‘Red Lantern’ is one of 5 short films commissioned by Blacktown Arts to showcase at the Blacktown Magnify Festival in June, 2023. Created, Written and Produced by NOAH Films – Marshall-Weishuai Yuan & Sangeetha Gowda, and with Sangeetha Directing, the film is a homage to Ethnic-Australian Creatives. It explores the struggle of following your creative pursuits against all odds and family expectations, without a guarantee of success.
“I’m so glad we got the opportunity to bring Red Lantern into production because it wasn’t one I wanted to let go of. As creatives we go through a lot, the waiting, the rejections, the sacrifice – it all seems amplified when we have immigrant parents who gave up so much to allow us the freedom to dream in the first place. I hope Red Lantern can bring some understanding to this, and reignite those dreams, to step with confidence into our purpose & inspire the next generations.” – Sangeetha, Director.
“Red Lantern is a very personal piece to me as the story parallels my own, particularly with the protagonist, Alex, a Chinese Australian actor. This idea came to existence as a pitch for a 2021 initiative which unfortunately we didn’t get. However the story was really powerful so we didn’t give up on it and pitched it to Blacktown Arts which accepted it. Thankfully they saw the potential and aided us in creating this beautiful film. Much like the history of making Red Lantern, the central message of this film is about persistence and rediscovering your ‘light’ aka your purpose and using it to illuminate the world.” – Marshall, Producer.
The film features an Ethnically Diverse cast, with Marshall in the title role along with Sangeetha, Almitra Mavalvala, Malek Domköc & Seth Pang supporting. With representation and authenticity in story at the forefront of ‘Red Lantern’ – the cast spoke on what true representation means to them, what lead them into Acting & what their dream roles are.
What does true representation mean to you?
Malek: To me, true representation means that our differences in culture, stories or just who we are as people is being properly acknowledged and appreciated.
Almitra: Representation to me is seeing someone like yourself in all equal roles. Not the stereotypical ones that everyone assumes you to be in. Representation to me also means telling those stories of under-represented communities in fun circumstances. Not all migrants/immigrants have sad stories to tell and not all of them are born from trauma.
Seth: True representation in media means having diversity of faces from different cultures appear in media that reflects the proportions of the cultures in the population. This allows for information and art-form expressions to be an expansive and portrayal of the people (Australia).
Marshall: Showcasing the reality of a race, culture or background. True representation is when society stops stereotyping and labelling people and starts realising that they are actually people. In film it’s just telling stories and showcasing artists in very genuine ways.
Sangeetha: True representation to me is creating characters, dialogue and stories without barriers, stereotypes or assumptions. It’s giving equal opportunities to Actors and Crew of all backgrounds to fulfill their dreams. We live in a beautiful world with a multitude of cultures and people – Australia is no stranger to this and I believe that’s something that deserves to shine on our screens. It’s due time.
What lead you to Acting?
Malek: I chose acting because I love story telling and of course there are many other ways you can tell stories but to me, acting has given me a passage where I can meet like minded storytellers like me and also allowing myself to freely express my core feelings and inner creativity through characters that I get play.
Almitra: I guess I never saw it as ‘Acting’. I’ve been on stage doing plays since I was 3 years old. And somehow even though I was playing a character, I somehow just got to insert myself authentically in that role. I guess that’s what I love about it. The adrenaline of being on stage is something I can never give up. And I wouldn’t trade it in for anything else.
Seth: I chose acting because I enjoy being on set and working with people. I walk away happy every time I finish a production having had fun with others and meeting new people. Acting also comes naturally to me and gives me confidence. I’m proud to own it because acting isn’t a thing for everyone, especially in my culture.
Marshall: I want to be a good role model for people of diverse backgrounds, particularly my own Asian heritage. I didn’t have many strong public figures who looked like me growing up, in fact they were often stereotyped -something that caused a lot of self loathing and identity issues. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt so I try my best to use my acting and my platform as a way of changing things.
Sangeetha: Acting gave me a confidence I had lost, it made me feel like ‘me’ again. And the more I did, the more I learned. Seeing the world through different characters every day gave me more understanding of humanity, that everyone has a story, sometimes a story they don’t share, and we should treat each other with kindness because of it.
Would you say you have a dream role?
Malek: I don’t have a lot of dream roles but the only story that has stuck with me for a long time is the story of Yasuke (First ever black samurai in the 16th century Japan). True story and if you don’t know or never heard of it, you can look it up or research. But there’s something fascinating about Yasuke’s story, being from an African background and his connection with the Japanese culture (truth be told, not everyone can just become a samurai). Hopefully one day I’ll get to play that character if I ever do get the opportunity.
Almitra: Not particularly no. But I really want to play a lawyer in a drama series/ movie/stage play. I’d also love to play Esmeralda in Hunchback of Notre dame. Or Vanessa in ‘In the Heights’.
Seth: My dream role is most likely something in Marvel. Maybe even Spiderman?
Marshall: All the roles that I’ve made. Being a creative means storytelling is part of who I am. I often think of characters and roles I would like to play and store these ideas on my phone, in a notebook or in my mind until the right time comes.
Sangeetha: Honestly my dream roles are the one’s I have been creating. There is something so fulfilling about getting to create characters you would be excited to play – and actually getting to play them. I tend to gravitate towards darker roles that challenge me and shine a light on important subjects, but having said that, if a role on Bridgerton came up – I’d certainly be jumping for joy!
You can watch Red Lantern along with the other 5 selected film at the Blacktown Magnify Festival, June 2nd, showcasing at the Skyline Drive In Cinema:
Info & Tickets: https://blacktownarts.com.au/blacktown-shorts-film-festival/
The films will also showcase in the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre for two weeks after their premiere ~
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Photos by NOAH Creative
Diversity Australia Magazine 