The Coin (2019)
Synopsis
During Chinese New Year holidays, finding the coin inside the dumplings means having a blessed year ahead. A young woman loses a jar on her journey to a new country, which contains the lucky coins she has been collecting growing up. Her new life begins with a search to find the coin.
Festivals
SXSW Film Festival, Austin USA world premiere
International Festival Of Documentary And Short Film Of Bilbao, Spain
Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, USA
Bucheon International Animation Film Festival, Korea
World Festival of Animated Film Animafest Zagreb, Croatia
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, USA
International Animation Festival CHILEMONOS, Chile
Hollyshorts Film Festival, USA
Animario, Spain
Festival Stop Motion Montreal, Canada
Shanghai International Film Festival, China
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, Japan
Florida Film Festival, USA
St. Louis International Film Festival, USA
Korea Independent Animation Film Festival, Korea
FIRST International Film Festival, China
Cleveland International Film Festival, USA
Tricky Women/Tricky Realities, Austria
Olympia International Film Festival, Greece
Milwaukee Film Festival, USA
Atlanta Film Festival, USA
Denver Film Festival, USA
Heartland Film Festival, USA
New Hampshire Film Festival, USA
San Diego Asian Film Festival, USA
KROK International Animated Films Festival, Russia
Feinaki Beijing Animation Week, China
Philadelphia Film Festival, USA
Cucalorus Film Festival, USA
FlickerFest, Australia
Brooklyn Film Festival, USA
Indie Street Film Festival, USA
Athens International Film + Video Festival, USA
Mecal Pro | 22º Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes y Animación de Barcelona, Spain
and more
Credits
written, designed & directed by Siqi Song
produced by Diana Ward & Ashim Ahuja
cinematographer Bongani Mlambo
music by Alexis Grapsas
voice by Anna Pan
costume design by Qing Wang
animation by Bob Blevins, Ian Boone, Molly McCandless, Rich Zim
executive producers Valerie Castillo Martinez & Francisco Velasquez
executive producer Kimberly Han
FiLM INDEPENDENT PROJECT INVOLVE presents THE COIN
Awards
Best International Animation Short Film - Chilemonos International Animation Festival, Chile
Jury Award for Best Short Animation - New Hampshire Film Festival, USA
Best Experimental Film - FIRST International Film Festival, China
Best Animation Short Film - Chinese Young Generation Film Forum, China
Prize for Asia Road - Korea Independent Animation Film Festival, Korea
Watch
Watch The Coin on Short of the Week:
https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2020/11/30/the-coin-siqi-song/
Director's Note
THE COIN is a film about tradition, family, immigration, and most importantly, about finding ourselves. The story starts with a New Year tradition from Northern China, where I was born and raised. On New Year’s Eve, families would gather in the kitchen and make dumplings together. In a few of the dumplings, we would hide coins in. At the family dinner, whoever eats the dumplings with the coin in will have a blessed year ahead. The coin in here is simply a leap of faith, a little bit of optimism packaged inside a dumpling. But as I grew up and immigrated to different cities and countries, I find I have to constantly change myself to fit in the new environment. For anyone who has experience of moving from one place to another, would have experienced some sort of identity crisis, the feeling of lost and misplaced. But at the end of the day, I find out our past is an essential part of who we are and that’s what makes us special. Finding faith within ourselves is more important than looking for validation from others.