RUTHFUL, 29min., Canada, Drama
Directed by Jocelyn Au-Yeung, Ariane Nopra
When a Chinese-Canadian college student returns home to Toronto, she visits a Hong Kong cafe she frequented during her childhood. Through eating the food, she is suddenly able to relive suppressed memories of her deceased grandmother. Now she must confront their multifaceted relationship and her own identity to find her peace.

https://www.instagram.com/ruthfulshortfilm/

Get to know producer Anna Spencer & co-writer/director Jocelyn Au-Yeung

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Jocelyn: This project was really born out of my experiences growing up, my relationship with my grandparents, and coming to terms with my identity. I couldn’t communicate deeply with them because I couldn’t speak Cantonese well, but I spent a lot of time with them instead. They would often take me out for afternoon tea after school at a Hong Kong cafe, and through sharing food together, that was how they expressed their love to me. After my grandfather died in 2017, I found myself asking what I could have done differently, how I could have been a better grandchild, how I could have expressed my love to them more. Ruthful was a way for me to explore those questions, and also show that I couldn’t be where I am now without my grandparents.

Anna: When I read the synopsis of this film, I was so touched by the themes of family and I knew right away that I wanted to work on this project. As well, diversity on-screen and off is something that I feel very passionately about. This film brings important stories to the forefront that aren’t always told in mainstream media.

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

Jocelyn: I had to check my notes app for this one, but I think two years? I spent six months ruminating on the idea, trying to create all the pieces on the board. Then, at our school, we had a class where we had to start preparing for our thesis project. Everyone would pitch ideas and the professors would choose which projects should go forward. Ruthful was somehow miraculously chosen (because all I had was a logline at that point), and we started pre-production and writing in January of 2022. We filmed that October, and the final cut of the film was finished in June of 2023.

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

Jocelyn: The first thing that came to mind was “joyful grief.”

Anna: Family and healing

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

Jocelyn: I think communication and endurance were big things we had to come to terms with in making Ruthful. Communication with each other and being clear about our needs and our work were huge things we had to learn. Endurance because I’m quite sure this was the longest project any of us had ever worked on, and we needed to run a marathon and not a sprint. Also finding locations and actors was quite difficult. There aren’t many 70+ year old Chinese grandmas lying around looking for acting work in Toronto.

Anna: We’re a group of students and most of us had never made a film before. It was a learning experience for all of us and it really pushed us to our limits at some points.

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

Jocelyn: I was just overjoyed that it was connecting with people. What I loved was the variety of different readings of the film and the diverse takeaways they came away with. There were multiple points of view about the relationship between Ruth and her grandmother, and different themes viewers resonated with in their feedback. I was so glad that people found space in this film for them to create their own meaning out of what they just watched.

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

Jocelyn: One of our inspirations for this film was Little Women (2019) directed by Greta Gerwig. For me, watching that in theatres was one of those pivotal moments for me in my journey toward film. I didn’t really grow up with a habit of watching movies all the time, but I think watching Little Women was the first time I really truly fell in love with the craft and storytelling of filmmaking, and knew it was something I wanted to do from then on.

Anna: When I was in middle school, I was creating a short film for every project possible (whether it was for French or Science or anything else). Eventually, I realized that I loved making films and telling stories.

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

Jocelyn: It’s gotta be Pride and Prejudice (2005) for me. A real and true comfort film, and an absolutely gorgeous movie. It’s a guilty pleasure for sure.

Anna: The best movies to rewatch aren’t always the best quality movies. With that being said, it might honestly be Twilight.

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

Jocelyn: Being able to connect to other filmmakers is a huge benefit of participating in festivals, I feel like. Building a community of artists that believe in each others’ stories can be really empowering. I really appreciate the feedback of Wildsound viewers and being able to hear an audience think through their opinions on films they’ve seen. It’s incredibly valuable to learn from them and how to improve our craft. Bigger festivals also do film funds and grants to up and coming filmmakers, and I think that’s so valuable as well to actually invest in the future of storytelling.

Anna: Exactly what Jocelyn said. I think one of the most valuable things in this industry is networking and getting to know other creative people.

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

Jocelyn: It was really helpful and informative! Sometimes it isn’t always clear what the criteria are and what exactly to do going forward, but Wildsound has been so easy to work with, especially through the site. It was just really easy to submit and follow through.

Anna: FilmFreeway has been great and it’s always so easy to submit. It makes the whole process very seamless.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Jocelyn: Any meal that I share with my grandma. (Real answer: I really like black pepper chicken steak from Hong Kong cafes, with a glass of hot milk tea)

Anna: Baked mac and cheese. When I was 8 years old, I made my grandmother’s recipe for the first time. Every time I make it, I think about my family and when we are all living under the same roof.

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

Jocelyn: Yes, hopefully! Ariane and I are going to write our next project together in October. It’s very different from Ruthful, so I’m a little scared, but also excited for a real challenge. I’ve really fallen in love with filmmaking the past couple of years, especially when making Ruthful, so I really want to try and tell stories for as long as I can.

Anna: Right now I’m focusing on using my skills to create positive change. Currently, it’s doing graphic design for a non-profit, in the past it was co-producing news segments for TVO, and in the future who knows?