2024 MOMOFF

Writer;Kylene HarringtonKey Cast; Alexander Remyl, Henny GuerraRena Wang Robert DeerDirector StatementGlove puppets have been an unquestioned part of Taiwanese culture, but largely unknown to the west. I’ve always found something a little creepy about the painted heads of these puppets, but have been fascinated by them all the same. I’m inspired by the vividness of glove puppetry and how it can both be low and high brow art. From there, I thought of a story: a romance not typically associated with the comedy/action/religious stories portrayed by glove puppets . This would be a story about the puppeteers themselves and it would be set in the past to show how long the art form has endured, much like love stories themselves.I made this film as both an ode to the art of glove puppetry and old Taiwan. Modern Taichung (my hometown in central Taiwan), like most cities, has become more urban, practically unrecognizable from the way it looked in the 20th century. Although old Taiwan had its fair share of flaws, it was still the childhood home of my mother and a place forever suspended in the past. I wanted to capture that snapshot of a moment in time and link it to something that still exists today (glove puppetry). However, even the glove puppets themselves no longer look the way they did in the 20th century, so my film would try to capture the essence of 60s’ Taiwan, right down to accurate looking puppets. I'm immensely appreciative of my cast and crew who brought their best to my debut short film. I'm incredibly proud of it.#KyleneHarrington #momofilmfestival