We were lucky to catch up with Yaxing Lin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Yaxing , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

One of the most impactful projects I’ve embarked upon was my thesis film during my tenure at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. This narrative unfolds around a poignant reunion: after a year of separation, six-year-old Jiajia is reunited with her mother, Lin, who earns her livelihood as a performer in an adult nightclub.

Sex work is a forbidden topic to discuss in China, and sex workers are a group of people who live underground and are silenced in public. However, everyone knows of their existence. They are treated like merchandise on display, but simultaneously, they are laughed at and shunned by the public. The question arises: are they doing what they do willingly? Most likely, yes. The contradictory nature of their predicament stems from deep helplessness in their lives. Being a single mother, female, or sex worker does not make their lives any easier. This film aims to explore the unfortunate circumstances of these people who are generally considered outcasts of society. As a single mother with a daughter, the protagonist of the story epitomizes this group of people.

My mother gave birth to me when she was 20, making her a young mother herself. I used to blame her for not being a typical mother and not knowing how to raise a kid at all. However, now that I have turned 25, I have imagined what it would be like if I were pregnant, or had a five-year-old child. How would I deal with it? How would I handle my life? I don’t have an answer, but I have started to understand the struggle of a single mother. This film is a conversation between my 25-year-old self and my 25-year-old mother.

Yaxing , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Like many people, the first character I learned to write was my name. My mother made me practice writing it on a grid notebook hundreds of times. Back then, my mother proudly told me, “Your name represents an Asian star; isn’t it cool?” I didn’t really understand, but I knew I wanted to be a star on TV. Therefore, I fell in love with acting, and I told others that my dream was to become a star.

However, in the end, I didn’t become a star. Reality made me realize that it was time for me to grow up.

But I was still someone who really wanted to be on TV, so in high school, I chose to study broadcasting and hosting, hoping to become a TV show host. On the journey of learning broadcasting and hosting, I encountered a cliché story that many people had told before. When I went to Beijing to take the Broadcasting and Hosting interview, my friend invited me to attend an interview for a Film and Media major with her. My friend was not admitted, but surprisingly, I was.

The first year I officially decided to study directing, I was 20 years old in the mountain city of Chongqing, China. I poured my heart into making my first short film, but I dared not call myself a director, feeling it was something distant. At the age of 21, I studied abroad at NYU Tisch. I had been running wildly in the streets and alleys of New York, finishing my second, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh short films. I finally hesitantly introduced myself to others as a director.

At the age of 22, I stepped into one of the best film schools, USC School of Cinematic Arts, feeling that I was about to create incredible works that could influence a generation.

Now, three and a half years later, I’ve graduated from USC’s film school. I have a few works, but nothing great that could influence a generation, haven’t become a person on TV. But my dream is still burning hot; the desire to make films keeps my heart pounding. I’m currently planning my first feature film. I often think about how lucky I am to keep doing what I love and how lucky I am to showing my works on screens with people I know and I do not know.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

At times, I perceive filmmaking as akin to the art of sculpture – a craft not merely of external creation, but a carving of the director’s own heart. It is those who sculpt earnestly from within, who, when their work is unveiled, present their very heart in their hands. In this heartfelt offering, everyone can sense the warmth, the sincerity, and the art that emanates. My journey these years has been thus: Observe life, live it, and make a film.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

Every filmmaker starts on a project where he/ she is doing almost every role. This was a story when I was making my first indie narrative film back in New York, 2017 winter.
We had a really good start in pre-production. However, the production was tough. The dog actor was leaving for California, so we had to change the schedule. When we arrived at the set, we found out that the tunnel in which I expected the dog to stand was piled up with poisonous trash. My assistant director suggested me to shoot as planned; it was only one shot after all. However, I ultimately decided to move the dog to a safe place nearby despite causing a small continuity problem. We doubled the shooting time due to this. Under too much pressure, my physical strength deteriorated. I fell down heavily on the stairs, got my head stuck between two railings, and blacked out for almost 5 seconds. I regained my consciousness when my actress pulled me out. Then, I immediately tried to recompose myself and calm down. I could not believe the first thing I did was actually to buy pizza for my crew members as it was almost dinner time. Then, I spent some time communicating with the actress; in spite of all these obstacles, we managed to calm down and she was able to get into the right mood and emotion for the upcoming shoot. We finally finished what we had set out to do. Producing this project was truly an adventure for me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yaxing_lin/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaxing-lin-62220715b/

Image Credits
Leyi Dai Run Jin Yuxin Gao