• What inspired the creation of Endling? 

A few years ago, I came across an incredible profile on the Atlantic by journalist Ed Yong about a man who had devoted his entire life to taking care of the last surviving tree snail in Oahu named George. It led me to learning about all the Endlings in our history (which is the term coined to the last survivor of a species whose death marks the forever extinction of its kind) and their human caretakers who have stayed with them until the very end. It made me reflect on the nature of this noble yet tragic responsibility, what draws someone to take up that mantle, and what it means to be the last of your kind. Additionally, Endling was also inspired by my childhood memories of witnessing a family member battle depression and low self worth over his unfulfilled “American Dream.” He was the carp who jumped over the Dragon Gate, only to land on the other side and have life turn out differently than he dreamed. As a child, I felt helpless in his darkest moments – What do you say when the person you love the most truly believes himself to be a waste of space?  So now, many many years later, I’ve put it all into this film.

• How does it feel to have your work recognised at such a prestigious level?

It’s an incredible honor and gift to have been selected as one of the fellows for this year’s Indeed Rising Voices Fellowship, have the film premiere at Tribeca, and above all, hear each person’s individual connection to the film who has been able to see it so far. 

• Endling has qualified to be considered for the Academy awards next year. What impact do you hope Endling will have on global audiences?

Endling also explores themes of purpose, utility, and how oftentimes our worth seems to be determined by our value and contribution to society. Through conducting research for the script, I learned that hundreds of thousands of endangered species go extinct each day because they are not deemed cute enough, valuable enough, or popular enough. I’d love to shine a light on that and start a dialogue about how we can be better people to this planet, and to each other. 

• What advice could you give to other young and diverse emerging filmmakers who are looking to make their mark?

Film is so beautiful as a medium because it’s the amalgamation of every art form: Writing, music, art, poetry, photography… So live life. Read everything. Travel, meet new people, be open to inspiration from unconventional places outside of cinema. The craft can be easily learned and imitated, but your voice and your perspective on the world is singular.

• Do you think audiences are more susceptible and willing to accept the absurd in cinema today? 

“Defamiliarization” as an artistic technique has been around for a century now, which is basically a way of presenting to audiences common themes and ideas in a strange or unfamiliar way so they could gain new perspectives or see the world differently. It’s influenced most of our 20th century art, so absurdist fiction as a form of defamiliarization isn’t anything new. I think in today’s age, thanks to the rapid rise of social media and our ability to learn about anything in the world with a simple tap, people have realised that our reality is actually really really absurd, such as that zoo in China that painted pomeranians to look like pandas and especially our current political climate. So these days, I think people have a great appreciation and interest in films that use absurdity as a vehicle and allegory to explore very real and familiar themes in our lives. 

• What drives you to explore more whimsical themes rather than conventional narratives? 

I’ve always been drawn to fantasy and the surreal. As an only child, I believed in fairies, magic, alternate worlds, and just about anything I could dream up to entertain myself while waiting for my parents to buy groceries or while on long roadtrips with just myself in the back seat. So I think this really influenced the way I like to approach storytelling, and now as an adult, how I find ways to explore very grounded, universal themes through that fantastical or whimsical lens. 

• If you could leave audiences with one feeling after watching Endling, what would it be?

 Bittersweet. 

• How intentional was the environmental message in your storytelling? 

I didn’t set out to make Endling with that overt mission statement and agenda. I don’t like to tell audiences what they should take away from the film, how they should feel, or what they should believe in. Rather, I like to open up that conversation naturally through character, dialogue, and plot. Some people watch Endling and see it as a film about animal conservation. Others see it as a story about the immigrant experience and the American Dream. Others see it as a story of an older gentleman reclaiming his purpose in life. However, there were intentional choices made in the filmmaking process such as the type of location (the estate vs basement habitats), the taxidermy animals, and Bat’s dialogue that were intended to shed a spotlight on wildlife conservation and how humanity has treated the environment. 

• Do you think the absurdity of Endling offers a more accessible way for audiences to reflect on serious environmental issues? 

I think audiences are very smart people who know when a film is trying to say something. It’s less of giving them a more accessible way to reflect on an intended message, but rather filling the 15 minutes they’ve chosen to give me with something fun, enjoyable, and different. 

• Why did you choose a goldfish to represent the wider themes of the film, they are often seen as insignificant? 

I chose goldfish for a few different reasons, with the first being the Chinese fable of how the carp jumped over the dragon gate and was rewarded by becoming a goldfish on the other side. It represents resilience against all odds, and is a great allegory for the American Dream because in real life, goldfish were then brought to the West from China by traders and spread around the world, therefore becoming prevalent in just about every culture and religion. It’s why they’re one of the hardiest and most resilient species who can survive just about anything…Except for stress. Stress is the leading cause of goldfish death. At the same time, goldfish are also super invasive. When they’re released into the water, usually by the way of toilet flushing, they can grow up to 60 pound monsters and wreak havoc on the local ecosystem. They’re not a nice food source either, so if they ever did become endangered, I’m not sure they would be saved. This exact discourse and irony is why I chose the goldfish. 

• In an era of environmental insecurity, do you think filmmakers have a responsibility to bring the topic to bigger screens and more people/ 

I believe this might be a redundant question as I touched upon it above. 

• Did Rising Voices open up any new avenues for your filmmaking approach or artistic expression? 

Rising Voices was an incredible exercise in making a short film with a much larger production budget and team than I’ve had before. I learned a lot about the importance of specificity of vision and the art of navigating relationships and communication with all the folks involved, not just my core creative team. At the end of the day, it was an incredible sandbox to play in and I learned a lot.

• How much inspiration did you take from your mentors at Indeed Rising Voices? 

So much. Everyone involved with Rising Voices were amazing mentors, from the folks at Indeed, to Hillman Grad, 271, and my mentor Destin Daniel Cretton who was so generous with his time and advice.