Closing Night: We Don’t Dance for Nothing

5:45 PM – Red Carpet Photo Session
6:30 PM – Doors Open
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Screening and Q&A

Moderator: Trixi Agiao and Edrian Pangilinan

“WE DON’T DANCE FOR NOTHING” is a photo-montage love letter to the Filipina Domestic Workers of Hong Kong. This visual recreation of true memories shared by this community of 400,000 women (millions globally) follows one woman’s plan to run away. Captured on Super-16 amidst the Hong Kong Protests, stills blend with motion to highlight the passionate Street Dancing of these women, and touch upon LGBTQ+ themes, issues of Workers’ Rights, and Hong Kong’s changing political landscape.

From Chinese – Greek – American director Stefanos Tai, the film has been described as “La Jetée” meets “La La Land”, and its use of stills vs. motion represent a bold new method of filmmaking: one which invites the viewer to viscerally experience the entrapment felt by these women, and their release into freedom when they dance. Among saturated and staid media coverage of these women, WDDFN paints these heroes beyond their job descriptions, as people full of talent, joy, and grace.

Stefanos Tai is a Greek-Chinese-American director. His works remind us of a simple idea: we have more in common than sets us apart. He’s screened at Tribeca, BAM, Cinequest, DOXA, Woodstock, and Savannah– and he’s received an Impact Doc Award, a Scholastic Gold Key, and the “One to Watch” award from the Asian American Film Festival. He has also directed branded content for the Google Creative Lab and TBWA\ Worldwide. Clients include Breguet, Hennessy, Kipling, Li & Fung, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.