七天 Seven Days
Wanqi Yu
Seven Days | Trailer | 2021
Logline
Two roommates find connection in unlikely circumstances.
Artist Statement
Seven Days is a narrative film about family and friendship. It is based on my shared living experience with my high school friend several years ago. Although we are not living in the same country anymore, we are still spiritual support for each other. Around the world, there are a lot of international students like me. Most of us go abroad alone while our parents stay in their home country. Every day we miss our parents and loved ones back home. Apart from homesickness, the biggest fear for us is not being able to return to see our loved ones after an emergency. My work explores the relationship between two roommates who are international students living in Canada.
Behind the Story
The production has been two days in early December with one day of pickups. Under lockdown in COVID-19, writing a script for this particular situation has been challenging. I have changed my script entirely after I chose to shoot at home to decrease the risk index. Additionally under lockdown, all the actors’ auditions have been online, a new challenge for people in front of and behind the camera.
The idea of the film originates from my homesick as a student studying abroad and my empathy towards a friend who has a similar background: she is unable to visit her sick relatives back in her home country. I have been living by myself for three years in a foreign country, therefore want to inject the sentimental insight in my film based on my personal experience. I believe this work reflects the real life of shared-living international students, and I hope it can resonate with people.
Production Credits
Cast
Cali | Menglei Liu
Kayla | Jingyi Hua
Mom | Jing Shi
Crew
Director | Wanqi Yu
Producer | Wanqi Yu
Camera Operator | Xinrong Wang
Camera Assistant | Xiaohua Liang
Editor | Wanqi Yu
Sound Mixer | Nanxi Feng
Makeup | Xiaotong Ye
Re-recording Mixer | Doug Paterson
Special Thanks
Carlito Ghioni, Danvid Feng Liang, Harry Killas, Lindsay McIntyre
Rafi Spivak, Shanjun Yu, Siqi Yang, Zhiyun Zhang
Produced at Emily Carr University of Art + Design © Wanqi Yu 2021
