Humanity and hope: Get to know filmmaker Hsuan-Wei Wu
Hsuan-Wei Wu (Jackson) has a story to tell. As a filmmaker with a background in both Christianity and Asian culture, he seeks to bring both of these unique components to the forefront, and explore the ways in which they intersect. Human connection is the most universal theme one could hope to depict, and Hsuan-Wei recognizes the power that an authentic depiction could have on viewers.
Hsuan-Wei stumbled upon his passion for cinema during high school. He made spec commercial projects, which allowed him to refine his talents, before deciding to pursue the artform full tilt in college. He enrolled at Pennsylvania State University, where majored in Film/Video, and furthered his education at the City College of New York. He graduated from the latter with an MFA and a BAFTA NY 2020 DLT Entertainment Scholarship to his name.
The ambitious filmmaker wasted little time establishing himself. His debut short, The Angel In the Globe, won multiple awards and screened at dozens of film festivals around the United States. Some of the most notable awards the film received include the Best Under 5 Minute Film at the New York International Film Awards and Best Child Actor at the Los Angeles Film Awards. The Angel In the Globe also had the honor of being an official selection at the New York Lift-Off Film Festival.
As evidenced by the rapturous reception to his latest film, however, Hsuan-Wei is just getting started. I’m Home is about a college graduate who returns home in an attempt to reconcile with his estranged father (Tie-Hsiang Ban). The film takes place over a compressed period of time, and showcases the difficulty that people have when it comes to sharing how they really feel.
I’m Home is currently being screened at festivals around the country, and has already won awards from ICVM Crown Awards and Centre Film Festival. At 15 minutes, it’s significantly longer than Hsuan-Wei’s debut, and showcases the ways in which he’s managed to improve as a storyteller.
I’m Home is an even stronger testament to the themes that fascinate him, which include faith and the ability to forgive. The ability to instill hope in others, regardless of the situation, is something that art has been able to do for as long as its existed, and Hsuan-Wei is confident that his contributions to the form will follow suit. Based on the superb offerings he’s given us so far, we’re confident he’s right.
