Synopsis

Fei, a 16 year old British-Chinese girl, is the top violinist in an elite youth orchestra. When another Chinese violinist arrives to challenge her place in the orchestra, Fei’s anxieties and internalized racism grow to take monstrous physical form. They whisper to her, urging her to be the best, no matter the cost.

Curators’ note

Director’s bio

Renee Zhan is a Chinese-American director and animator from Houston, Texas. Renee graduated with an BA from Harvard University and an MA in Directing Animation from the National Film and Television School. In her films Renee is primarily interested in exploring topics of female identity, nature, and sexuality - all things beautiful, ugly, and squishy. She is an alumnus of the Sarabande Foundation, BAFTA crew x BFI Network and Berlinale Talents and her short films have screened and won awards at festivals internationally including AFI Fest, Locarno, TIFF, Telluride, SXSW, an Annie Award nomination, BAFTA LA shortlist, and the Jury Prize for Animated Short at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

Director‘s statement

Festival & Awards

Toronto International Film Festival

Sundance Film Festival

South by Southwest,

Palm Springs Shorts Fest

London Short Film Festival

Casts

Xiaonan Wang, Alina Lew, Simon Paisley Day

Credits