Chinese title: 妈妈

Two men of different Chinese backgrounds have a chance encounter at a casual restaurant. While they have stark differences in language, they share common ground in their love/hate relationship with their mom that many of the Chinese diaspora can relate to. No matter the differences, there is one question that all Chinese moms ask.

Interview

CineAsian Films (CAF): What was the inspiration behind making mama?
May Cho: The inspiration behind making mama came from when my friend, who is Cantonese and I sat down for tea and we started talking about the differences between Cantonese speakers and Mandarin speakers. He brought up a famous Wong Kar Wai movie in which one person speaks Cantonese and the other Mandarin, yet they both understood each other. The thought was that no matter what language we speak, we share commonality and are the same. We are Chinese. I think a lot of Chinese people, other Asian people, and beyond can relate to one common tradition/message: the culture in which our mothers show their love through food. My mom was a huge inspiration. I wanted to give back to her and other mothers. To dedicate this short film to something we all oftentimes overlook or take for granted. Like most Asian immigrant mothers she won’t show any affection, but the one thing she will do is cook and ask one important question: have you eaten? When was the last time you asked your mom that? Love is often expressed and received in so many different ways, for Chinese/Asian people food is a simple and fundamental way.

CAF: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during production?
Cho: The biggest challenge I faced during production was that it was my first time directing and shooting my own short film with a new crew, so everything seemed like a challenge to be honest, but a rewarding one. We shot at a famous local noodle restaurant in Chinatown, Manhattan, so you can imagine how hectic it was. We had scouted the location a few nights before, and it seemed doable, but on the shoot date it happened to be one of the first warm nights, so it was unplanned how busy the restaurant got. One of the actors was leaving back to China the next day, so it had to be done. We did it with a whole crowd of real customers!

CAF: What do you hope people can take away and learn from watching this film?
Cho: I hope this short film makes viewers realize how much we have in common and to pay attention to the little things in life that have so much meaning, to stop to think about our moms and maybe make a call or pick up the phone next time our moms call. I know I often ignore it. Maybe it’s time to ask the question back.