American Dream

WINNER of the SPECIAL JURY AWARD at the 2017 New Orleans Film Festival "American Dream" is the story of Mae, a young Chinese immigrant attempting to achieve her dream of becoming a singer in Chinatown, New York City. Things do not go as planned as the image of her dream deteriorates into a harsh reality and she finds herself back in a familiar place - or, perhaps she never left. The film stages a confrontation with the idea of the “American Dream” and the way narratives of American capitalism have imposed imaginary norms which work to define our collective understanding of the immigrant experience. We throw into question the various modes of objectification popular cinema uses to construct narratives of female identity. Additionally, we frame the monotony of female immigrant labor in order to underline the reality of these experiences and the ways they remain, as if in a blind spot, hidden from view. Written by Steven Gray and Alexia Oldini Directed by Alexia Oldini (ig: @alexiaoldini) Cinematography by Steven Gray Starring Danni Wang & James Chen Special Jury Award 2017 New Orleans Film Festival Official Selection 2017 Cambridge Film Festival Official Selection 2018 Athens International Film + Video Festival Official Selection 2018 Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival Official Selection 2018 deadCenter Film Festival Official Selection 2018 Lower East Side Film Festival Official Selection 2018 Marfa Film Festival Vimeo Staff Pick 2018