Exclusive Q&A with Creators of Short Film “All I Ever Wanted”

Exclusive Q&A with Creators of Short Film “All I Ever Wanted”

After a recent interview, this exclusive Q&A with the creators of the short film All I Ever Wanted, Van B. Nguyen (Writer), Erin Lau (Director), Selena Leoni (Producer), Fiona Hardingham (Producer), and Calvin Q. Lam (EP) have provided an inside look at the creation of the . All I Ever Wanted (2022) is a coming-of-age, award-winning short film about a rom-com obsessed teenager navigating the trials of finding a date to prom.

Director, Erin Lau/Courtesy of Film Independent

What was it like working on the script?

Van: It was so much fun working on this script. It was also therapeutic in some ways by translating my experience and feelings growing up into a heartfelt, entertaining short film. I cherished the experience of sharing this development with a small group of people and our team who believed in it and helped bring this to life.

What does this story mean to you and what are you hoping it does for the LGBTQ+ community?

Van: This story means so much to me. It means hope, joy, love, and acceptance. Hopefully, it gives viewers the same feeling and it gives some viewers who haven’t been able to see themselves reflected on screen a chance to see themselves on screen. And I hope it inspires to have more films reflecting the LGBTQ+ community with POC characters at the center that helps spread joy and acceptance.

Erin: Most of the romantic comedies we saw as kids in the 90s lacked representation and didn’t include LGBTQ+ or POC characters. While we still enjoyed and endlessly quoted those films, it made me wonder what our lives would’ve looked like if we had grown up seeing ourselves represented more. More than anything, I hope this film allows young LGBTQ+ audiences to feel seen and heard.

Calvin: The film originated from our beloved writer, Van, who trusted us with a story based on her personal experience growing up as a queer Vietnamese American girl in the 1990s. She loved watching rom-coms, but never understood the disconnect she felt with the heteronormative romantic relationships she saw on screen. From that, she crafted a charming story of a girl who loves love – and ultimately, gets to find her own love through the most unexpected (but totally mundane) way. Our explicit intent was to avoid making another LGBTQ+ story about trauma; what we produced instead was a film focused on the joy and delight that a young queer person feels for the first time when they embrace their identity.

What do you hope people take away from watching it?

Van: Don’t let societal norms and influences box you in because you may miss what’s right in front of you. Just be open, face yourself, love yourself, and accept yourself. We want people to walk away with a warmed heart full of joy, love, and comfort.

Erin: After all of the struggles and fears over the past couple of years, especially for our AAPI community and the increase of Asian hate crimes, it was important to me and the team to make a film focused on love, hope and joy. Those are the feelings I hope wash over viewers when they experience this film. I also hope it serves as an inspiration to young people to follow their hearts.

Selena: I hope that this short will inspire people to be true to themselves. When it comes to love (or any other thing in life), don’t be afraid to follow your heart and take the time you need. At the end of the day, everyone has their own process and timeline, and we shouldn’t be compelled to follow in others’ footsteps.

Fiona: My hope is that our younger viewers especially are inspired to go with their hearts. Instead of second-guessing themselves and feeling obligated to do what others expect of them that they are encouraged to give themselves permission to be curious.

Calvin: Speaking for myself – one of the takeaways I hope AIEW can leave with audiences is a better understanding of the queer romantic experience, which is never black and white. It’s a rich, meandering, confusing, often very awkward journey that sometimes leads you to an answer sitting right in front of you.

How does it feel to be getting into so many festivals and having the short be recognized?

Van: It feels so wonderful to be seen. To have people embrace a joyful queer love story centering on Asian characters means so much. It feels great to share this film and for others to want to share it.

Erin: It’s been amazing! Our team poured so much love into this movie and it has meant the world to us to see audiences engage with those feelings. We’re especially grateful to have been a part of multiple educational and school screenings. This film was made with the intention of inspiring love, hope, & joy in young viewers and I’m thrilled the film is being shared with them.

Selena: Our team is blown away by how well the film has been doing since we started our festival run over a year ago. We have received so much positive feedback from festival attendants who loved the film which really meant a lot to us.

Fiona: I am absolutely delighted that the film is being seen and enjoyed by so many. We’ve received touching emails from viewers who were moved by the film, which means so much to us, filmmakers. It takes a village to make a film and once executed your hope is of course that it will be seen and received well. But neither can be taken for granted.

Calvin: I’m thrilled that our film has made its way to so many festival audiences around the country (and the world!). To me, it means there’s continued passion and appetite for joyful storytelling. We love seeing festival audiences having a great time, laughing and enjoying it.

This is such a soft and heartfelt short film, and it shows a contrast between the usual dramatic LGBTQ+ shorts. What inspired you to tell this story in particular?

Van: This is a personal story I’ve wanted to tell for a long time. Though the events in the film did not happen, it was something I longed for. There’s a lot of me in both of the characters. It all came down to acceptance and the joy you have when that happens. The happily ever after is within yourself. That’s what it was for me and so it inspired me to tell this story in this particular way.

What made you choose the 1990s as a setting for the film?

Van: It was the golden era of romantic comedies that I grew up on! This was kind of an homage to those classic rom-coms I loved, but the lack of representation back then is something I, and many others, wish to have had. Not only LGBTQ+ representation but Asian and Asian-American representation in that space and genre.

Reasons why you chose to have a teen-centered romance rather than a romance short with adults?

Van: I chose to have it be teen-centered because it’s an important time in everyone’s life. Looking back, if I had characters I could see myself in during that growing period, maybe it might’ve helped with the growing pains. I have nieces and nephews now, and I want them to be able to grow up seeing diverse characters and diverse stories in their age group. I want the younger generation to be able to watch something that might speak to them. Also, the adult viewers I have spoken to who connected with our film have said it brought back the nostalgia of the 90s, classic rom-coms, and memories of the first kiss that gave them those fireworks where things just clicked.

Any future projects you can talk about?/What would you like to work on next?

Van: I just optioned a new thriller feature so I’m currently developing that. I have a couple of TV projects to take out. I’m also developing a new adult rom-com feature, as well as a feature version of All I Ever Wanted, among other things. So, I’m keeping busy!

Erin: After wrapping my new short Inheritance last year with Tribeca Films, I’ve been focusing on writing a couple of female-led feature scripts based in Hawaiʻi. It’s important to me to continue developing work that represents my home and AAPI community. I’m very excited to share these stories with the world!

Selena: I am currently working on finishing my second feature film Young Kings which is about an African American soldier trying to re-adjust to civilian life after he returns home from Iraq during the height of the Iraq war in 2005. As he copes with the scars of war, he increasingly becomes a threat to those he cares about the most – his family. We plan to start festival submissions for Young Kings later this spring, and I look forward to sharing this amazing film with everyone.

Additionally, I am developing two feature ideas, and I’m producing a couple of shorts that will be in the festival circuit this year in festivals such as the Pan Africa Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. I look forward to sharing these projects with all of you soon!

Fiona: I had the great pleasure of working on Shondaland’s ‘Queen Charlotte’ (a Bridgerton spin-off series) as their 2nd Unit Production Manager, which will be released on Netflix this year. Can’t wait for you all to enjoy this touching show! I am currently working on a documentary series and developing various narrative projects. My mission is to produce work that promotes empathy and social change, so that is always my baseline when diving into a new story.

Calvin: The AIEW team entertained the idea of doing another short film project together that would be completely different, tonally, than this one. I’d love to make that happen down the road! Otherwise, I’m personally on the search for more queer stories to tell and creative produce on the side, while doing the same at Netflix, where I develop animated films.

Any statements you want to include?

Erin Lau, Director: Whenever I watch our film I can’t help but smile. It was an incredible honor to bring this story to life and to work alongside our amazing team. Our cast and crew poured a lot of love into this story, and we hope audiences continue to feel that sincerity as they watch All I Ever Wanted.

Courtesy of Film Independent

Be sure to take a look at our review of the short film for more information about All I Ever Wanted.