RE:BIRTH, 8min., Taiwan
Directed by Laticia Fan
A lost soul traumatized by her past and trapped in the confines of her own imagination. Unable to move forward with life until she was led to begin her journey of recovery and discovery by a sound healer, ultimately conquering her darkest memories, fears, and desires, and transcending the perpetual tug-of-war between attachment and letting go.
Get to know the filmmakers Laticia Fan & Irene Pang:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
Irene (Executive Producer): For me, this film is deeply personal, because I had just been through a “journey” of recovery and discovery myself. I was compelled to share my journey with the world via film as a medium.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Irene: The initial conception of the film (a rough narrative) was in mid July in 2023, then the team had a first kick-off meeting in late July. Then we each focused on developing our respective parts (direction, choreography, music composition), then came together in mid October to shoot the film, which was done in a day.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Irene: spiritual and moving
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Irene: Because the film was rather abstract, we needed to incorporate enough cues (either visual or auditory) to help the audience understand the film. This is not exactly an obstacle per se, but more like a challenge we faced in the process of developing the “script” (flow).
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Irene: It definitely felt rewarding to hear how others received our film, especially when they “got” the gist of the film and felt connected with our work.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Laticia (Director/DP): When I was in high school in Taiwan, this felt so out of reach as I didn’t really know anyone in the industry or how to make films. However, after graduating college and I realized that I loved watching films, I love even more the process in which one goes through to create films so I decided to try. Everything I’ve done has been self taught.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Laticia: Serendipity. I really like the idea of having things unravel and the idea that if it’s meant to be it’ll happen. The film reminds me of the purity of that word.
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Laticia: I think having in person screening and feedback, Q&A would be helpful – exposure and opportunity to meet/connect with others in the industry.
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Laticia: FilmFreeway is very convenient and consolidates all the information in one place so our experience has been great.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Laticia: Simple home cooked Taiwanese meal with rice and chicken soup.
11. What is next for you? A new film?
Laticia: I just wrapped an 18 episode web series in Taiwan, am going to take a bit of a break. Hopefully there will be another short film or feature I can DP later this year as mostly I DP more than direct.