Drifting (漂流) by Hanxiong Bo. 2019, China, 16 mINS. Chinese with English subtitles. A teenager in the suburbs of China expresses his emotions through drifting his father's old taxi in the abandoned parking lot, where past and future meet.

Hanxiong Bo’s short film was featured in the Student Academy Award Semifinalist and chosen for the 2019 CAA Moebius Showcase. Bo’s working credits include projects with directors like Jennifer Reeder and Francis Ford Coppola. He is currently developing his first feature film in L.A.

Tell us more about your piece.

“The fight scene on the bridge, where the parents come to fight for their kid, that really happened to me the year before I made this film. It inspired me to make a film about a typical Chinese family and the way they express love. I wanted to give insight into the experience of growing up as a single child during China’s one child generation, and the identity crises that accompany that experience which are so often hidden. I couldn’t find actors through traditional casting and auditions, so I started street casting on my own. I actually found my lead actor on a subway train.”

What are you working on now?

“I'm writing my first feature at the moment. It will be a story set in the U.S., partially based on my own experience; a view of America through my own story and lens. I'm also preparing for another short film later this year.”

What are you watching right now?

“I just watched Never Rarely Sometimes Always, and thought it was very beautiful and moving. I’m also rewatching all of Andrea Arnold's films. And some TV shows like Terrace House.”

HANXIONG BO is a filmmaker born and raised in Beijing, China. His latest film Drifting premiered at the 67th San Sebastian International Film Festival and was nominated for the Best Short Film Award. It was a Student Academy Award Semifinalist and chosen for the 2019 CAA Moebius Showcase. Bo's previous film Haircut has also screened in multiple film festivals worldwide. He was selected to participate in 2020 Werner Herzog’s Filmmaking Workshop in the Colombia jungle where he will make a film under Herzog’s mentorship.

Hanxiong Bo is the recipient of the Jack Nicholson Distinguished Student Director Award and the HFPA Directing Fellowship. His past working credits include Distant Vision, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and assistant to award-winning filmmaker, Jennifer Reeder.

This work was presented as part of SHORTS FROM UNDERGROUND, a weekly curated series that highlights boundary-pushing filmmakers from around the world.