Private Project

Moving on

This documentary charts Madam Hsueh’s return to her last home in Pingtung, Taiwan. The house, built by her late father, stands preserved in time, its items fading yellow under a thick layer of dust. As Madam Hsueh sieves through the belongings, sweet and painful memories bubble to the surface. She grieves again 25 years later, scrubbing the house clean before the next owner calls it their new home.

  • Vanessa Tan Xin Hui
    Director
    A Hawker Story / 耐人寻味, LA x Seoul feat The J
  • Tina He Xiao
    Producer
    Plane Earth, Doppëlganger, Kim Keat Hokkien Mee, Memories on a Plate
  • Ho WanTing Bernice
    Producer
    Oyster Cake, Till We Meet Again, Fixer 2, Sing China
  • Chua Ying Jia
    Director of Photography
    The Red String of Fate, Oyster Cake
  • 薛芳青 / Hsueh Fang Ching
    Key Cast
    "Second Daughter"
  • 薛健文 / Vivian Hsueh
    Key Cast
    "First Daughter"
  • 薛尤倫 / Mandy Hsueh
    Key Cast
    "Third Daughter"
  • 薛玉昭 / Hsueh Yu Chao
    Key Cast
    "Fourth Daughter"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    回娘家
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 34 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 28, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Singapore
  • Country of Filming:
    Singapore, Taiwan
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Vanessa Tan Xin Hui

Vanessa Tan is a Singaporean student film-maker who has gained valuable production experience working in Singapore’s largest TV station. She has directed many student short documentaries, most notably her commissioned work “Our Hawker Story”. Vanessa’s film- experience extends beyond Singapore in her South Korea-based documentary "LA x Seoul" that premiered in the Ithaca Pan Asian American Film Festival. In all of her work, Vanessa believes that everyone has a story worth telling, and finds joy in documenting the tales of ordinary people.

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Director Statement

Through a look at the events that once happened inside the now-abandoned Hsueh family home, this film inspired by contemplative cinema hopes to convey one message — that the value of a house is determined by neither price nor grandeur, but by the relationships of the people that live inside it.