Sound of Fire
Director: Mingjie Li
Cast:Anzi DeBenedetto, Capri Wang
Crew:Writer: Mingjie Li. Producer: Joyce Yueyi Xing. Director Of Photography: Jason Chau. Editor: Aacharee Ungsriwong.
Email:mingjieli.actor@gmail.com
Synopsis
A homeless teenage boy becomes best friends with a neglected little girl in New York Chinatown. When she finds out he used to be a thief, they face a new challenge.
Trailer
About the director
Mingjie was born in Kunming, China. She’s now a New York-based filmmaker, actor, and casting director. Mingjie has written and directed two short films- Swans of Hudson River and Sound of Fire. As an actor, Mingjie has played a supporting role in the MGM film Preparation For The Next Life, directed by Oscar nominee Bing Liu, and a supporting role in Same Old (Cannes Short Films Competition). As a casting director, Mingjie has cast one feature film and more than 30 short films and series. Mingjie has a Master's degree in Public Health from Columbia University and a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Wuhan University.
Filmmaker's note
When I was a little girl, one time I went shopping with my parents at a mall. I witnessed a group of people circling a young thief and beating him up. Passerby pointed their fingers at the thief. Everyone was saying stealing is wrong and thieves deserve that. But I knew that was not right. No one deserves that brutality and humiliation. That incident has stuck in my mind for years and I regret not doing anything back then. So in this film, I make little Jane the hero who saves Dustin in the end.
The unusual encounter between Dustin and Jane was inspired by a true story that happened in China many years ago. When a young guy got arrested while stealing, a journalist discovered his story. This young guy had been stealing to feed an 8-year-old boy. And to everyone’s surprise, they are not blood-related. The young guy found the boy roaming on the streets, saw himself in him, and decided to take care of him. This heartwarming story left a huge impact on me.
Sound of Fire is a story about kindness, courage, and growth. The love that these two characters have never received from their family, they receive from each other. They find a real home outside of their original family. They are each other’s savior.