Watch: Short Film ‘Xie Xie, Ollie’ – Directed by James Michael Chiang
by Alex Billington
August 13, 2024
Source: Vimeo
“Happy Birthday, Grandma.” In just under a month from now, the 2024 Toronto Film Festival will kick off up in Canada. One of the short films that premiered at TIFF 2023 last year is now available online to watch after touring on the festival circuit for a year. Xie Xie, Ollie is a heartfelt, humble 9-minute short made by a Chinese-Canadian filmmaker / photographer named James Michael Chiang. It stars his own brother Oliver Chiang as Ollie (and he co-wrote the script with James). Intro from TIFF: “In his efforts to connect with his Chinese heritage, a biracial man discovers challenges and complexities he may not have expected in James Michael Chiang’s remarkably deft blending of drama and comedy.” The short film also stars Selena Kang, Jake Shannon, Esfandiar Baraheni, Ronald Hae, Yee Ling Wong, and Xiu Fen Song. This reminds me of Lulu Wang’s excellent film The Farewell for obvious reasons, which is also about the desire to connect with our family. This short has some seriously great cinematography and a very lovely score, too.
Thanks to Vimeo Staff Picks for the tip on this short film now out to watch online. Here’s the quick intro via Vimeo: “A biracial man uncovers difficulties and complications in his attempts to connect with his Chinese background.” Xie Xie, Ollie is directed by filmmaker James Michael Chiang based in Toronto, Canada – you can see even more of his work on his Vimeo page or stop by his official website or follow him on IG @jamesmichaelchiang. “As a filmmaker, his work showcases a steadfast preference for telling raw, genuine human stories that remain visually truthful and honest.” The screenplay is written by James Michael Chiang & Oliver Chiang. It’s produced by Aasttha Khajuria. With cinematography by Shady Hanna, and an original score by Ali Helnwein. This initially premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival last year, before going on to screen at many other fests around the world. He wrote this note last year: “Getting a film into TIFF has been a dream of mine, and I’m stoked that I got to do it with my brother Oliver Chiang (lead actor and co-writer).” For more info on the film, visit James’ post or Vimeo. To enjoy more shorts, click here. Thoughts?
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