Alexis Casida (A):
Welcome to the Film Session Podcast. Today, we are thrilled to feature Quentin Gong, a talented filmmaker whose short films and documentaries have won numerous awards at film festivals worldwide. In 2022, his works won Best Drama and Best Documentary at the Indie Online Film Awards, were finalists at the Stafford Film Festival, and were official selections at the Berlin Indie Film Festival. In 2023, his short film “Snap Out of It” was among the quarter-finalists out of over 12,000 films submitted from 149 countries to the Student World Impact Film Festival. We’re excited to have Quentin here with us today, and we’ll let him introduce himself.
Quentin Gong (Q):
It’s great to meet you, Alexis. Thank you for your wonderful introduction. My name is Quentin Gong, and I graduated from Lesley University MFA program last year. Right now, I am an indie filmmaker, mainly focusing on documentaries, and also I teach part-time.
A: That’s great! So, what inspired you to want to be a filmmaker, and when did you decide this is what you want to do?
Q: I don’t have an answer to this question. When I realized what I wanted to do, I was already holding the camera to film. However, if you’re interested, I can share my personal experience with visual art. Whenever I view a piece of art that truly resonates with me, I feel a sense of power and magic that allows me to see and feel the world around me in a deeper way. I believe that art is a powerful tool for storytelling, and I am always inspired to use it to convey my own stories and experiences.
A: That’s awesome. Can you tell us a little bit more about your journey as a filmmaker how you pursued it since college, when you started to make your first film since then?
Q: I was older than most of my classmates when I was in college because I had worked in China for five years as an indie filmmaker before I came to the US. During my college years in China, I made my first film in 2009. To my surprise, it was selected by the Tokyo International Film Festival. At that time, I was young and loved experimenting with filmmaking techniques, especially cool shots and special effects. I gradually shifted my focus to the realism theme when I went to work. I saw a different world, and I wished I had the power to change it with art. After coming to the United States, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in different languages and cultures. This experience has further reinforced my commitment to creating films that are grounded in reality. Whether it is a documentary or a feature film, I am most passionate about telling stories that are closely intertwined with people’s lives.
A: This is great, awesome! Thanks for sharing your journey with us! Now, can you tell us a little bit about the film you submitted, Snap Out of It?
Q: Sure. First of all, the film was made during the pandemic, in 2021. We all know how difficult it was to do group work on set then. The story is the most basic element of a successful movie. In Snap Out of It, there is no gorgeous character setting, no grand background, and even the drama is what we can see in daily life. All the actors in the movie are my friends, and none of them are professional actors. I chose them as the role because I can see they have some similarities with the characters in the story.
The story structure of Snap Out of It is straightforward. The protagonist, Khoi, is a mixed martial arts boxer with psychological problems. The Khoi character I created had quite a depressed life. People neglected and laughed at him. In the film, Khoi is on the way home after losing another match. He hears a woman, Tasha, yelling at and chasing after a thief who has just robbed her. Khoi knocks down the thief, and recovers Tasha’s purse. In the end, even though Tasha wants to thank him and know his name, Khoi turns and leaves without saying a word.
As I mentioned earlier, I have a preference for stories that have realistic themes because they usually depict the lives of ordinary people. Since I am also an ordinary person, I find these stories easier to relate to. I enjoy transforming other people’s experiences, as well as my own, into visual narratives.
A: Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing these with us. Can you tell us about the top three films that inspired you in your film journey?
Q: Can I say top three directors? They are Steven Spielberg, Satoshi Kon, and Christopher Nolan. Each of them possesses a remarkable talent for crafting films with elements of science fiction and fantasy, while also demonstrating a keen ability to create films that are grounded in realism. Their talent is beyond my reach, and I admire internationally renowned directors for their creative and production abilities. I cannot create something I haven’t experienced.
A: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. As we wrap up, do you have any advice for new filmmakers?
Q: Explore more, read books, and stay observant of the world. Perseverance is key, so never give up too easily.
