Concept
Here is a proof-of-concept short film that our director Jason Lee created about his mother in Spring 2024. It offers a glimpse into the kinds of stories our documentary will uncover and the themes we hope to explore on film.
AH-MA'S BAH-TZANG
Director's Statement
Three decades ago, my mother took a video camera to Taiwan to record my late grandmother making her signature sticky rice dish, bah-tzang. When I digitized our family's home movies in 2020, I was filled with plenty of nostalgia and a mountain of new questions about our family history, given what I now know about the complex historical contexts in which my Taiwanese ancestors have lived through. My mother watched her old footage again as she tried to recreate my grandmother's bah-tzang recipe and the experience seemed to release an avalanche of hidden memories and revealing reflections. I made this short because I want my children to have meaningful and intimate portals to their grandparents, even after we've said goodbye.
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-Jason S. Lee