Oscar-Qualified Short CORPSE FISHING by Jean Liu: Interview/Film Breakdown

Ladies and gentlemen, Jean Liu’s vividly haunting short film CORPSE FISHING explores grief and longing in a marginalized community. Set in southern China, this mysterious short follows a despairing girl named Yan as she strikes a deal with a stranger to go fishing for bodies in a desperate attempt to find her missing father. This incredible story is inspired by ‘body fishermen’ in China who scan the river looking for cadavers, which they then sell back to grieving families.

The cinematography of CORPSE FISHING is worthy to Oscar shortlisted and even nominated. The cool gray coloring of the film adds to the story. The dialogue between Yan and the corpse fisherman is something you want to pay attention too as it tells a deeper story of Yan’s grief, her loneliness and a desire to either find her family or find a new family.

CORPSE FISHING is a must see short film and one of the best films in this year’s run up to the Academy Awards. I would definitely keep an eye on this one.

About the Guest

Jean Liu, a filmmaker from the UK and China. She specializes in telling stories about personalities and subcultures that put a highly individual stamp on issues of broader interest. Her portrait-style films have been featured at SXSW, Slamdance and numerous other film festivals around the world.

Jean Liu’s vivid short CORPSE FISHING explores grief and longing in a marginalized community. The short film follows a despairing girl who strikes a deal with a stranger to go fishing for bodies in a desperate attempt to find her missing father.

This film was presented at the Tribeca Film Festival and was part of the official selection at HollyShorts, and was made as part of Indeed’s Rising Voices program - an initiative set up to discover, invest in and share stories created by BIPOC filmmakers and storytellers.

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