Private Project

Huí Jiā

Logline: On a day heavy with hidden meaning, an aging restaurant owner tends to her business as she reflects on an old letter once sent to her father in her homeland.

Paragraph Synopsis: On a day heavy with hidden meaning, Lian, a 70-year-old Chinese restaurant owner, quietly works in the shop she has tended for three decades. As the day unfolds, Lian finds herself drawn back to a letter she once sent to her father in her homeland—a letter in which she struggled to articulate her fractured memories of home and her father’s fading presence. Now, surrounded by her restaurant’s worn walls and the crumbling facades of her life’s work, Lian closes the shop and is left to reconcile the weight of what has been lost and what remains.

  • Alex Nesic
    Director
  • Alex Nesic
    Writer
  • Renge Chen
    Writer
  • Dennis Li
    Writer
  • Alex Nesic
    Producer
  • Jack McTaggart
    Director of Photography
  • Lili Bai
    Key Cast
    "Lian"
  • Madison Murphy
    Co-Producer
  • Madison Murphy
    AC, Gaffer & Stills
  • Rizky Pratama
    Sound Designer
  • Renge Chen
    Recording Engineer
  • Dennis Li
    Recording Engineer
  • Nicholas Hower
    Colourist
  • Huiming Guo
    Title Design
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Multicultural, Documentary
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 13 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 10, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    Mandarin Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Alex Nesic

Alex is a filmmaker based in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. Since finding out his mother had been an actor in China, Alex knew he wanted to work in the creative arts.

His multicultural family drama ‘Unsaid’ won Best Short Fiction at the 2022 Multicultural Film Festival and earned the Emerging Filmmaker Award at the North Bellarine Film Festival. The film premiered online on SBS OnDemand. Alex’s follow up short, ‘Unseen’, a high-concept sci-fi, screened at festivals including Revelation Perth and Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival, picking up multiple awards during its run.

Alex completed his master’s degree in Film and Television at the Victorian College of the Arts and since then, underwent his residency with CINESPACE in 2024. Presently, Alex is developing his rom-com feature script, ‘In Other Words’, supported through VicScreen’s Originate Genre initiative.

As a storyteller, Alex is invested in exploring cultural diversity and familial connections, weaving deeply personal narratives that resonate across cultures.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"Huí Jiā" is a semi-biographical short film inspired by the life of my mother, Lili. A former actor in China, Lili's role draws directly upon her own story. Growing up in Australia, I was deeply aware of the sacrifices my parents made to build a life for me and my sister, particularly the years they spent running the Chinese restaurant in the Melbourne suburb where I was raised. I am still very much connected to the restaurant and the many memories tied to it.

This film is not only an ode to my mother’s sacrifice and work ethic, but also a deeply personal collaboration between us. Shot in the very restaurant she tended for over 20 years, "Huí Jiā" is a tribute to her journey, a reflection on home, and a bridge between our shared past and evolving present.

Alex Nesic was selected as the Cinespace Residency recipient for Autumn 2024. "Huí Jiā" was completed as a part of this residency program.