We had the good fortune of connecting with Haowei Zhang and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Haowei, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I come from a Middle City in China. My education and environment since childhood have subconsciously influenced me by traditional Eastern culture and values. But I have been a rebel since I was a child. In an environment where I believe in moderation, I often feel out of place. I grew up in the gap between resignation and contradiction, trying to find some kind of balance or reconciliation. After coming to the United States, I unconsciously realized that my blood was still that of a boy living in a small town in China. In many moments, I found that my intuitive judgment was still influenced by Eastern values. Then, I realized that the reason why I was able to discover this was because I began to be slowly shaped by the Western cultural background. Under the oriental values of the past, I was disciplined and taught not to be too good and shoot first. But now, I sometimes understand that I need to fight for everything myself. If you don’t express yourself, you have no chance of being seen.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think the biggest difference between me and others in the field of filmmaking is my ability to be inspired by other fields. In the art industry, the early stages of a project are often about finding references, and unlike the usual practice of finding elements from the same field, I find that what makes me special is the fact that I find inspiration in other fields, even if they seem to have nothing to do with film. I think it’s because I’m a person with a wide range of interests, and I’m not bound by the industry I work in. I’m still curious about life and endlessly interested in what’s going on in the world. This curiosity drives me to learn and to think, which unknowingly influences my work in the film industry.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Atlanta is a mesmerizing city where modernity and history coexist in this city. First I would take my friends to the Atlanta Aquarium and the Coca-Cola factory. These are the places in Atlanta that I think are the most worthwhile to visit and they are very close together. Then, I would take my friend to the site of what used to be the Olympics Park to get a feel for where history has left Atlanta. Atlanta also has a lot of very interesting fairs and restaurants, such as the Scott Antique Market which is the largest fair in the world and often has quirky little things and precious handmade artwork.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Chinese language teacher in junior high school. She was a very strict person, both with herself and her students. I am very thankful that her strictness allowed me to be raised in adolescence with some habits of thought and behavioral development that have served me well to this day. She never viewed children as an appendage and treated us in a very childish way, but rather viewed us as individuals and wrapped her expectations into something respectable and intimidating. From time to time, she shared some insights about life or literature in class, and although they were short, I still savor what she once said to me. She didn’t teach deliberately, but rather expressed her reflections to us as they came to her. This habit of lifelong thinking fascinates me. Life was confusing, but I was as if I had found a light in a fog because of her words. She taught the way to face literature, the posture to face life. These things have nothing to do with marks, but shape me as a person.
Website: https://seriousalborada.wixsite.com/mysite
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aalborada_/
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/haowei-zhang-4283351ba
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GOWEILETSGO
Image Credits
Image 1: The shot of film Rattlesnake In The Dream. Director, writer, art director and executive producer: Haowei Zhang (Shu Ji). Producer: Siqi Zhang. Image 2: The BTS photo of film Rattlesnake In The Dream. Director, writer, art director and executive producer: Haowei Zhang (Shu Ji). Producer: Siqi Zhang Image 3: The shot of film Undying Love. Director, writer, production designer: Haowei Zhang (Shu Ji). Executive producer: Xingbo Gu. Image 4: The shot of film Bloom Falls. Director, writer, production designer, director of photography and executive producer: Haowei Zhang (Shu Ji). Image 5: The shot of film Virtual Religion. Director: Haowei Zhang (Shu Ji). Executive producer: Lei Zhang. Image 6: The shot of film Virtual Religion. Director: Haowei Zhang (Shu Ji). Executive producer: Lei Zhang. Image 7: The shot of film Desertopia. Director: Haowei Zhang (Shu Ji). Executive producer: Zixuan Xu. Image 8: The shot of film Desertopia. Director: Haowei Zhang (Shu Ji). Executive producer: Zixuan Xu.