A DIRE STRAIT World Premiere At Dances With Films 25

A Dire Strait, written and directed by Liang-Chun Lin (Still Rolling, Thicker Than Blood) is a thriller short based on Eastern Asian postpartum traditions. It explores the boundaries issue within Asian families, different beliefs in motherhood as well as the identity crisis of a new Asian mother.

The term 坐月子 (zuo-yue-zi) or literally translated to "Sitting The Month," requires the postpartum mother to do nothing but "sit" (rest) to recover for one month after delivery. This practice has been around for thousands of years and it is still being practiced by many Chinese. Director Liang-Chun Lin was surprised by how it is under-discussed among TV and film, despite being such big part of Chinese women's lives.

In 22 mins, A Dire Strait follows Demi through her experience of postpartum confinement, dietary restrictions and unbearable family pressure. Although Demi tries to be as cooperative as possible to please her in-laws, the weeks-long confinement and endless chicken soup push her to her limit. She desperately needs a break; however, just one misstep spirals into her worst nightmare...

With a production crew as minimal as 16 people, Liang-Chun Lin and her key creatives, producer Taylor Poling, cinematographer Brandon Ng, production designer Dazzy Shah, sound designer Kevin Khor, editor Apoorva Sankar, SFX Makeup artist Apple Fong, and composer Shao-Ting Chang, managed to accomplished a high quality and effective thriller during pandemic, with strong support of their mentors Rachel Goldberg, Thomas Harris, Johnny Jensen, John Chichester, Roy Finch and Paul Seydor.

"It's so unique. I have never seen a short film like this." feedback by Roy Finch on their first cut.

"A Dire Strait is dark and eerie in ways that recall Ari Aster's early short films... it's quiet, uncomfortable, and gets under your skin in the best way," according to film critic Clement Tyler Obropta.

A DIRE STRAIT is now set to have its world premiere at the prestigious Dances With Films Festival, June 9-19, 2022. A Dire Strait is included in the Short Film Group #4, which will be screening on June 12, 12:30 PM along with 4 other great short films. Tickets can be purchased here: https://danceswithfilms.ticketspice.com/dwf-comp-shorts-grp-4

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