ShortList 2018: ‘Agua Viva’ Director on Telling a Chinese Immigrant’s Story in the Trump Era (Video)
Filmmaker Alexa Lim Haas also explained why one scene in her animated short has prompted some walkouts
Juliette Verlaque | August 8, 2018 @ 4:50 PM
Last Updated: August 14, 2018 @ 4:25 PM
Alexa Lim Haas credits President Trump in part for spurring her to make the most of her prescient animated short “Agua Viva,”a finalist in TheWrap’s seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
Lim Haas began working on the film — about the daily routine of a Chinese immigrant woman who works in a nail salon in Florida — nearly two years ago, just before the 2016 presidential election.
“It felt different after Trump got elected,” she told TheWrap. “It became motivation, and I felt activated to make it more.”
Lim Haas, the daughter of Filipino immigrants, said much of “Agua Viva” is based on the experiences of her family members, particularly those who work in service industries. “I’m just really interested in what they think about and what they do, because their routine is so repetitive, day to day,” she said.
She was also interested in the linguistic struggles that many of her family members experience with native English speakers, including younger relatives. “We would have conversation without language, it would be gestural conversations or smiles and warm pats on the back,” she said. “A lot of the film is about what it’s like to be inside of a body and the feeling of not being able to express what’s inside of you.”
In 2016, Lim Haas received a “No Bro Zone” grant from the Borscht Corporation in Miami, a female-driven funding program. She then began traveling to different nail salons in New York, Miami and Philadelphia to speak with workers and learn about their routines and inner lives.
At the same time, she was writing, storyboarding and animating the film, a “very lonely” process that lasted nearly 15 months. “I made it largely solo, and it was just me in a room in my apartment for about a year, just animating away,” she said. “The largest challenge was just waking up every day and doing the same thing every day.”
As she made the film, Lim Haas felt compelled to address the discourse of the Trump era. “There’s such rhetoric from many sides, as Trump says. Words are very meaningful, and sometimes we’re just having semantic battles across the lines.”
While reactions to the film have been mostly positive, one scene has triggered surprise and some walkout: an up-close and personal view of a woman getting a Brazilian wax. “People aren’t used to seeing female parts in a non-sexual way, and in more conservative towns, people will walk out,” she said. “It really shakes people for some reason.”
Watch the film above. Viewers can also watch all of the ShortList finalists at any time during the festival at shortlistfilmfestival.com and vote from Aug. 8-22. The ShortList Film Festival is supported by Topic and AMC Theatres.
The Evolution of Winnie the Pooh, From AA Milne to 'Christopher Robin' (Photos)
Not every movie can play on the nostalgia factor for every generation, but no matter how old you are, there’s a good chance that you grew up with Winnie the Pooh in some form. The character created by A.A. Milne has endured for over 90 years as a beloved figure of children’s literature and television. And in that time, that silly old bear has been through a lot. Here, we look at the history of Pooh Bear across his many books and cartoons, all the way up to and including the live action “Christopher Robin."
Disney
A.A. Milne's "Winnie-the-Pooh" (1926)
The first Winnie-the-Pooh story written by Alan Alexander Milne debuted in the London Evening News in 1925 on Christmas Eve. The story, “The Wrong Sort of Bees,” would be the first chapter in the first volume of stories, “Winnie-the-Pooh,” published on October 14, 1926. Milne named the boy in the story after his son, Christopher Robin Milne, and named Pooh after Christopher Robin’s teddy bear Winnie, which he nicknamed after he saw a bear from Winnipeg at the zoo.
Stephen Slesinger (1930)
In 1930, Stephen Slesinger bought the rights to Winnie-the-Pooh from Milne, and by 1931, he had developed a lucrative line of toys, board games, records, radio broadcasts and more. Seen here are some of the original Winnie-the-Pooh toys.
Pooh Goes Color (1932)
Winnie-the-Pooh was first drawn in color with a red shirt starting in 1932, as seen here in this Parker Brothers board game from 1933. The original illustrator, E.H. Shepard, had previously drawn Pooh with a shirt in some instances.
Disney
"Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" (1966)
Disney acquired the rights to Winnie-the-Pooh in 1961 and dropped the hyphens in the character’s name. And in 1966, they released the very first Winnie the Pooh short, “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.” Sterling Holloway originally voiced the character and would do so in subsequent shorts, including the Oscar nominated “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day” from 1968.
Disney
"The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" (1977)
The first Pooh movie, “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” from 1977, was a collection of the four previously released shorts all edited together.
Disney
"Winnie the Pooh and a Day For Eeyore" (1983)
In 1981, Hal Smith took over voicing duties for the lovable bear in “Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons” and 1983’s “Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore,” the last of the theatrical featurettes Disney released.
Disney
"Welcome to Pooh Corner" (1983)
One of the first shows to air when the Disney Channel launched on April 18, 1983, was a live-action show known as “Welcome to Pooh Corner,” in which human actors wore costumes as Pooh and all the other creatures of the Hundred Acre Wood. The show lasted for three years and 120 episodes.
Disney
"The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" (1988)
Disney rebooted Winnie the Pooh with another cartoon that ran between 1988 and 1991, “The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,” complete with an upbeat, memorable theme song. Jim Cummings, a Disney voice actor mainstay, took over the voice of Winnie the Pooh and has remained the voice actor ever since.
Disney
"Return to Pooh Corner" (1994)
In 1994, Kenny Loggins went from the Danger Zone to the Hundred Acre Wood, compiling a collection of children’s songs and lullabies called “Return to Pooh Corner,” including traditional tracks, a song by John Lennon and his own beautiful title track. The album went gold and was nominated for a Grammy.
Getty
"The Tigger Movie" (2000)
The first modern Winnie the Pooh movie was 2000’s “The Tigger Movie,” about the bouncing tiger, who sang, “I’m the only one” while searching for his family.
Disney
"Return to the Hundred Acre Wood" (2009)
Milne’s original series of stories got an authorized sequel in 2009 as written by David Benedictus and illustrated by Mark Burgess, all drawn in the style of Shepard’s original design.
Penguin Random House
"Goodbye Christopher Robin" (2017)
Domhnall Gleeson starred in the biopic about A. A. Milne, “Goodbye Christopher Robin,” in 2017. Also starring Margot Robbie, the film looks at how Milne conceived of the story and how the family adapted to the success of the brand.
Fox Searchlight Pictures
"Christopher Robin" (2018)
Disney’s live-action film “Christopher Robin” imagines Ewan McGregor as an adult Christopher Robin returning to the Hundred Acre Wood after losing sight of fun and family in place of work. Pooh and the other characters are CGI, but are made to resemble weathered toys. McGregor and the actors worked with real, plush, stuffed animals that matched their onscreen counterparts.
Happy #WinnieThePoohDay! Willy nilly silly old bear is over 90 years old
Not every movie can play on the nostalgia factor for every generation, but no matter how old you are, there’s a good chance that you grew up with Winnie the Pooh in some form. The character created by A.A. Milne has endured for over 90 years as a beloved figure of children’s literature and television. And in that time, that silly old bear has been through a lot. Here, we look at the history of Pooh Bear across his many books and cartoons, all the way up to and including the live action “Christopher Robin."
Disney
