About this submission

My father comes from generations of wheat farmers in the Chinese countryside. When I visited in 2019, I learned that my grandfather had sold the farmland in order to keep up with changing times. While I saw this as an erasure of my family history, my grandfather pointed out a swath of plum trees outside of his house that were planted by his own grandfather. As long as the trees remained, nothing would truly ever change.

Plum Town is a love letter to family, heritage, and the people and places who have made us who we are today.

Kelly Yu

Creator

Kelly Yu is a Swedish-born, New Orleans raised, Chinese-American writer and director. Her work is driven by a deep fascination with finding humanity in the absurd, as well as exploring complex familial relationships and cultural identity often through an "East-meets-West" lens. Her debut short film PLUM TOWN won the Grand Jury Award at Boston Independent Film Festival, the NFFTY New Talent Award for 'Best Director Under 25," and premiered online on the renowned platform “Short of the Week.” Her second short film ENDLING was executive produced by Emmy award winning actress Lena Waithe and premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, qualifying for the 2025 Academy Awards. Kelly holds a B.F.A from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and is based in LA developing her feature film debut.