Jay Carolyn Wu

The feeling that you have been working on a film for a while and finally it’s time to tell the world about it…✨ I am super honoured and excited to be directing this feature documentary about the journey of Chinese immigrants finding love and connection in Metro Vancouver Area - where I grew up and found my identity and belonging as an immigrant. Making a documentary is always a marathon that grinds your grit. But above all, we have been having so much FUN together on this ride. The dream producing team that brought this project to life are the best creative partners: @wujayc @isitalicewang @tlau . May we have many more laugher, jam sessions, and adventures together. Thank you for our EP @larueent , and also @landingmermaid , our associate producer who has brought so much wisdom and energy to the project. And also all the friends in the field who have helped us. It truly takes a village! Thank you @telusoriginals for believing in our team and in this project. Congratulations to all the projects greenlit. Now, let’s go make a film!

I first met @aramcollier when he was screening his first feature "Stand Up Man" 8 yrs ago at @reelasian . There was an Artist Talk, I was a nervous wreck but desperate for some industry advice. Aram and his producer @xiebetty turned out to be exactly the kinds of people you wanna meet at anxiety-inducing networking events — warm, helpful, generous, and open. Energy I needed more than I knew. They ended up taking a big chance on me and bringing me on as an assistant editor on their short doc "Sweet and Sour Christmas", probably one of the first short docs in my own cultural language, Cantonese, I'd ever even seen (much less worked on)! Years flew by, and Aram and Betty became the best kind of film mentors-turned-friends and collaborators you could ask for. Talented, driven, creative, supportive, and most importantly, genuine. When Aram wanted to partner with us at LaRue on this incredibly thoughtful script, it became the first official project I was able to bring onto the slate. And then, between many late nights, r/relationship_advice threads, and 1000s of Whatsapp streams of consciousness, we hunkered tf down and developed the shit out of it. As always, development is work that's tenuous & taxing, that demands constant honesty & dialogue. It helps a LOT to be doing it with people you love and trust so much. This is a film about the vulnerability (and absurd observations) of growing into a middle-aged body. About longing and community and learning and unlearning. Me personally (always the self-described romance aficionado), I can't wait to see how we'll also get into the cracks of this beautifully messy relationship between two very different types of people in the Chinese diaspora. (Oh and yes it helps that one of Aram's inspos, though quite different, is legit my favourite film of all time, Poetry (2010)!!) Tremendously proud of this one. Thank you thank you thank you @telefilm_canada for believing in us. Thank you endlessly Aram & Betty 🫶🏻🫶🏻 forever grateful to you both for the HUGE impact you've had on my life. Now, we just gotta go have fun making the damn thing!!! @larueent

Full 10 to Watch profile came out today 🤘🏻 Beyond grateful for the too kind words from some humans I value lots and lots @_kphoenixx @tina__rose @fergdawg @mattkingfilms . Appreciate you so much. If you care to peruse the article profile, it's linked in my bio 🤸🏻 As these things do, the article has given me the chance to pause, reflect, rewind, etc etc. It's been a very strange, difficult year in some ways, in other ways I think I feel more grounded in the work I get to do everyday than I have in the last... Like? Decade? In this biz? Wild. And I've only really just gotten started. Fingers majorlyyyy crossed all this amazing stuff that's been cooking with all these amazing humans gets to defy all odds and go all the way. Onwards or bust. That's development for ya. Can't help but love it. Again, ferociously humbled by the honour @playbackinstagram thank you so much!! And be sure to follow us at @larueent - without these guys I don't wanna think about where I'd be! (thank goodness for film festivals, would anything ever be documented otherwise...)

Very humbled to be selected for @playbackinstagram 10 to Watch 2024. Endlessly thankful for all the incredible writers, creators and producers I get to work with everyday - you know who you are!! So much more to say buttttt I got a too-full day of TIFF-ing ahead of me, so more words will have to wait. 🤸🏻💨 Thankful to also be part of the Every Story program at TIFF this year (FYI though we are not in post yet...😅). Taking a bunch of meetings to hopefully find the right partners for this awesome, ridiculous movie we're making. As always, endlessly thankful for @_kphoenixx and @fonnatasha who are the best humans my brain and heart could ever imagine on their team, both in work and in life. If you see me floating around Int'l Finance Forum or Content Canada (...or in the corner of a fancy hotel tryna spot Cate Blanchett) come say hi!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO @nostalgicpatter !!!!!!! Pls don't kill me........ To 7 years of food in all its forms (and all the GAY neurodivergent FUN we have)!!!!!

Just saying hiiii @fonnatasha and I are v much still alive and kicking 4 yrs strong and I'm v proud of us!!!! 💗💕 Love you and laughing with you and our lil queer family forever Babe 💜💜💜🏡🐶🪴🐦🚙✈️🏖️☀️🧋🐷🐨🐑🦄🐙🐢🐻☕📺🍣🥔🥗🫕🍖🎤🎹🎸🌈🌈🌈

Slightly old news is still good news, right? Been an awesome few months with these guys. An even better 2024 lies ahead! 🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻 Writers, be in my inbox! 👀 Big thanks & gratitude @larueent / larueent.com Links in biooo

Taking a very, very brief pause from frantically working on our IPF production app to share (the somewhat old news now) - We’re making a feature holy shit!!!!!!!!! This is probably too gushy but whatever instagram, sorry not sorry!! (the movie won’t only be millennial jokes we promise…) I remember trying to get one of those sought-after nominations for this fund from a partner organization 6-7 years ago. I was very new - but I also know it was a very different time with different hoops to jump through. It feels totally wild to finally be at this stage in my career, in such an amazing collaboration co-directing this story. And a true comedy no less. Before my deep love for those transformative movies/shows that made me want to do this work - even before the soapie CW & Shonda shows, before the Linklater and WKW and the queer cinemah - the seed of my love for this medium always had its roots in comedy & sitcom. That’s probably not apparent from my work so far - the reasons for which, if you’re in the industry, prob go without saying. In any case, I feel SO lucky to show this side of who I am in collaboration with two of my favourite humans, and tell a story with such authentic, relatable characters and all kinds of heart. It’s just the beginning of yet another long, long road. But god knows it’ll be a good time. Much, much more importantly - thank you SO much @_kphoenixx for trusting us to tell this story with you. I truly feel like anyone who meets you for the first time is like “wait… where have you BEEN all my life????” At least that’s how I felt (which I hope to god you know by now!). I’ve worked with many, many different types of people, and every connection is a little different. I always talk about alignment and… it’s just one of those extremely weird things. I fucking love the ways we’re seemingly different, yet care about and (more crucially) laugh hysterically about so many of the same things. It's just magic. And we now have this new sandbox of a canvas to dump all that magic into. Bananas. You’re such a bright light, an undeniable talent, one of my favourite, funniest storytellers, and just a truly awesome friend. (cont'd in comments)

family!

a suburban trans dad in transition (lenses)

[this is very long and I am very verbose. you've been warned.] For those who don't know, two years ago I started a new role as a development exec Bell Media. I took many pitches and generals and developed shows for CTV and Crave. Two of them - @sullivanscrossingtv and Spencer Sisters - crossed the finish line into greenlight, went to production, aired on CTV, and will be airing on the CW in the US soon. I feel very very lucky to have seen those shows through. I developed a couple other shows that made it to a production greenlight as well - all of which I am very proud of. There's also a million other little things I can't fully talk about that I'm even more proud of. Ultimately, I learned that working with different kinds of writers in many different ways is the work I'm probably best at. Aside from writing itself, which tops it by a mere fraction, it's the work I love the most. This has been completely invaluable to my relationship with my own storytelling, and to work at large. I have decided to transition out of this role, with last week being my final week. I don't think I've properly wrapped my head around this transition just yet. I am excited - not a word I'm used to saying or feeling but there it is - to be doing a mix of things moving forward. I'll be writing, creative producing, developing, story editing, and hopefully also teaching, facilitating and consulting. Gonna keep doing the work I love - help make writers' stories as authentic, nuanced and entertaining as possible - wherever I can. Finally, yes I will be bringing a renewed focus to my own writing/directing. I have yet another deeply personal story in the works (we got IPF development!). Still very early days on that. - cont'd in comments -

here's cuddly softie grumpy unimpressed lethargic baby boy old man Griffin. the resemblance is spooky tbh. thank you so much @urbantailsrescue @straydogsupport this dog has brought so much joy and love!!! 😭