Director:
Kim Webby
Producer:
Alex lee
Country:
New Zealand
Category:
Development
Logline
Wellington 1905, a
figure stalks elderly Joe Kum Yung at night, it’s the shadow of death. Wellington 2023, a young woman follows her
ancestor’s ghost as she burns for justice.
Synopsis
Blending
fiction, historical recreation, magical realism and documentary,
Memory of Longing chronicles the true story of New Zealand Chinese
immigrant Joe Kum Yung, who was murdered in 1905 by a notorious white
supremacist - and the efforts of his fictional great-great granddaughter to
document his story, thus gaining insight into her own complex ancestry and
lived experiences.
Joe was 68 and
crippled, a luckless Chinese goldminer, shot dead by a white supremacist, in
Wellington, New Zealand in 1905.
Fictional, 26-year-old
An, is Eurasian and adopted. An has just
found her Chinese birth mother and is learning about being Chinese. When she makes a documentary about Joe’s murder,
An grapples with her own half European, half Chinese identity as she confronts
the white supremacy that killed Joe and the systemic anti -Asian sentiment in
New Zealand at the time, reinforced by laws and policies. She realises little has changed with white
supremacy again on the rise.
As An investigates
Joe’s life and death, the edges blur between past and present, until finally An
and Joe meet face to face in the Chinese gold mining settlement where he spent
33 years, in New Zealand’s South Island.
Director’s Statement
Joe’s story is 118
years old but it’s more important than ever.
Throughout the world white supremacy and hate crimes are on rise, with
Asians frequently The target. In New Zealand in 2019 an Australian white
supremacist slaughtered 51 New Zealand Muslims at prayer. During the Covid
pandemic 11,400 hate incidents were reported against Asian Americans.
As a documentary maker, I strive to promote social justice and
equality.As a Eurasian New Zealander, my films also explore my steps to
discover my Chinese heritage, because as an adopted person my experiences with
Chinese culture are mostly learned rather than lived. As a female (she/her)
filmmaker, I also make films from the perspective of a strong woman, but with
sensitive enquiries into different cultural contexts.
My stories are often about a central character who is misunderstood or
even vilified by the mainstream. I offer
an alternative perspective, then leave
it for viewers to decide.I am motivated to provide insight into worlds often
overlooked or misunderstood and to skew the discussion. Joe’s story resonates
with me because we are both from Poon Yue in Guangdong, South China.
Budget
1,095,571 USD
Contact Details:
Director
kwebby@xtra.co.nz
Producer
alex@yallamedia.co.nz