Private Project

Sweet Juices

LOGLINE

Genius cooks Shirong and Tony face eviction and incarceration; on a mission to clear their names, they leave a trail of saucy vomit, stolen bicycles, unhinged government officials, and squirting dumplings that deliver enlightenment.

SYNOPSIS

SWEET JUICES is set in a world where Chinese food is the supreme currency with more power than sex, drugs and money.

The story begins with SHIRONG, the mad dumpling chef and TONY, her lover and apprentice. They race against time to make juicy dumplings to pay off assholes chasing them for fines, bills and rent.

They're given one opportunity to start a new life when tensions between the couple reach breaking point. Tony starts cooking fusion dumplings, undermining Shirong's status as the authentic dumpling master. Boiling with hatred and armed with their own unique flavours, the couple goes to war, but the power of delicious food transcends even love itself.

  • Will Suen
    Director
  • Sejon Im
    Director
  • Will Suen
    Writer
  • Will Suen
    Producer
  • Rowan Devereux
    Producer
    Peach, Evicted! A Modern Romance
  • Shirong Wu
    Key Cast
    "Shirong"
    Appetite
  • Anthony Roy Barton
    Key Cast
    "Tony"
  • Cat Van-Davies
    Key Cast
    "Sarah"
    Hungry Ghosts, Barons, Precinct 13, The Twelve, Amazing Grace, The Letdown
  • Christian Byers
    Key Cast
    "Premier"
    December Boys, Opal Dream, The Tree, Dance Academy: The Movie, "Hey, Hey It's Esther Blueburger"
  • Harrison Green
    Key Cast
    "Constable Cummings"
    Darkest Age, The Messenger
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Romance, Crime, Absurdist, Magical Realism, Food, Heist
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 4, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    12,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English, Mandarin Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    RED, Blackmagic, GoPro, Iphone
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Will Suen, Sejon Im

SEJON IM is a Korean-Australian Director based in Sydney. Early in his years, he had desired to be an engineer and musician; however, a newfound love for film rattled him to his core. Now with an assembly of works in ads and music videos, he hopes to create more energy-cranked films that invigorate emotions in people, such as disgust, warmth and love.

WILL SUEN is left-handed. He was born in Maitland as the son of rural Chinese restaurant owners. His most prized possessions were bootleg Cantonese films on VHS.

He began a career in filmmaking as the ultimate slashy, with
professional credits across the spectrum of crew roles, including but not limited to Gaffer, Editor, and Standby Props.

He eventually crawled up the credits list to direct commercials,
music videos and short films.

He's also the co-founder of Half Symbolic Films, a boutique film distributor most notably responsible for bringing the works of Masaaki Yuasa to cinemas across Australia.​​​​​​​

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Greasy, MSG laden, nasty Chinese take-away is universally known as the ultimate vice when craving for food. There's a common saying that the dirtier the Chinese restaurant, the tastier the food; it serves as a true test of its authenticity.

This is the catalyst for the world of Sweet Juices: dangerously fun, with wildly questionable morality, and where juicy squirting dumplings have the
power to raise the bar of corruption to hyperbolic heights.

Sweet Juices transforms Sydney, the grand nanny state, into a highly stylised world of primal chaos.