Film Synopsis:
The film Zen uses nature’s components such as water, plants, and animals in an abstract form to deliver calmness to the audience. The idea of them being abstract matches the theme of Zen (a Buddhism terminology meaning a state of calmness); it is something people feel rather than see and understand directly.
Artist's Statement:
My artworks often explore the relationships between humans and nature. Due to the fact that we are living in a society that is high-technical and fast-paced today, we stayed with electronic devices all day and ignored the beautiful nature around us. After we grew up, we spent more time indoors, studying, working, becoming more and more familiar with electronic devices. I made the film Zen because I want to convey calmness to the audience. Hopefully, they can learn how to slow down, relax, and pay attention to the things happening around them.
Filmmaker’s Biography:
Yumeng Cai is a Chinese-Canadian and has lived in Vancouver for almost twelve years. She studied Film and Screen Arts at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, focusing on film production. She is interested in telling stories through short films. Her professional experiences include video making on online platforms (receiving over 100,000 views on YouTube and over 800,000 views on Bilibili), lyric writing, and editing. She wants to keep developing as a storyteller, an editor and a short video maker.
Film Credits:
Director, Yumeng Cai
Music Composer, Emma Shang
Sound Design, Emma Shang