Hives

In a small northern Chinese city in 2014, Grade 11 student Shan feels trapped by her strict mother and finds solace in photography. She becomes attracted to Jiayi, an edgy cashier at a local milk tea shop who once gave her a comforting yellow duck on one of her bad days.

As finals approach, Shan's stress leads to hives. After witnessing a fight between Jiayi and her boyfriend, Jiayi invites Shan to hang out at her place, where Shan learns about Jiayi's tragic past and dream of becoming a model. Inspired by Jiayi’s story, Shan works up the courage to kiss her. When Jiayi returns a passionate kiss, Shan panics and runs home where she has a heated argument with her mother.

The next morning, Shan hears the sound of the yellow duck...

  • Shen Shen
    Director
  • Shen Shen
    Writer
  • Xino Wang
    Producer
  • Shen Shen
    Producer
  • Qiuhan Chen
    Key Cast
    "ShanShan"
  • Yujie Chen
    Key Cast
    "Jiayi"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    麻疹
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    lgbtq, drama
  • Runtime:
    25 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    July 16, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada, China
  • Country of Filming:
    China
  • Language:
    Mandarin Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digtal
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Shen Shen

Shen Shen is a Chinese Canadian filmmaker growing up in Canada and graduated from University of Toronto later studied screenwriting at Beijing Film Academy. She has been working in the film and television industry of Beijing as screenwriter, creative producer and director for the past 10 years particular in creating cross-cultural stories in the forms of films, web series and documentaries.
In 2015, She was part of an international production crew of the China Hollywood coproduction film The Great Wall directed by Zhang Yi Mou.
She wrote and created a feature film project The Dream Shop and was selected for the 2018 Shanghai International Film Festival Feature Pitch Program. She’s currently working on her first feature film project.

Filmography:
- 2021| Writer/ Director of short film Love in the Time of Corona
- Selected for 2022 Singapore World Film Carnival
- 2018| Writer/Creator of feature film project The Dream Shop
- Selected for the 2018 Shanghai International Film Festival Pitch program
- 2014| Writer/Director of short film Beauty And The Clown
- Selected for 2014 Interfilm Berlin International Short Film Festival
- Selected for 2014 Canadian National Screen Institute Short Film Festival
- Selected for 2014 Shorts Vision Film Festival of Ningbo, China

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Director Statement

This story was inspired by an interview of a Chinese fashion designer. The interviewee had a crush on a girl during high school, which caused her anxiety and hives until a school nurse reassured her that her feelings were totally natural. It reminded me of my high school years.

Back then, I was studying abroad, feeling completely isolated without friends. I also had a crush on a female classmate but kept all the pressure and feelings to myself. It was a dark time of my life and I was on the verge of depression. Fortunately, I gradually found the courage to break free from these bondages and started pursuing my own path.

Therefore, I want to convey with this story not only the identity struggles of an adolescent girl but also how she finds the courage to break free from family and societal pressures to discover her true self.

Moreover the Queer community in China has been under serious repression for decades and they are extremely underrepresented in either Chinese or international mainstream media. As a Canadian filmmaker of Chinese descent and part of the queer community, I feel the obligation to tell their stories to the world and let their voices be heard on the international stage.