Faraway

1. Why did I make a film?
I make films not because I need to create something, let alone hope of making a living out of them. In 2020, the COVID pandemic disrupted all my travel plans. I have more time at my disposal than I like. To spend the time, purely because of personal interest, I started a research project, , called "Creation and Research Project about Folklore Oral Literature Based on Daily Life," and even created a new organization "ABC Arts Cooperative" to execute the project.
Filming is my way for me to create and research folklore oral literature. The preliminary plan is to shoot ten films between 2020 and 2025. From 2020 to 2021, I have finished shooting five films, and Faraway is the first film with the post-production work done.

  
2. How do I make a film？
I have no describable cinematic style. To be precise, I have no idea what constitutes a style. To me, all existing film genres and aesthetic theories are fresh, alien, and incomprehensible. Therefore, I set a principle for my creative works: my film is a life that has been cut and edited, and my life is my aging turned into literature.
I do not know how to write scripts. I can only write an outline. As I shoot, I develop ideas about where the film will go; during editing, I gradually form the final story.
I do not know how to act. I have to live my life in a way that fits with the film's plot so that plot happens in real life. Then I record it. This makes acting natural, but of course, technically imperfect.
My cast is my friends. Like me, they do not know how to act, but they are fun. Shooting our own lives reduces production costs so that the film project is done smoothly.
Because there is no detailed script, no professional actors, and insufficient budget, I have to be the director myself and let my friends manage the process. Therefore, all my films have one or more executive directors who did a lot of specific and valuable work that guaranteed completion.
I thank my friends. Thank you.

3. What does my film Faraway want to express?
I have no specific ideas that I want to show. If there must be one idea, it is this: the content of the film is a true record of my life, but not necessarily my true life. The actions and language of the characters in the film only show that such persons exist in real life, and such things did happen. But why is a particular person like this or that? Why did this or that thing happen? There may be otherwise good reasons but not explained in the film. So, what the film shows real lives, not the reality of life. Therefore, my film has no specific ideas but only the process of thinking.
Faraway is my debut, the result of how I spend my spare time. If the audience resonates with a certain point of view or action, the result is likely an accident. If something in the film causes discomfort, it is not intentional. Of course, one represents and shows a certain tendency as long as one is alive. One inevitably gets misunderstood as long as one speaks. I sincerely believe that the audience's feelings are always right. This is the natural limitation of all artworks but also the significance and value of any artwork.