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Short narrative

The Dumpling Club

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Client

Independent narrative film

Category

Short narrative, grief & heritage

Overview

Grieving the death of his parents, Siwei attends Chinese cooking classes to translate the recipes in an old family cookbook — and finds his way back to them through food.

Credits

Cinematography (Director of Photography: Andrew Huang)

Problem

A story about grief and inherited memory that could easily tip into melodrama or cultural cliché, shot bilingually in English and Mandarin Chinese, where the dialogue needed to feel lived-in rather than translated.

Solution

Andrew Huang shot cinematography for writer/director Zulian Tjuatja's script, leaning on specific, sensory details — handwriting in a worn cookbook, the repetition of folding dumplings — to carry the emotional weight instead of stating it outright.

Result

The Dumpling Club is now on the festival circuit, with Official Selections at two festivals, screenings in Washington, D.C., and a favorable review from Asian Movie Pulse.

Stills
Dumplings being folded on a floured board Siwei in Chinese cooking class, translating a family recipe The cooking class teacher mid-lesson Hands holding an old family photograph from a storage box Siwei sitting quietly by a window, reading a letter Chicken cooking in a pan on the stove Family dinner scene with a costumed character Friends toasting with Tsingtao beers around the dinner table Friends gathered in the kitchen with Tsingtao beer Siwei tasting the finished dish in the kitchen

Production details & full crew

Shot on location in Bethesda, MD and Fairfax, VA. Filmed August 2025; post-production completed January 2026. Languages: English and Mandarin Chinese. Runtime: 20 minutes. Shot on Sony FX3. Budget: $12,000.

  • Writer/Director: Zulian Tjuatja
  • Producer/AD: Emilee Hayward
  • Main cast, in order of appearance: Siwei Kwok, Jess An, Grace Koong, Chris Hon, Sophia Wu, Zachary Kim, Jessica Liao
  • DP: Andrew Huang
  • AC/Gaffer: Alex Au
  • Production sound recordist and mixer: Erica Worthington
  • Boom op: Jason Mabry
  • Editor: Zulian Tjuatja
  • Original soundtrack composed and performed by Chris Hon

Festival selections, screenings & reviews

The film is currently on the festival circuit. As of July 2026:

  • Official Selection: Canada China International Film Festival (Montreal, Canada)
  • Official Selection: Columbia Maryland Film Festival (Columbia, Maryland)
  • Screening: Chinese American Museum, Washington, D.C. (May 2026)
  • Screening: Fantom Comics, Washington, D.C. (June 2026)
  • Review: Asian Movie Pulse, July 2026

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