety, having a crush, having an online friendship, and being awkward in social situations. This story also features a same-sex romance at the core, contributing to representations of LGBTQIA+ teenagers. We think we’re the best people to make this film because we’re teenagers who know about online friendships, so we have a perspective that uniquely fits this story.