Experiencing Interruptions?

Rented Life

An intern late for an interview, two waiters on their way to Comic-Con, and a “Bonnie-and-Clyde” couple all mysteriously use the same rental car covered in bird poop at the opening of this non-linear narrative. When the intern mistakes the waiters for who he believes stole his car, a fight ensues over a duffle-bag of stolen money as this action-packed tale unravels itself.

  • Michael Yu
    Director
  • Michael Vincent Yu
    Writer
  • Mateo Giovannini
    Writer
  • Kelly Suth
    Writer
  • Cole Clyde
    Key Cast
  • Janae Hood
    Key Cast
  • Sich Liu
    Key Cast
  • Lawrence Chen
    Key Cast
  • Fernando Monjaraz
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Action, Drama, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 10, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Hong Kong
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital (4K)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of California, Berkeley
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Grizzly Film and Arts Festival
    Berkeley, California
    United States
    November 18, 2022
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Michael Yu

An award-winning director from Hong Kong and Scotland, Michael Yu has a body of work spanning a breadth of genres (action, comedy, romance, doc) which often takes on non-linear narrative structures, parallel editing, and vivid color palettes. With nominations from the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Los Angeles Film Awards, his narrative work often tackles themes of regret, greed, social class and racial inequality.

Michael has just produced season one of 'Expatations', a docu-series TV show about foreigners living in Hong Kong that is now airing on ViuTV, Hong Kong's premiere TV channel and broadcaster. He is currently working on writing and directing two new short films, with a music video and a drama-series lined up for this summer.

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Director Statement

Despite having made short films since I was thirteen, I haven't felt a desperation to tell a story more than this one. Prior to Rented Life, I hadn't directed a project in over two years due to the pandemic and my hopes & dreams in becoming a filmmaker were dwindling. To say this piece has rekindled my passion & desire once more would be an understatement.

Rented Life has now been a project almost a year in the making, from conception of the story to sound mixing. Being someone in love with the craft of storytelling, I refused to not take part in every single bit of this production: working with two talented writers from UC Berkeley on screenplay, a Stanford PhD candidate on cinematography, to an up & coming composer from Pomona College. I've been present and hands on for every single writing meeting, cinematography breakdown and composing session. A boy in love, reunited with his craft.

Yet, it was truly the product of a group of wildly talented & passionate college students all coming together to create the best possible story. And it damn well shows. We can guarantee you haven't seen a student short film like this one.