What was the biggest inspiration behind LUZ?

An image of a father entering a virtual reality world for the first time in search of his long-lost daughter airmailed from space into my mind one day. It became the inspiration and the beginning of everything about LUZ. This image entails so much — generation gap, family value, interpersonal relationships, unchartered territory, what’s real/fake/surreal, reality blending with virtual reality, and more. It was the first building block of the script and the core element of the entire film.

Films are lasting artistic legacies. What do you want yours to say?

What is your LUZ?  I hope to inspire people to search for their own inner paradise, peace, or refuge and enjoy the process of doing so. 

Describe who you want this film to reach.

The characters in LUZ come from diverse age groups, cultures, backgrounds, and situations, designed to resonate with a wide range of audiences. I hope viewers will revisit LUZ at different stages of their lives, uncovering new layers of meaning embedded in the film.

Tell us an anecdote about casting or working with your actors.

I was very blessed to work with such incredible actors in this film, from Isabelle Huppert and the main cast — who earned their remarkable reputations for a reason — to the youngest actress, who was only 5 years old. In one scene, our young actress had to portray being beaten by her drunken mother. I instructed the crew to be extra sensitive before rehearsing and to be ready to roll at any moment. 

Suddenly, the little girl burst into the room, wailing and capturing our full attention. When we asked her what was wrong, she cried out that her mother was beating her because she had failed her exam! Despite our attempts to comfort her, she wouldn’t stop crying. Then our 1st AD exclaimed, “She’s acting the scene!” It turned out she was indeed method-acting without anyone needing to explain it to her, and she had us all completely fooled and wowed.

What was your favorite part of making LUZ? Memories from the process?

LUZ was shot in three drastically different cities with casts and crew from France, the U.S., Canada, Chile, Taiwan, Thailand, mainland China, and Hong Kong. Adapting to local cultures was both fun and fascinating, from 48 hours straight of shooting in China to sit-down lunch breaks over bottles of wine in Paris.

One of my fondest memories from the two locations both involved swimming. In a scene in Chongqing, actors had to swim in the vast Yangtze River on a scorching hot day, which made setting up complicated camera movements on the rocky riverbed a daunting task — with also a team of divers ready under the water in case of surprise currents. When we were finally ready to roll, I put on my headphones and was so mesmerized by the crisp sound of water; every splash from the actors’ strokes was beautifully recorded. Suddenly, I heard, “Ahem! Ahem!” I turned to my sound recordist, who pointed to a crowd of over 100 middle-aged male swimmers on the riverbank. Despite our team’s best efforts, we couldn’t get them to understand what was live recording and stop coughing. One swimmer came forward and suggested we buy them cigarettes, claiming it to be the solution to the coughs. Miraculously, after the production team gave out cartons of cigarettes, there really wasn’t any cough anymore.

In the beach scene in France, two actresses had to act in the icy cold sea. With only two sets of costumes and one chance to reset hair and makeup, we had to capture the whole scene in just two takes. While the crew donned wetsuits, the actresses wore thin dresses. I narrowly avoided being washed away by a big wave while filming underwater. After emerging from the water, I was handed a plate of fresh oysters and almost rushed to the producer to cancel such a gourmet order. Then, I noticed our grip technician — who had a truck full of crazy gear — was happily shucking oysters and suddenly dived back into the water and swam across the sea. What a surprise treat.

What was a big challenge you faced while making LUZ?

The biggest challenge was defining the virtual reality world of LUZ: its visual style, connection to the main story, each character’s purpose and behavior within it, and its significance to the characters.

In the early stages, we collaborated with various writers and advanced game companies to create a visually stunning and conceptually engaging virtual reality world filled with “wow” factors. However, we over-stylized and complicated the plot, overshadowing the core story and its meanings. So, I decided to reset and return to basics, seeking a balanced tone, style, and plot that aligned with the main narrative. Despite countless rewrites, I struggled to fully grasp what the virtual reality world meant to the characters. I was haunted by the questions: What does it mean to me as a filmmaker? What is my “LUZ?”

On the first day of shooting of the virtual reality world, the actors donned their game costumes while the crew set up shots. The stress of having my own questions unanswered was real. I found myself, along with the protagonists and a group of extras, running through the forest in pursuit of an invisible deer. As we dashed through the trees, it suddenly struck me: LUZ is about the thrill of the journey itself, not just the destination. Strangers must unite, question the game rules, and realize that the end goal wasn’t what they were told or initially imagined. At that exhilarating moment, everything clicked — for me as a filmmaker, for my characters, and for my own journey as a human.

Why does this story need to be told now?

We can’t reject technology or the virtual realms in our daily lives — how we communicate with others, check how much savings we have, how we capture what we see.

LUZ is very realistic in such a sense, using a virtual reality game and live broadcast as examples to show how human connections are sustained in the modern era. With lifestyle technologies growing at such a rapid pace in the past decade, it is only getting more difficult to differentiate what is real or is actually meaningful to us, and what is not. This story is a reminder that technology itself, or anything newly/artificially created, is merely a tool or an extended space; whether we gain positive or negative experiences from it depends on our own intentions and awareness. LUZ fosters discussions on the importance of establishing a foundation for clarity and core values, preparing us for the future ahead.

Tell us why and how you got into filmmaking.

I love to torture myself to dig deep within and to make things that mean something — and get a smile.

If you weren’t a filmmaker, what would you be doing?

I might be an architect if I weren’t a filmmaker. I find the storytelling through space, light, art, and science very poetic.

What is something that all filmmakers should keep in mind to become better cinematic storytellers?

Intention, integrity, and inspiration.

Who are your creative heroes?

Lao Tzu, Akira Kurosawa, Walt Whitman, Sebastião Salgado.

What was the last thing you saw that you wish you made?

Drive My Car — and Chinese fried turnip cakes.

Which of your personal characteristics contributes most to your success as a storyteller?

Curiosity and rebellion.