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From the award-winning team that created The Passport

Kite

风筝

About the film

Short film2023Drama15+ wins, 70+ selections

The film

On a remote island at the edge of China, a man at the end of his rope meets a little girl who gives him a reason to live.

A man stands at the edge of a cliff staring at the void beneath. With nothing left to live for and only one thing left to lose, he meets a little stranger who gives him hope and a reason to live.

Kite tells the story of a friendship between a middle-aged foreigner and a little Chinese girl. It is also a film about second chances. They are both alone, but destiny throws them together on a remote island of all places, and they both learn that life is worth living even when there seems to be no way out.

Credits

Produced by
Studio Supreme
Director
Olivier Hero Dressen
Executive producer
Camilla Wang
Writers
Michael Koltes, Olivier Hero Dressen, Nicholas Z. Scott
Cast
Michael Koltes, Reina Kinsman, Camilla Wang
Cinematographer
Kirtan Hummelen
Production designer
Coco Li
Casting director
Sara Shen
Makeup & hair
Firdonyoiki
Production manager
Jonathan Bizeau
Editor
Jose Salto
Music
Dan Vithyavuthi
Sound
Michael Hough
VFX
Designhero.tv
In loving memory
Ingeborg Paula Koltes, Falguiere Dali
Shot in
Huaniao Island, China

The story behind the film

After The Passport, Michael Koltes and Olivier Hero Dressen decided to make another film. A quick discussion turned into a brainstorm and gave birth to Kite. It took about two years to make. The story was first set on a rooftop in Shanghai, but in August 2021 Camilla Wang and Olivier travelled to a remote island near Korea, a three-hour boat trip from Shanghai. They fell for the place, befriended the locals, and the island became a partner of the film.

The island

Huaniao Island, Flower and Bird Island, sits on the edge of the Chinese border. From the lighthouse built by the British Empire in the 1800s to the bunkers built against the Japanese invasion in WWII, it carries a history of its own. Only 300 people live there permanently. It is an integral character of the film.

Thank you

A tiny team for a tiny island. After a week of shooting in the middle of the China Sea, through storms, 50 km winds and rain, the crew became a small family. Our thanks to the Huaniao Island team for their kindness and generosity in making this film possible.

Stills

6 images
Kite film still 1Kite film still 2Kite film still 3Kite film still 4Kite film still 5Kite film still 6

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