Meet Siqi Zhang | Independent Filmmaker; Film Producer; Film Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Siqi Zhang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Siqi, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I think the most important point for a filmmaker is how to use movies as a medium to tell a good story. Especially when I first expressed my opinions in the form of a short film, I found that the content and themes conveyed in short films are easier for audiences to accept, and they are more likely to resonate with and provoke people’s thoughts. Making more people hear your views and voice is also what I think is the charm of movies.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As an indie filmmaker, the hardest part of creating a movie is probably telling a story in the best way possible on screen with limited time and budget. I’m lucky to have had many friends who were willing to help me for free in their spare time on my filmmaking journey. It’s thanks to this group of like-minded friends, as well as many kind strangers who helped me along the way, that my crazy and beautiful ideas were able to come to life one by one.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a coke head — so definitely the Coke Cola world! I also had a dream about ocean, so I’ll definitely take my friend to the aquarium as well. If my friend want to do a tracking or trail, I’ll take them to the Sweetwater creek, it’s a national park in GA, and lots of films were shot here as a location. In terms of eating, I’ll recommend Han Shin Pocha, a great place for people who love spicy Korean food! Also, the popcorn chicken in Java Saga is wonderful!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The person I want to mention the most is my grandmother. When I was young, my parents were very busy with work, so they would have my grandmother come to our house or send me to her house to take care of me. To be honest, when I was young, I didn’t really like my grandmother. I didn’t like the old person smell on her, didn’t like her restrictions on me, didn’t like her collection of plastic bags and “waste”, and I especially didn’t like her always speaking in dialect to me. When I was young, I just wanted her to be quiet. But strangely enough, it was always when my grandmother spoke Mandarin with her accent and told me stories that I slept really well. As I got a little older, I entered my rebellious phase and liked doing things that the elders wouldn’t allow and thought it was cool, like staying up all night playing on the computer. One night, I was playing on my computer in my room, and my grandmother, who was passing by with a glass of water, heard the noise and came in to tell me to stop playing and go to bed. She sat next to me and spoke to me in her accented Mandarin, but I, being rebellious, didn’t listen and said some very rude things to her. That time, I really upset my grandmother, and she quietly cried in the living room. My mother heard the commotion and came out to comfort my grandmother, while I locked myself in my room and didn’t show any sign of backing down.
Actually, after a while, I realized my mistake, but I never apologized to my grandmother. The incident was eventually forgotten, and my grandmother forgave me as she always did after every argument. She still loved me just as much. But after that incident, I reflected on my mistakes and never disrespected my grandmother again.
Later on, I left my hometown to study in other cities and countries where there was no more nagging or control from my grandmother. Instead, there were only unfamiliar surroundings and pressures. It was during this time that I started to suffer from insomnia due to the stress. On every sleepless night, what I missed the most was my grandmother telling me stories in her accented Mandarin when I was young. Unfortunately, I can no longer hear them because my grandmother passed away due to illness. I wasn’t there to see her for the last time, express how much I loved her, or apologize to her. This emotion has always haunted me and made me reflect on how we express “love” for our family. It also influenced my style of film making.

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13828850/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siqi-zhang-039665256/