TIANA LUCERNE CHEUNG's video: Table Manners - USC Film Application ACCEPTED 2020 Asian American short film

Logline: On Chinese New Year, a single mom introduces her girlfriend to her traditional family. ACCEPTED to USC School of Cinematic Arts for Fall 2020!! (Major: Film & Television Production) This was the visual film sample that I submitted in my Transfer application to USC film school. Let me know if you have any questions on the application - would be overjoyed to give advice!! Happy Asian and Pacific Islander American heritage month! "Table Manners" is a narrative drama short film that I wrote, directed, and edited last summer with the most dedicated, talented crew & cast. This award-winning film (which has garnered Best Picture & Best Directing awards) challenges biases and gives a glimpse into the experience of growing up chinese american / asian american in our present-day america. It also navigates familial barriers caused by generational differences and cultural dysphoria, through the lens of a child. As someone who felt a dissonance between my Americanized lifestyle and inability to grow in touch with my Chinese ancestral heritage, I felt this was an important story to tell. Ultimately though, I aimed for this short film to be, although slightly fictionalized, a take on my older sister's vulnerable & raw experiences of parenting as a single mom, along with the struggles of generational gaps that can create challenges within a family. One of my favorite parables, The Parable of the Lost Son, is a lovely example of the virtue in treating our family and others with overflowing love, forgiveness, & compassion, whether you're currently estranged from them or if they have hurt you in the past. Luke 15:20 - "But while [his son] was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." Jesus loves you and is always rooting for you! ✰✰✰ Fun fact: 67% of the crew were people of color, 43% of the crew identified as LGBTQIA+, and 1 key cast member identified as non-binary. Also, the majority of the crew was made up of UC Berkeley college students! DIRECTOR, WRITER, EDITOR: Tiana Lucerne Cheung PRODUCERS: Vivian Li & Paula Milenkova CINEMATOGRAPHER/DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Casey Currey-Wilson PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Avery Chung-Melino ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSER: Dylan Medlock PRODUCTION SOUND MIXER & SOUND DESIGNER: Devon Lui STARRING... SEIKA IWAO as "Valerie" HANNAH KIM as "Michelle" SUSAN KURATA as "Sandra" THOMAS SHAFFER as "Jordan" MIA SHYH as "Michelle's Friend" FULL LIST of crew & cast: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11860382/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1 ✰✰✰ YOU CAN FIND ME AT... ✰ my personal film website: https://www.tianalucerne.com/ ✰ instagram: @tianalucy ✰ spotify: @tianalucy ✰ letterboxd: @tianalucerne ✰ personal email: tianalucy@gmail.com 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 - "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love." Keywords: asian, asian american, short film, director, first film, filmmaking, film festival, lgbt, lgbtq, lgbt short film, single mom, chinese, chinese american, growing up asian american, asian american short film, sundance, cannes, screenwriting, uc berkeley film, usc film, video, lgbtq short film, family, love, romance, real talk, personal, day in my life, parenting, college, uc berkeley, quarantine, student film, usc student film, usc film accepted, usc school of cinematic arts, usc transfer, quarantine short film Some of my favorite YouTubers: Mikey Murphy, Justin Escalona, A Little Bit of Monika, bestdressed, the kath path, jess & gabriel conte, john fish, katie tracy, study to success, kristin & marcus johns, ruby granger, jazzy le, linh truong, vanessa lau, nicholas chae, nerdwriter1, casey neistat, lessons from the screenplay, behind the curtain, film riot, peter mckinnon, jacksgap