Synopsis

After grandma Guián passes away, Nicole decides to go to China to look for the house Guián left when she emigrated to Costa Rica. This is a journey to answer the questions she was never able to ask because they never shared the same language.

Curator’s Note

A journey of ancestral exploration triggered by grief for the deceased: first reconnect with the Chinese Community in Costa Rica, then travel to China, Guangzhou, and return to Enping, the hometown of “Guián”, the grandma. The natural logic of actual actions taken by the director forms the framework of this documentary. Sincere emotions, such as the sense of confusion as a descendent of immigrants and the strange feeling of familiarity and comfort when returning to Enping for the first time, unfold continuously within the self-exposure captured through the handheld camera. （Zhaoyu Chen）

Director’s bio

Nicole Chi is a Costa Rican-born Chinese director, currently based in Austin, Texas. She’s been recognized with awards like the Director's Guild of America’s Student Film Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement and AFS’s Texas New Voices. She was part of Talents Guadalajara and is a Fulbright Fellow. Her work has been selected in festivals like Telluride, Visions du Réel, New Orleans FF and SSFF & ASIA.

Director’s Note

Guián is a portrait of my journey as a young, Chinese born Costa Rican woman, trying to connect with her Chinese grandma, who I incorrectly called Guián because I never asked the meaning of the words I spoke. The passing away of my grandma led me to the decision of travelling for the first time to the place she abandoned: China. When I started this documentary I thought a lot about the community I am part of, and I reflected a lot on how our representation had to go beyond the chop suey we cook and the mispronounced “r”, beyond the Chinese man in the supermarket or the myth that all Chinese people eat rat meat. For me, it is vital to present more dimensions than the stereotypes we are known for.

Festival & Awards

Casts

Credits

Producers: Alejandra Vargas Carballo, Nicole Chi Amén

Editing: Roberth Pereira

Original Score: Diego Rojas

Sound Design: Gabriela Rivas Feoli