Lynn Chen Instagram – “Stage Kids,” a short film I wrote/directed, is finally live!!! Link is in the bio to watch. Thank you so much to @uvufemmeproject and my cast/crew of nearly all women who helped me make this.
FILMMAKER STATEMENT:
I grew up performing professionally in New York City, during a time when there weren’t many roles for children, let alone Asian-American ones. Even though my mother was in the Ladies’ Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera herself, I often regarded show business as a big mystery. When I saw my young colleagues’ parents pushing them to succeed, I felt invisible and frustrated by my own lack of opportunities. Now I understand: I was being protected.
“Stage Kids” is very loosely based on my own childhood experiences backstage, growing up in a very adult world that was never fully explained to me. This film explores the unrealistic expectations we place on young women. If we ask them to be a grown up before they’re ready — or just act like one — there are often consequences waiting in the sidelines, ready to step in and take center stage.
To jump from in front of the camera to behind it has been one of the most rewarding experiences, especially because the pressure of how I look is no longer a job qualification. When the opportunity to write/direct 2022’s @uvufemmeproject was presented to me, I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of it. To be able to mentor a crew of female-identifying students, many of whom were doing this for the first time, is highly unusual. That’s why it was important for me to write a script for an entirely female cast.
I always do best in environments where we are all students, learning how to improve as storytellers, rather than merely getting by for a paycheck. I believe we created that unique experience with “Stage Kids” — and I hope our young cast and crew were able to feel inspired in ways I found lacking, back when I was brand new at all of this. | Posted on 18/Oct/2023 02:01:41
