Experiencing Interruptions?

Farewell, Divinity

The mute girl Mary participated in the making of a documentary about the lives of deaf-mute people and invited her deaf friend Grace to join her. However, the director seemed uninterested in their real lives. Instead, the director wrote a script for the documentary in which Mary is abused by Grace and forced them to act it out. The director aimed to use this sensational storyline to gain more attention and fame. But the two girls refused to play along, and a conflict broke out on set.

  • Haohai Zhang
    Director
  • Haohai Zhang
    Writer
  • Guanli Feng
    Producer
  • Yue Xia
    Producer
  • Amelie Kronberger
    Key Cast
    "Mary"
  • Talicia Mauch
    Key Cast
    "Grace"
  • Aaron Hand
    Key Cast
    "John"
  • Hassan Elkawam
    Key Cast
    "Harry"
  • Kyle Wong
    Key Cast
    "Edward"
  • Jiaxi Li
    1ST AD
  • Yue Xia
    Script Supervisor
  • Yuchen Han
    1ST AC
  • Chen Cheng
    Gaffer
  • Qiyu Lin
    Best Boy
  • Chengfeng Qiu
    Best Boy
  • Yujie Wen
    Sound Recorder
  • Zhiyu Zhang
    Boom Operator
  • Jiaxi Li
    Art Director
  • Jiayi Tan
    1ST Assistant Art Director
  • Haohai Zhang
    Editor
  • Yujie Wen
    Sound Designer
  • Xiaoqian Huang
    Composer
  • Anna Wong
    Composer
  • Anna Broinowski
    Supervisor
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 51 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 20, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - The University OF Sydney
Director Biography - Haohai Zhang

Haohai Zhang is a film director from China. He initially studied software engineering in China, but while many of his classmates were seeking internship opportunities in large companies, Haohai Zhang chose instead to pursue opportunities in film production. Due to his critical thinking on social issues, he made his first film, An Irresistible Gift, which explores the moment when idealism disappears within the individual. Later, he directed many works that critique social class, such as The Tie. In his film Farewell, Divinity, he shifts his critical perspective to the media, which also serves as a form of self-criticism.

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Director Statement

This is a short film directed based on my reflections on the modern media era. When we pick up a newspaper, read an article, or watch a documentary, we are often surrounded by news and art about suffering. These are often labeled with terms like ‘humanitarian’ and audiences are expected to engage. I wonder, in this process, is suffering being used as a commodity label? Is the media, in this sense, selling suffering?

I do not intend to suggest that reporting on suffering in the media is inherently wrong. However, in an era where the media profits from the sale of suffering, are the viewers’ senses being manipulated by the media? This is the reflection I incorporate into this short film, which tells the story of a documentary being made about deaf-mute individuals. The filmmakers use metaphorical symbols to craft an engaging documentary, but in reality, this process ends up harming the protagonists.

However, my thoughts on this subject are conflicted. By choosing this topic, am I not also exploiting suffering itself? Is criticizing the commercialization of suffering not also a form of consuming it? It is difficult for me to define my own actions, so I have named the director in the film 'John,' which sounds the same as my last name, 'Zhang.' In fact, this is also a form of self-irony, because what I am doing may, in fact, be a part of the very thing I am criticizing.