DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

With The Broken Cycle I felt compelled to tell a story drawn from my own experience of becoming an immigrant, and the role we often occupy in society—not as a threat, but as a piece that complements a larger whole.

To express this, I chose a non-verbal, allegorical approach that could bypass language and judgment. I stripped the piece of dialogue, intrusive camera flourishes, and even color to remove any entertaining appeal and instead embrace, through its observational style, a landscape of contrasting priorities—revealed in the subtle juxtaposition of workers alongside a warm-hearted, yet oblivious society.

This creative choice—particularly in light of today’s political climate—aims to invite a higher level of perception: one that acknowledges a cycle that doesn’t favor one side over the other. Its quieter, less divisive lens ultimately hopes to foster empathy by encouraging reflection on the aftermath of a country built on multicultural foundations.