Finding Jia

SCREENING EXCLUSIVE TO FILMSLAM (GRADES 5-12 ONLY)Mei, an immigrant 8 y.o yearns for the type of life she sees on TV. A life that resembles the Western way of living that is so often played on her television. Her family’s ‘mom and pop’ business struggles to make ends meet, and they can only afford to live in the small office room at the back of their store. Mei’s discontented life is made up of baths in a bucket, mediocre Chinese food and bickering parents. She finds solace in the world on the other side of the TV – a world of picturesque homes, exquisite food and affectionate families. This solace is taken away from her, as her mum sees it as a waste of time, time that could be spent on perfecting her timestables. Mei plans to run away in search of the real thing, the home she sees on TV. But with time spent away from the screen, she comes to see that the life she has is one that was fought hard for by her parents in their own search for the “Australian Dream”. Mei finds renewed connection with her family as they work together in creating their own version of home.