The Hot Seat - Maddy Chang

1. What is the first film you can remember having an effect on you?

A film that made me feel seen and heard for the first time was The Farewell by Lulu Wang. It came out during my last year of film school, and it’s crazy that it took that long for me to truly emotionally connect with a film. Before that, I hadn’t seen any modern representations of the dynamics of a dual-cultured Chinese family. I was shocked by how it hit so close to home for me.

2. If you could work with one filmmaker, dead or alive, who would it be?

I would kill to work with Amy Poehler. I love how her comedy comes from a place of care and sincerity, yet it’s still so funny. And I think that resonates with a lot of people. One of my all-time favourite scenes of hers is from Parks and Recreation. It’s when Leslie Knope and her team are trying to walk across an ice rink (without a carpet), and they’re falling, and they’re trying to get to the podium, but then Get On Your Feet by Gloria Estefan is also playing in the background. It’s so simple, yet perfect.

3. If you could remake any film, what would it be and what would you change?

I’m generally against remakes, but a film that sticks out in recent memory where I thought to myself, “this needs to be redone,” was House of Gucci. I just remember leaving the theatre annoyed because I felt the story could have been so. much. more. This family was full of complicated people with complicated relationships with one another, and I wish they had dug a bit deeper. For a film with that many resources, it’s a bit baffling.

4. What is your biggest passion outside of being a filmmaker?

I’m currently a Senior Production Coordinator at the Western Documentary Unit of the National Film Board of Canada, and that occupies my 9-5.

Outside of that, I’ve been working on a narrative feature for the past two years, that is called A Welcome Distraction, and its almost festival-ready! The film is set in Vancouver, and it follows a young man who has been drifting through life while trying to avoid his family in the wake of his father's death. This leads him to encounter an alternative health and wellness group that’s showing early signs of cult-dom.

I’m also developing a short documentary with Anna Chiyeko Shannon titled, Memories That Aren’t Mine. It’s a personal film about Anna preserving their old family archival 8mm film, which pushes them to dig into the layers of grief and cultural disconnect which exist in their Japanese-Canadian family.

6. Creatively, what inspires you to continue your journey in filmmaking?

100 Days - Crew

The nature of this type of work is unique in that the next project you do is always going to be different. I like having that variety and seeing the passion and hunger in people's eyes when they’re telling you about their latest project, it always gets me excited. As a Producer, I’m always in awe of the scripts and stories that people come up with, and I love being able to help that person execute their vision. I find it very fulfilling.

7. Who are your frequent collaborators and what do they bring to your projects?

In A New Light - Frame

When I first started my film journey, one of the first people I worked with was Mack Stannard, and I owe a lot to him! We did a Telus Storyhive short doc, called In a New Light, and we’ve done a few other docs since then.

I’m also so, so, grateful for my UBC film family who keep me constantly grounded and inspired: Brian Johnson, Dide Su Bilgin, Anna Chiyeko Shannon, Sam Mohseni, and Andrij Lyskov.
And lastly, Adriana Marchand and Derek Kwan.

Working with Adriana and Derek on his short, 100 Days, was one of the most creatively fulfilling and rewarding projects I’ve been a part of. These two never cease to amaze me with the things that they come up with.

8. What is the most rewarding part about being a BC filmmaker? What is the most challenging?

I get asked a lot by friends and family who aren’t familiar with the industry if I ever want to leave Vancouver for LA or New York. They’re operating under this assumption that there are bigger and better things out there. And maybe that’s true, but I always get a bit sad when people ask me that. With the current state of the industry, where so many funders are at a standstill because of the economic times we live in, it signals to me that Independent filmmaking needs to stay alive. Is our industry a healthy one if a project’s viability is at the mercy of a small group of people? How many emerging filmmakers have missed their chance at success because no one is willing to bet on them? Should films stop getting made just because we’re in a risk-averse time? These questions are always on my mind.

I believe a successful independent film scene is only as strong as its community. The Independent film scene in Vancouver is so talented and special, and I just wish other people knew that. So there’s a part of me that’s stubborn, where I feel like I need to keep doing this so that I’m not just another person who bailed on the city. I believe Vancouver can be known as a legitimate and creative filmmaking hub because it’s already happening; people just need to pay more attention.

9. As a filmmaker, how do you measure success?

Whenever people come up to me after a screening, and they tell me that they cried. Or when you hear a crowd laugh at a moment where you were hoping to get laughs. That’s it for me.

10. Who’s another BC filmmaker you’d like to spotlight?

Derek Kwan! Director, Producer, Actor, and 1st AD extraordinaire. He can tell you all about his baseball movie.