Filmmaker Statement

'The Rowboat' is a dramatic short based on a true story from my own experiences. Growing up in an artistic family, I harbored childhood dreams of surpassing my father and becoming an actor greater than him. As I worked diligently towards this ambition, I struggled to seek my father's approval and began wondering why it was such a struggle for us to communicate. And that's when I started to wonder why a gap exists in communication between first-generation Asian American immigrants and their second-generation counterparts. I've witnessed my close friend's parents speak Mandarin to him, who clearly comprehended yet responded in English. Later, as my understanding of the world deepened, I discovered another dilemma: everyone despises privilege, yet everyone desires it. In ‘The Rowboat,' the protagonist genuinely revels in the convenience privilege brings, but does it ever bring him solace? This film emerged from my exploration of these questions. Hope my viewers may paddle with th