Pirates of Los Angeles: Prologue
Director: Pete Zhao
Cast:Jizhong Zhang, Joe Klaunberg, Matt Wimbush, Felix Fu, Joey Yang, Zoe Zhao.
Crew:Writer: Pete Zhao. Producers: Maggie Ruan, Zhen Su, Jackson Quach.
Email:petezhaofilm@gmail.com
Synopsis
Yang is a middle-aged, undocumented immigrant from China who lives in the greater Los Angeles area. In the era of "mass deportation," Yang now has to face his deepest fear and shame.
About the director
Pete Zhao is a Chinese-born Canadian independent writer, director, composer, educator, pro-democracy activist, and translator. He likes to write about flawed humans and promotes radical empathy.
Filmmaker's note
This is a little peek into an authentic experience of a modern, undocumented immigrant's life. I finished this film before the 2024 US election. The struggle and fear have always been real, but ironically, in the era of "mass deportation," as they call it, this just becomes more relevant and horrifying.
Overall, I wish to promote radical empathy, where my films can help people understand and/or feel for each other a bit more easily.
This is the prologue of a feature-length project. The full film is a duo-protagonist film and focuses more on Yang and his teen daughter's (who was an undocumented American -- born in China but grew up in Los Angeles) struggle and their relationship.