FOUR DISHES Directed By Leon Cheo

Indie Express: Tell us about your film?

Leon: The film is about a boy who wonders what the perfect family dinner is like.

IE: How did you come up with the idea for the film?

L: A friend of mine related this image of a father and son having dinner but they do not talk. That stuck with me and I converted that to my own experiences and that became the film.

IE: How did you assemble your production team?

L: I missed working with my schoolmates from film school so I called up as many of them as I can and asked them to help. Thankfully, some of them did and I'm very grateful for giving me their time and effort.

IE: How did you find your cast? 

L: The cast was found mainly through auditions. The lead actor, played by Jin Li, is new to acting and we had to rehearse a bit more but I think his performance turned out really well. The younger brother, played by Keith, he appeared at the auditions looking very timid and shy. However, once he started reading, he became a totally different person! I picked him immediately! The parents are experienced stage and TV actors.

IE: How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit)

L: A few months I think. It was a really simple film so I did alot of things myself. Audio Post Production was done by a friend, Weiyong, who's studying in Boston! We spend hours sending gigabytes of files back and forth, into the wee hours of the morning for our respective time zones. Thank God for the internet!

IE: Tell us a little about your process of directing (writing) this film.

L: I decided to focus on getting good performances for this film. So besides casting good actors, we had some rehearsals and script reads so that they get to know what their characters are like. Writing was a bit difficult. I was trying to create a credible dinner conversation which seemed real instead of "movie-talk". I gave each character something to talk about and I think that worked out.

IE: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?

L: Because the film was so personal, I was trying to figure out what the film was trying to say, and what I really feel about my family and my relationships.

IE: Any particular moments from filming that stand out for you? 

L: I really enjoyed working with the actors, especially the ones who have very little experience. I think it's difficult yet rewarding to craft a performance from someone who hasn't acted before.

IE: Tell us about the film's festival experience so far?

L: The festival has been great and my film was just screened. The response was mostly positive and I had several people asking me questions and coming up to talk to me. A few Singaporeans who were living in San Francisco even came to say 'hi'. It was really nice.

IE: What are you most looking forward to at the festival?

L: Well, I looked forward most to my film but now it's about the other films I want to watch. It's great that the GLBT community has this space to watch films about themselves. Oh and of course, the parties.

IE: What films or filmmakers inspire you?

L: Ang Lee and his films really inspire me. His themes are something I feel strongly about too. And he's so deft at crafting a film. 

IE: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

L: At first I didn't know why I wanted to be a filmmaker. But then I realise I have this urge to tell stories and since I really enjoy watching movies...why not make them?

IE: What is next for you?

L: I'm planning to take a Bachelors in a film programme...and I may also make a new film, also about family.

IE: What is next for the film?

L: The film will be having its first public screening in its homeland Singapore in August. I'm really looking forward to that.

IE: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be?

L: Keep it simple, with one or two locations and actors. Start smaller.

IE: What question would you like to be asked about your film?  

L: Does food have any symbolic meanings in the film?

IE: What is the Answer to that question?

L: Though it's probably an obvious cliche, I think food and meals, in general, typify social interaction in a family - things happen at the dinner table. So I wrote my story around two very different dinners. Frankly, the title has very little relation to the story itself. Perhaps it could be alluded to the tradition that Chinese dinners try to have a soup, a vegetable dish, a meat dish and a seafood dish to make it a complete meal?