Episode #21
Tien | On the Joy* of Filmmaking
Check out our convo with Tien Chi Fu, Taiwanese-American producer, writer, and director. Episode description below, stylized as a screenplay. Enter TIEN, (30s), a fast talker who’s into unhinged behaviors and sub-subcultures. We begin in 90’s Taiwan, musing on how growing up in the ‘middle-of-nowhere’ came with its own unique cultural self-esteem. FADE IN 周杰倫 Jay Chou | 夜曲 Nocturne CUT TO: SMALL TOWN PENNSYLVANIA - circa 2009: Tien has dropped out of college to work the cigarette counter at a Walmart. TIEN I want to live in a place where nobody cares where you’re from. INT. APARTMENT IN DEEP BROOKLYN Three roommates from different countries discuss what home is, the power dynamics within religion, and the bittersweet joys of filmmaking. FADE IN Beastie Boys - No Sleep Till Brooklyn INT. FOREIGN, OR PODCAST - PRESENT DAY: TIEN I think the biggest mindset shift was when my daughter was born. I just needed to give filmmaking a shot. I don't know what this process is going to be like. But, this is like a dream. Like, who's...? We all know people who are doctors, lawyers, accountants. Great. How many successful filmmakers do we know? Barely anyone! It's a dream, but... I just need to give it a shot. FADE TO BLACK How's that for a cliffhanger? Enjoy the show, ForeignOrs! LINKS Check Tien's Instagram Peep Tien's Website More on Tien's short film The Sheep
