Understanding the way your relationship with your parents develops as you enter adulthood requires a level of introspection that these films provide. These stories look at parents and family in general with sympathy and patience.
This screening features 4 films. Toggle between film descriptions by scrolling and clicking on the buttons on the top right.
When his recently deceased father returns as a ghost, a Chinese American student must help him resolve unfinished business — bridging generations, cultures, and their strained relationship — before he can pass on to the afterlife.
Director Biography - Richard Yan
Richard Yan is a 21 y/o Chinese American actor and filmmaker from New York. He received his undergraduate degree in Radio/TV/Film from Northwestern University and now lives in Los Angeles. WHAT THE HEAVEN! is his debut short film.
Director Statement
WHAT THE HEAVEN! is a deeply personal story about family, generational wounds, and the quiet weight of things left unsaid. Much of this story is pulled from my own life and my own complicated relationship with my father. While writing this film, I kept asking myself: If my dad were gone, what would I wish I had told him? What would I want to hear from him? This film became my way of starting a conversation I never quite knew how to have in real life. My hope is that it encourages others, especially those from immigrant families, to reach out, to reflect, and maybe to say the things we so often leave unspoken—before it’s too late.
Understanding the way your relationship with your parents develops as you enter adulthood requires a level of introspection that these films provide. These stories look at parents and family in general with sympathy and patience.
This screening features 4 films. Toggle between film descriptions by scrolling and clicking on the buttons on the top right.
When his recently deceased father returns as a ghost, a Chinese American student must help him resolve unfinished business — bridging generations, cultures, and their strained relationship — before he can pass on to the afterlife.
Director Biography - Richard Yan
Richard Yan is a 21 y/o Chinese American actor and filmmaker from New York. He received his undergraduate degree in Radio/TV/Film from Northwestern University and now lives in Los Angeles. WHAT THE HEAVEN! is his debut short film.
Director Statement
WHAT THE HEAVEN! is a deeply personal story about family, generational wounds, and the quiet weight of things left unsaid. Much of this story is pulled from my own life and my own complicated relationship with my father. While writing this film, I kept asking myself: If my dad were gone, what would I wish I had told him? What would I want to hear from him? This film became my way of starting a conversation I never quite knew how to have in real life. My hope is that it encourages others, especially those from immigrant families, to reach out, to reflect, and maybe to say the things we so often leave unspoken—before it’s too late.
