About this submission

I wrote Free Money based on my experience struggling with the Asian diaspora. Between living in Southeast Asia and Australia, I've heavily felt how taboos around money and cultural traditions are preserved differently between generations and cultures.

Inspired by my real-life immigrant aunties, Free Money was born out of my desire to see them represented beyond stereotypes in the action comedies and superhero films I'm obsessed with. My films colourfully meld together animation and live action, taking inspiration from my background as a lettering artist and motion designer. This film would not have been possible without the lovely work of a majority female and Asian cast and crew, who have made this story truly authentic.


Creator
Lisianne Chan is a Singapore born and raised filmmaker and artist based in Sydney, Australia. She specialises in writing-directing, producing, editing, lettering and motion graphics. Above all, is passionate about telling colourful female-led stories, putting ordinary people in extraordinary situations. She is a video producer at Australian Geographic and the youngest appointed Senior Manager at Diverse Women in Law Australia, managing the Media, Marketing & Communications and Event Production team. She pens film reviews at SWITCH. Lisianne started her first business at 16 as a lettering artist, landing features in publications such as TYPISM and teaching workshops across Singapore. She built a following of thousands making spec fan edits of films on social media during the Covid-19 pandemic, which she credits as her unusual kickstart into filmmaking. Lisianne just wrapped her debut short film "Free Money", funded by Sony Australia's $2,000 AUD Film School Cash Grant as the winning capstone project at the University of Technology Sydney. An action-comedy about Asian aunties fighting to pay the bill, Free Money is an explosion of culture, told with Lisianne's signature colourful visual style threading together live action and animation. Free Money will be beginning its festival run mid 2025. more...

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