kitchenA story from the LGBTQ collection. A film by Charlie Sporns.
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Sent to an American high school by her parents, Mei struggles to find her place. Her isolation deepens as she develops feelings for her female English tutor, the one person she feels she can turn to.
Charlie Sporns is a Canadian writer and director from Montréal. His work explores family relationships and cultural identity, drawing on experiences in Québec and China. He wrote, directed, edited and scored Mei’s Bridge, originally titled Dead Bird Don’t Fly.
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A screenplay is not currently available for this film.
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Not on this page yet3 people credited on screen, with biographies.
Meet the cast3 notes on how the film was made.
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Chen Chen Julian is a Los Angeles actor who studied communications and theatre at UCLA. She leads Mei’s Bridge, originally titled Dead Bird Don’t Fly, and also appears in The Sparrows: Nesting and Til It Blooms. Her performance received an Actress: Leading (Student) Award of Merit from the Accolade Global Film Competition in August 2016 and an Honorable Mention for Actress at the Los Angeles Film Awards in April 2017.
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Eli Jane is an actor, model and stunt performer. She plays Ms. Newman, the English tutor at the center of Mei’s search for connection.
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Credited here as Lee Chen Norman, Lee Chen is a bilingual Mandarin-speaking actor originally from mainland China. Her television work includes Veep, Good Trouble, Bob Hearts Abishola and The Morning Show, and her stage credits include M. Butterfly.
View on IMDbSporns says the story began with an immigrant family measuring itself against an ideal of American life. Mei’s feelings for her tutor became a way to explore the distance between the identity others assign to her and her own sense of self.
Read the sourceThe film was completed in December 2014 under the title Dead Bird Don’t Fly. Its filmmaker-submitted record lists Chinese and English dialogue, RED acquisition and a 2.4:1 aspect ratio.
Read the sourceUnder its original title, the film won Best Student Film, Best Ensemble and Best Original Story at the April 2017 Los Angeles Film Awards. Chen Chen Julian also received an Honorable Mention for Actress.
Read the sourceRelease and profile information is drawn from the sources below. Photo sources are credited alongside the images.
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