CONTENTMENT, 6min., New Zealand
Directed by Judie Alice Zhang
A young girl and passionate artist tries her very best to impress with her work. Her quirky and heartwarming journey centres around the theme of self-love.

https://www.instagram.com/judiezhangx

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Definitely the message behind it. It's something that I believe a lot of us struggle with sometimes, including myself. The idea initially stemmed from an abstract poem I wrote for school, also revolving around the metaphor of art but with a different message. It was honestly just through long trains of thought at midnight and random showers that the idea developed into what it has now become, which definitely motivated me a lot to make it happen!

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you
to make this film?

I first thought of the idea at the beginning of July, and didn't start writing long after. We didn't have much time to get everything together as I wanted to make Indie Short Fest's September 5th deadline. There was a bit more pressure when we found that the only available days we had to film were the 31st of August and 1st of September, giving me a short amount of time to edit, and also a short amount of time to finish writing as I balanced school and extracurriculars. It was a crazy month, but I think the pressure of the time crunch also helped us get things done!

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Hmm... quirky and hopefully meaningful!

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

The time crunch for sure. Not a second thought. As we filmed in an apartment we had booked, we ideally wanted to shoot most of it on our first day so that we had time to pack up and leave the next. That did not happen, and we ended up needing much more time. We were able to add a second night to our booking, but had to switch rooms. As we were told to pack up we tried to film every last scene we could in the time we had (a new family was taking our room) before switching to a room with a completely different look. We managed to film every scene we needed (the most stressful task of our lives) and saved the bed scenes for the new room. If you look closely, you can see the change in colour of the bed's frame lol!

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking
about your film in the feedback video?

I was SO HAPPY! AND HONOURED! Big thank you to everyone! It was so crazy to me to hear everyone's discussions, interpretations, and appreciations of everything that went into this film. I actually filmed my mother and I's initial reaction... and half the video was either me screaming or laughing out of disbelief. This has been such a great experience!

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I've always had an appreciation for film, but I had never considered making my own until just last year (2022). In Media Studies at school, we had to make our own film trailer. We were to get into groups and collectively decide on one idea, so I figured at one point to not pitch mine and to turn it into a short film in my own time. Because why not lol? After an honourable mention from Indie Short Fest for "Best Young Filmmaker (Female)", I was fully inspired to continue my filmmaking journey from there!

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

A Bug's Life... this was on repeat daily (literally) when I was around 9. Maybe it's time for a revisit.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other
festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking
career?

This has already been an incredible experience! I would've loved to see content of the film being initially screened, but I believe this festival does a great job at helping students around the globe!

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your
experiences been working on the festival platform site?

FilmFreeway is amazing. 10/10. Super convenient and easy to use, and super fun to have a profile of both my films and myself! Coolest platform ever.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Honestly anything, but I love a good potato or noodle dish!

11. What is next for you? A new film?

Honestly anything, but I love a good potato or noodle dish!

Absolutely. I am currently working on my next draft idea, and plan to start writing soon to film in January. Super excited to spend my summer holidays on it (as someone who lives in New Zealand)! Definitely planning on coming back to this festival with it!