Gonella Productions

LANGUAGE: English

SYNOPSIS

As they drive to San Francisco, married couple Angie and Danny debate a decision which will change their lives forever.

AWARDS

2019 – 5th National Youth Film Awards (Singapore) - Best Live Action, Best Director

NOMINATIONS

2019 – 5th National Youth Film Awards (Singapore)
Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Sound Design, Best Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Original Music

FESTIVALS

2018 – 25th Austin Film Festival (In-competition)
2018 – 29th Singapore International Film Festival
2019 – 19th DC Asian Pacific Film Festival
2019 – 2nd Singapore Shorts
2019 – 5th Jaffna International Cinema Festival
2019 – 11th Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival
2019 – 23rd Vancouver Asian Film Festival
2019 – 7th Studio City International Film Festival
2019 –14th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival
2019 – 2nd Short & Thick Film Festival
2020 – 12th Jaipur International Film Festival
2020 – 22nd San Francisco Independent Film Festival (SF IndieFest)
2020 – 7th Seattle Asian American Film Festival

DIRECTOR STATEMENT

This story combines my two of my favourite spheres of storytelling - the political and the personal - and how they are so intertwined in our lives. I moved from Singapore to Los Angeles four years ago and was looking for a story to tell. When I heard how my roommate's parents (who are also from Singapore) became American citizens and renounced their birth citizenships, I seized onto developing the idea of what they talked about on the journey to the consulate, and how this relates to immigration in the United States and emigration out of Singapore.

DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY

Leon Cheo is a writer/director whose latest short film “SIN-SFO” won Best Live Action and Best Director at the 2019 National Youth Film Awards in Singapore. The film premiered in-competition at the Academy Award-qualifying 25th Austin Film Festival. His web series “People Like Us” won ‘Best Short TV Drama’ at the 2016 ITVFest (Vermont), ‘Best Web Drama Series’ at the Formosa Festival of International Filmmaker Awards, and ‘Best Supporting Actor – Drama’ at the 2017 Indie Series Awards. The series is distributed on HereTV in the United States, and Gagaoolala in most of Asia. Other highlights include “The Three Sisters” which won ‘Best Short Film’ at the 2012 NETPAC-Jogja Asian Film Festival; “Move Out Notice” which broadcast on the Lifetime (Asia) channel and nominated for Best Script at the Singapore Short Film Awards; “Nuts” which received honourable mention for the YOMYOMF Interpretations 2.0 competition, founded by Justin Lin (“Star Trek: Beyond”). Leon is an alumnus of Outfest InFusion (2016), Berlinale Talents (2014), Asian Film Academy (2013) and Talents Tokyo (2012).

DIRECTOR FILMOGRAPHY

2019 – People Like Us: S2
2018 – SIN-SFO
2016 – Nuts
2016 – People Like Us: S1
2015 – Move Out Notice
2013 – Departure (Asian Film Academy)
2012 – The Three Sisters
2011 – Triple X
2010 – Swing
2008 – Four Dishes
2007 – Bu Ye Tian (Nightless Day)

CAST

Lydia Look as Angie Ong
Jen Kuo Sung as Danny Goh
Ying Yuen as Consulate Officer
Sonja Inge as Security Officer

CREDITS

Director & Writer: Leon Cheo
Producers: Bill Gardner, Leon Cheo
Cinematographer: Jon Keng
Production Designer: Sandra Montenegro
Editor: Huda Azzis
Composer & Sound Editor: Teo Wei Yong