10 years ago as a Chinese Canadian, there was not much content I can relate myself to on the main screen. Television and movies did not showcase Asian actors and actresses as much as they should have. However, there was a saviour who provided me with all of the Asian-American content I needed. This came in the form of Wong Fu Productions.
Wong Fu Productions, created in 2007 by Ted Fu, Phil Wang, and Wesley Chan is a company that produces many short films and sketches, often featuring Asian-American actors and actresses. However, they do not brand themselves as casting ONLY Asian-American individuals, but they include ALL races.
I have watched Wong Fu productions for about 10 years now, and I’ve seen them grown so much as a company and content-creators. They started off as a trio in a small house in Los Angeles, and now they’re producing movies and web series. Most notable was their recent movie, Everything Before Us, and their series Single By 30 and Yappie. However, if you were a long-time fan of Wong Fu, you probably know them from their skits such as Strangers Again or The Last.
Not only did Wong Fu make tear-jerking shorts, but they also hosted many concerts called ISA (International Secret Agents). They were extremely popular from 2008-2010, featuring many artists from many disciplines such as music and dance.
Wong Fu Productions has talked many times before about the lack of representation in the Asian community. They say that they cannot wait for change to happen in Hollywood, but they can make a change with the platform that they have right now. Sure enough, it did. In 2018 alone, there were many movies that featured an Asian lead: Searching, Crazy Rich Asians, and more!
Anyways, I can’t talk about Wong Fu without talking about some of my favourite shorts. Here’s a small list that you can binge really quickly:
1. Strangers, Again
Strangers Again stars Philip Wang as Josh and Cathy Nguyen as Marissa as a young couple who are in the middle of a heated fight. As Marissa prepares to drive off in the car with Josh chasing her, Josh reminisces about the time he met Marissa and the “stages” of a relationship that they went through to get to where they were at the present moment. It’s an interesting short that puts into concrete terms certain transitions we experience in relationships.
2. The Last
Starring Kina Grannis and Harry Shum Jr, a young couple wakes up on a peaceful morning. Kina, who plays an unnamed girl asks Harry how many girlfriends he had before he had met Kina. He says he had 5: Who, what, when, where, and why. Harry recounts the many memories he’s had with these women and how each of them has shaped his life in some way.
3. After Us
Similar to Strangers Again, After Us talks about the stages we experience after a break-up. The protagonist, Carly (played by Victoria Park) experiences the ups and downs of a break-up. She slowly builds her life again after her break-up. The short shows that we shouldn’t find someone new for ourselves but discovering ourselves even further.
Give these a watch if you have the time. They have really funny shorts as well, but these are some of my favourite “sad” shorts.