Written by G. Noelle Anderson. Photo courtesy of IMDb.
Tom Huang—a director, producer and writer—visited SCAD Savannah Film Festival this weekend to discuss his narrative feature film, “Dealing with Dad.“
“Dealing with Dad“ follows the story of three siblings handling the depression of their father. This feature stars actors such as Ally Maki, Hayden Szeto, Peter S. Kim and Dana Lee. During its film festival tour across the country, it has collected six awards and two nominations in categories such as Best Narrative Feature, Best Comedy Feature and Best Cinematography.
Speaking on the inspiration for this story, Huang said, “This was based on my experiences trying to get my dad out of depression, which took about eight years. So, after that happened, it really felt like I wanted to write something that would entertain and start a discussion on depression.”
Huang emphasized his enthusiasm for incorporating personal experiences into film: “I think the films that are really striking, really compelling for me, especially the smaller films, are ones that are personal—things that you are really able to show your voice in. It comes from you, shows up in the show, and also appears in the writing.”
When asked about the film’s meticulous cinematography, the director described the role that a limited shooting schedule had on his production process.
“You know, we had limited time,” said Huang. “So I storyboarded the entire script before we even shot, and it allowed me to sit with my DP, actually talking about what I wanted. And so, we were talking on the same level and talking in the same voice when we put things on screen.”
Despite the drama inherent to dealing with topics such as depression, “Dealing with Dad” does not shy away from using comedy as a tool to keep the audience’s interest and better reflect real situations. Honest and humorous banter are recurring elements throughout the film. On achieving that balance between humor and drama, Huang said, “I feel that my life, in real life, even at the most stressful times and during the biggest crises, just absurd things happen. And so, when I started writing the scripts, I wanted it to be like moments in time that are wonderful, and there’s still humor in it, but the face of it is really reality.”
Huang, with the proper funding, currently has hopes of releasing “Dealing with Dad” in theaters in March of next year. In the meantime, Huang has three other screenplays he’s attempting to get off the ground while he additionally works on the sequel to his 2018 film “Find Me.“
To all the filmmakers out there, Huang had this to say: “I think it’s sometimes hard to put yourself out there, but, on the other hand, [sharing your personal stories] is a really true way of showing who you are.”
