DEAD DRAW

I chose to direct this film because I resonated with a scene from The Spa, a heartrending short film about a man grieving his wife's death. I connected deeply with his remorse over his wife and thought of my own grandfather. The paternal relationships in our family are obscure and conservative, and they never show their solicitude for each other. They are like isolated boats on a rope, connected but estranged. In China, there is a saying that 'the tree may prefer calm, but the wind may not subside.' I think time is the wind, it hurries up people’s lives, but some still remains stumbled. Time is an antagonist. I think families should embrace every moment together and not wait for prosperity to care for things that are important to them. So, one of the things I felt strongly about in the making of Dead Draw is that I wanted the film to be a medium that evokes people's reflections on paternity bonds and beyond. The film focuses on an unexpected encounter between a regretful father, Mr. J, and a little boy. Through this encounter, Mr. J redeems his guilt from a long-promised chess. 
I choose chess to be a medium of bonding between father and son, because I found the smothered mate gambit is a good metaphor for such a relationship. In general, a chess game is to beat the living mental crap of each other and win a game by taking down each other's chess pieces. But the gambit of smothered mates interestingly requires sacrificing one’s own pieces in order to trap the opponent's king. I see chess pieces as a family, a knight is sent out to seize another's king, like a father sacrificing himself for a family, going out for work. 
So Dead Draw is meant to be a touching exploration of bittersweet beauty found in fleeting connection, acceptance of loss and enduring power of love. It reminds the audience to cherish the presents. 
The production of this film is a milestone and a test for me, being a first-time director. As this film is a slow-paced and performance-heavy play, a solid bond between me and the actors is key, especially as I am working with child and aged actors. One of the challenges of this play is to get the natural performance out of the actors and reveal true sentiments. In this case, I  learned to listen to actors' opinions, putting their thoughts into the play as integrating them into the characters. But thanks to the actors who contribute their respect and patience, and the endeavour of all my crews, the output of the film is achieving the desired effect.