How To Stop Being Chinese
How To Stop Being Chinese is an exploration of the importance of recognizing one’s own cultural heritage. In the film, a shadowy book teaches three tragic heroines about the blood ties that bind them to over 4,000 years of ancestral heritage. Each step of the book’s instructions dares its readers to break a traditional superstition in order to escape their Chinese culture—but the unforeseen consequences are deadly.
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Isaac KauDirector
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Isaac KauWriter
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Joy ChenWriter
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Ashley ChiangKey Cast"江瑩欣"
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Jessica JangKey Cast"張家蓁"
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Adalina MaKey Cast"馬小騫"
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Isaac KauProducer
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Brandon KheangCinematographer
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Nicholas DelgadoMusic & Sound Design
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Marissa EspirítuProduction Design
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Moises MarquezVisual Effects Artist
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Seia WatanabeAssistant Director
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Dominique BrietLine Producer
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Michael XuGrip & Electric
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Nicholas DelgadoGrip & Electric
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Tzu-Han HsuCamera Assistant
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Tiana BarajasProduction Assistant
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Project Type:Experimental, Music Video, Short, Student, Other
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Genres:Drama, Horror, Mystery
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Runtime:3 minutes 48 seconds
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Completion Date:April 5, 2021
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Production Budget:250 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:1.66:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
Isaac Kau is a Taiwanese-American filmmaker and
multimedia artist based in Long Beach, CA. His work as a
director and producer has been shown in festivals and
brought attention to issues surrounding communities,
including Dear Long Beach, a short series which sparked
discussion about student concerns on the CSULB campus. He
aims to work with artists of diverse disciplines to tell stories
that investigate the intersection of culture and identity.
How To Stop Being Chinese was based on a poem written by my friend, Joy, who moved to Canada from China as a child. In turmoil over how she would fit into a predominantly white society, this instruction manual expresses Joy’s struggle from being torn between two worlds. As an American-born Taiwanese, I deeply related to Joy’s story. My goal for this experimental short is to capture the painful and beautiful experience of the Asian-American identity and to educate myself on my own culture’s traditions.