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Nian

A Chinese American girl stands up to her racist bully armed with a Chinese Demon Mask and the Nian, a mythological creature that eats bad kids.

  • Michelle Krusiec
    Director
  • Michelle Krusiec
    Writer
  • Brian Yang
    Producer
    Snakehead, Linsanity
  • Matthew Keene Smith
    Producer
    Dot, Harana, Flip the Record
  • Jason Mclagan
    Producer
    Flip the Record, Harana
  • Lauren Mei
    Key Cast
    "Gertie"
  • Dawn Saito
    Key Cast
    "Ah-Ma"
  • Ava Devoe
    Key Cast
    "Tammy"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Horror, Drama
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 23 seconds
  • Production Budget:
    35,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival
    Brussels
    Belgium
    April 15, 2023
    World Premiere
  • Palm Springs International Shorts Fest
    Palm Springs
    United States
    June 23, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    May 13, 2023
    United States Premiere
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Hulu
    Distributor
    Country: United States
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Michelle Krusiec

For most of Michelle Krusiec’s career spanning 25+ years, she’s created socially relevant, darkly comedic, female forward characters and stories on TV, film and stage. She graduated magna cum laude from Va Tech with a Theatre Arts/English degree. In addition, she studied at Oxford University as an English Union Scholar. Her critically acclaimed solo show “Made in Taiwan,”premiered at the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival and the NYC International Fringe festival, landing her an ABC talent deal. In 2012, Michelle received a Certificate in Screenwriting from the UCLA Professional Program. In 2013, she was named Center for Asian American Media’s Screenwriting Fellow. Michelle’s original digital series “Scenes From a Real Marriage” gained her a place in the 2022 AFI Directing Workshop for Women. “Bite,” a psychological character study on trauma currently beginning its festival circuit. Michelle’s short “Nian” premiered at BIFFF, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and Palm Springs Short Fest. A feature adaptation of “Nian” is currently in development at Hulu with Michelle attached to write and direct. Her feature “Tiger Mom,” which she co-wrote, starring Ken Jeong is currently in post production.

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Director Statement

The facing off of two monsters wherein the human one is more terrifying than the real monster is fascinating to me. Nian began as a simple idea of what if you could feed your bully to the “thing” that lives under your bed. When I learned about the Nian in my son’s first grade class, I immediately knew it would make a great backdrop for something culturally specific yet universal. Nian is the Chinese boogey man for kids, a kind of anti-Santa. While the Nian is mostly depicted as a likable half lion/dragon beast in east Asian culture, I wanted something more terrorizing. Nian was my reaction to the heinous anti-Asian hate occurring during the pandemic. Memories of my own bullies as an adolescent resurrected themselves. What would happen if the justice served felt too violent, too real and no longer a fantasy? Can hate beget hate? Ultimately, I found solace in irreverence, empowering an older maternal figure to be the voice of irreverent reason. Nian is a fever dream gone wrong. It’s also a cautionary tale to beware that there may be monsters in all of us.