Tea Travel

Tea Travel was born from a desire to tell a story as authentically as possible, blending fiction, documentary, and essay film.

A few years ago, during the pandemic, I quit my steady job in Paris and moved to Spain to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself creatively. This short film came out of that life change, blurring the lines between fiction and reality, and I was strongly advised to be the main subject of the story to keep it as authentic as possible. It is deeply personal, a testament to the journey of transformation.

My years abroad during the pandemic were filled with enlightening conversations about uncertainty and introspection. The film speaks to that. It brings things full circle, celebrating the process of change. It’s not a success story or a formula for happiness, but a quiet reminder of hope for those stuck in lives that don’t truly suit them. Based on my own experiences, the film follows a man on a journey to regain control over an unfulfilling life, guided by travel, encounters, sensory experiences, with tea being central.

Tea first caught my attention during a Hong Kong trip a few months before I moved to Spain. Back in Paris, I discovered a tea house owned by one of the world’s most renowned tea masters (and the only woman), Yu Hui Tseng, who introduced me to the complex world of tea and its traditions, very different from my Western approach. But what struck me most was the evocative power of tea, how its scents and flavors could suddenly bring back vivid moments from my past. Tea as a way to explore memory began to take root through this universal experience of reminiscence. When I moved to Spain, I created my tea room, a place to taste, reflect, share, and… remember. Drawing an analogy with “time travel”, as the experience of reminiscence through tea brings you back in time, I like to call it “tea travel”.

Tea Travel is a story of personal transformation and the pursuit of light in times of uncertainty. So sit back, have a cup of tea, and enjoy the journey...