Merry May Ma

“In a makeshift market in Anhui China, an 85-year-old Grandpa treats every penny like a high-stakes battlefield, all to fund his gracious top-secret mission: giving his grand-daughter the best breakfast in town."

Two artists and a couple, Astrid and Avery, face unprecedented challenges when both of them caught COVID.

I have known the Spring Ensemble at Washington University in St. Louis since attending my undergraduate there. I am a Chinese international student and so are many of the ensemble members. Initially, I was an avid audience member, touched by their music performances that brought me home to China.However, in Spring 2021, knowing that the theater on campus ran into some technical difficulties and Spring Ensemble couldn't perform at one of the biggest cultural shows, the Lunar New Year Festival (LNYF), I decided to feature their music to document and remember their beautiful music journey here and beyond.

A stuffed dog, brought to life by a real dog, is ready to go home and take a new adventure.

As a junior living on campus, at the beginning of the pandemic, I had some mild mental health issues, but I found my meanings in my life by reconnecting myself to nature and people who mattered to me. In my film, the main character also reflects upon "what is a meaningful life" after struggling with isolation from others, hectic schedules and Zoom fatigue, so I want to show the viewers how she finds her answer to that philosophical question. If people could feel happy after watching my film, I would be so satisfied! Thank you! ;)