Genie, a Chinese-American teenager, develops feelings for a charming African-American DJ, but her grandmother forbids their romance forcing Genie to choose between family and love.
Acting
Kieu Chinh's grandmother—terrifying, heartbreaking, real
Direction
Bay-Sa Pan's personal lens on diaspora dynamics
Score
Underground DJ scenes that actually slap
Director
Bertha Bay-Sa Pan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bertha Bay-Sa Pan made this after her own NYU thesis film exploring similar themes, essentially crowdfunding Asian-American stories before it was trendy.
The title 'Face' refers to 面子 (miànzi)—not just dignity but social currency, making Genie's rebellion literally cost her family their standing in Chinatown.
US
