JULY 4TH, 2020

I am a native of Wuhan, China, the ground zero of the Covid-19 pandemic. I was proud of where I came from. I love sharing stories from my culture – the people, the traditions, the culture, the snippets of daily life. But in the past few years, I was scared to reveal my heritage. I was scared of how people would react. I was scared of being hate-crimed to end up as only a statistic. I was scared of being ostracized from society, from people I would call friends. In short, I was traumatized. Many friends and family attest to the same.

The events of the last few years somehow felt more personal to me. I witnessed the catastrophe wrought by COVID, as it tore through our world, bringing with it economic and political turmoil. Ignorance and bigotry spread like a virus, infecting people of all backgrounds and beliefs. COVID was a test for all of humanity, revealing our capacity for fear, assumptions, prejudice, and hatred. No one was immune. In the face of stress and confusion, we all fell short. But the ones who suffered most were the most innocent: our children.

The Fourth of July 2020 was the day I penned the first draft of the screenplay. On this day typically marked by Independence, it’s important to remember the Interdependence we all have with one another. The film is partly inspired by true events, but reflects the very true emotions we all felt.

The goal of the film was to offer an intimate observation of people’s reactions and experiences to the disaster. Headlines, media snippets, online shouting matches bring fuel to the fire, but never warmth. They never shed light on what people might be thinking or why. It’s critical to share those perspectives, perpetrators' and victims' alike.

2020 is a year that will forever be etched in history. I wanted to create a powerful remembrance of this time - to capture the moments not just the tumultuous events but the turbulent emotions. While the biological virus is largely under control, the psychological virus of hate is the silent contagion that continues to spread, often leading to violent consequences. This film is a scorching reminder of what happens when we let fear and prejudice subsume us. I hope it can serve as a friendly reminder to do the opposite: embracing our differences - focusing on interdependence rather than independence - is what will save us from our darkest impulses.