Clan of the Painted Lady: Jennifer Chiu's Intimate Documentary on Hakka Heritage

Clan of the Painted Lady: Jennifer Chiu's Intimate Documentary on Hakka Heritage

A still camera frames an elder in her family kitchen. She is tidying up surfaces with a towel and inspecting the pipes of the sink. The dim lights create distinct contours of shadow and light. A voice emerges from beyond the frame—Dad, can we film you smoking outside? A man’s voice responds: No. His wife finishes drying her hands and looks at the camera, shakes her head and walks away. The lens lingers on the frame without subjects. A narrator’s voice sums up the interaction for viewers: ”In my community, many things are left unsaid. For my family, privacy is both a virtue and a protective measure. It is also a wall.” 

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Vancouver International Film Festival Review: Until Branches Bend

Vancouver International Film Festival Review: Until Branches Bend

Set in the Okanagan, Until Branches Bend introduces the fictional peach-harvesting town of Montague. Robin, a worker of the town’s packing house, discovers a bug that threatens the community’s semblance of calm. With elements of environmental and psychological drama, the film crafts an enveloping examination of the dangers that lurk beneath the surface, depicting more than one type of invasion.

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