I Wanna Be the Sky

In a dystopian near-future of Chinese Exclusion, when a young student visits the studio of a charismatic artist to get her first tattoo, she is forced to confront a shared cultural secret that awakens the burgeoning force inside of her.

Directed by Jess X. Snow
Produced by Grace Zhang

Director’s Bio: Jess X. Snow is a non-binary writer/director, multi-disciplinary artist and poet currently based in Philadelphia. Recently named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, their boldly poetic short films explore how flawed diasporic queers become free. They have screened in community gardens and many international festivals including BFI London Film Festival, BlackStar, Ann Arbor, New Orleans, Durban International Film Festival, and many more. They are late development for When The River Split Open, their first narrative feature, supported by Film Independent, Cine Qua Non Lab and Science New Wave. Alongside their work in film, they’ve led many community murals for migrant, climate and racial justice movements.

Precedes

Restrospective: Saving Face

Directed by Alice Wu

Wil is a lesbian, but she doesn’t dare tell her widowed mother, Hwei-lan, or her very traditional grandparents. She’s shocked, however, to find out she’s not the only one in her family with romantic secrets when she learns that her 48-year-old mother is pregnant. Unwilling to reveal who the father is, Hwei-lan is kicked out of her parents’ home and must move in with Wil, which puts a strain on Wil’s budding relationship with openly gay Vivian.