More Dead Than Living
Synopsis
A bitter, cranky widow is visited by Death, who lets him know that his time is up. He’s ready and happy to die but not without having one last “magic” adventure with his estranged daughter, whom he never got it right with.
Film Screening & Ticket Information
When & Where to See this Film!
…COMING SOON…
Film Information
From the Director
Director Statement
I had made a series of shorts about my hometown, Queens, New York and knew that the final film would be about Flushing, which is where I’m from, where my heart calls home, where my family and friends are and where I’m constantly reminded of who I am and what really matters.
I was inspired. Flushing would be the pinnacle of this series. But what was the story? I had none!
The story had to be about Chinese culture and death. I knew that. And I had lots of experience with both – I have Chinese family, I basically grew up Chinese and sadly, Death has taken some dear people of mine. I had a tingling feeling that this perhaps would be a parent-child story but I couldn’t crack the story. That is, until I came across an article about Queens being home to more dead people than living people. When I heard that I knew I finally cracked the story.
Once I read this fact the story just flowed – a widow visited by Death who actually wants to die and is happy to go, but before he leaves life behind he wants to have one last “magic” adventure with the daughter he never got it right with. The script wrote itself in record time and became full of themes, characters, and ideas that are innate to Chinese culture, Queens and all of us – this is a human spirit story. We all face death. We all lose people we love. We all wish for forgiveness. I was merely a vessel for this, as it came to me and I didn’t get in the way of it. “More Dead Than Living” wanted to come to life and be shared.
We bent rules and genres with this film, but it is full of guts. You will laugh, cry and get a unique slice of life and cinema in this film and we hope you enjoy what we worked so hard to make.
Thank you. Much Love.
JT
Director Biography
In my first act, I was a poor kid, from the hood’, with a single-mother, sick parent, and on paper, headed for a hard-knock life. But I took an unexpected and unpredictable U-turn and become the person I wasn’t meant to be.
As a child, the movies grabbed me with a clutch one feels once in a lifetime. Here, I escaped reality and yet understood more and more about reality and people with each film. As I grew up, film, the theater, stories, all of them felt like magic, felt like home and a hybrid university and gym that existed to sharpen and shape my soul, my mind, character, values and creative muscles. In between films, it was home, Queens, NYC – the people, the cultures, the experiences, the possibilities, the pains, the grit people need to persevere through this thing called “life” here – that embedded in me deep curiosity, empathy, survive and strive instincts, and a visceral awe of humanity and story.
Armed with a distinctive diversity of experiences-lived and lessons learned via dear Mom Rosaleen, Queens, sports, the streets, unreal faces and places, and film, I managed to transcend the block (and avoid jail and that life) make things, get an education, meet, befriend, partner and work with incredible people, artists and storytellers (don’t wanna name drop unless Alain makes me!) and exist in this, my act 2, with the faith that nurture trumps (fuck him!) nature and we can be the people we wish to be, not the people we are meant to be.
Credits
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JT DoranDirectorUna Carta a Mis Hijas, Trill, Miracle on 74th Street, A Night with Matthew Perry
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JT DoranWriterUna Carta a Mis Hijas, Trill, Miracle on 74th Street, A Night with Matthew Perry
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Hao LiProducer
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Joe ChanKey Cast“Ba'”
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Emily FanKey Cast“Alice”
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Dominic WongKey Cast“Death”
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Xiao Ping WangKey Cast“Wing”
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Mia YuKey Cast“Aida”
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