SITTING BIRD
17 min, Fiction, Canada, 2026Directed byAthena Han
Produced byYael Carnet, Laura Carnet (Studio Marginal)
LanguagesMandarin, English
Film details
Synopsis
After immigrating to Canada, Ming becomes a stay-at-home father while his career-driven wife, Fei, continues to pursue her dream as a First Officer in China. Struggling with societal pressure of being an unemployed man and a growing sense of inadequacy within his family, one day, Ming sees a lost flamingo named José. He decides to rescue the bird.
Équipe
Writing : Athena Han
Cinematography : Christian Lai
Sound Recording : John Zhong
Production Design : Isobel Baker-Smith
Costume Design : Cassandra Phillips-Grande
Hair & Make-up Design : Iza Alegro
Editing : Athena Han
Sound Design : Sharon Tseng
Sound Mix : Sharon Tseng
Music : Peter Lin
Visual Effects : Niche VFX
VFX Visual Supervisor : Fenner Rockliffe
Color Grading : David Tomiak
Executive Producers : Joshua Mao, Charlotte Chen, Shih Nan Chiao
Associate Producers : Joey Gu, Daniel Cheng
Starring : Jian Ping Su, Shasha Pu, Eileen Tian, Oliver Zhao, David Mao
Direction
Athena Han
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Athena graduated from the SFU Film Production program and was a mentee at VIFF 2019. As a Taiwanese-Canadian writer-director, she likes to tell stories exploring family dynamics, culture clashes, and self-identity. She has had experience directing in both Taiwan and Canada. Her short films have been showcased in numerous festivals such as the Rhode Island International Film Festival, Taiwan’s Golden Harvest Award, and the Los Angeles Asian Film Festival. She has also received awards such as the A&E Short Filmmaker Award for Best Film and the Shaw Media Fearless Female Director Award. In May 2023, her short film for Language We Know was selected by the Aesthetical Film Festival and the Cannes Independent Film Festival. Funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, and the National Film Board, Athena just completed her next short film, Sitting Bird. It is selected for Telefilm’s Not Short on Talent showcase at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner. Currently, she’s in the initial development and research phase for her first feature film script.
Filmographie
SITTING BIRD, 17 min, Fiction, 2026
LANGUAGE WE KNOW, 2 min, Fiction, 2023
HEY YÚ, 6 min, Fiction, 2021
BUNNY MAN, 8 min, Fiction, 2018
HOME, 17 min, Fiction, 2013