Eve & the Fire Horse: An Interview with Julia Kwan

Asian-Canadian director Julia Kwan has recently made waves with her debut feature Eve & the Fire Horse. It has already picked up numerous coveted awards, such as the Jury Prize at Sundance and a handful of Leo Awards, and continues to impress audiences on the festival circuit. The film tells the story of a young Asian girl growing up in North America and her exploration between religions and life as a minority.

Julia took time out of her hectic schedule to speak with JXM about the film, the pressures of race and gender, and debuting as a new filmmaker.

JXM: Because there's so much to Eve & the Fire Horse that is so culturally specific, did you find you had any obstacles in terms of both getting the project off the ground and in its reception of the film (i.e. reviews)?

Julia: Well it was very important to me to be culturally authentic. At first there were some issues about that. My producers were very supportive but some people were a bit concerned because there were subtitles and they thought that wasn't very commercially viable. But I had to stick to my guns because I really wanted to make something that was genuine. That was the only big issue I think. I really wrote it from the heart and it was really about shedding light on this very specific family. I find the more specific you are, the more universal it becomes because people can really relate to it regardless of your race. It's about childhood and loneliness, and imagination, family, and identity, which is all very universal.

JXM: For those who did not have a religious upbringing, what do you think would be the appeal of your film?

Julia: I had a childhood like the child in the film. So they were the issues of childhood that I went through. But I think people will relate to the story because its just about these children growing up skirting these two worlds - the more traditional and old world way of thinking of their parents, and the modern world outside the home, which is really westernized. So even though you're not Chinese I think people can understand the universal elements of the film and relate to it.

JXM: There's a website that indicates that you've also studied psychology in university, how much of that education went into your writing?

Julia: I think writing stories is about exploring human behaviour and trying to understand human behaviour. So definitely that training really helped and lends itself to my writing. Especially child psychology - psychology does come into play and not just in writing but in real life too.

JXM: You once mentioned that you had trouble comparing your film to another for your pitch. Did you ever come up with an answer?

Julia: I think it's always a little misleading to kind of describe it by comparing it to another film. Although it is a necessity to have to pitch your film and short hand it to get people to understand what it's about. But at one point my producer started calling it the Chinese Amelie. I mean Amelie was the film my producers used but I never really felt comfortable about it because it sort of deceives you into thinking it's this magic realist film, which there are elements of, but its not about that. It's really about the emotional journey of this young girl who is trying to figure things out on her own. So no I never really thought of a good comparison in the end.

JXM: Did you feel that there was any pressure on you from the Asian community to represent the community as a whole?

Julia: I feel that as an Asian artist that I will always feel that pressure, because there's just not that many films out there being made by Asians and particularly Asian women. So I do think people expect that films made by Asians right now should be representative. As an artist of Asian descent, you are sort of forced to be representative of an entire race and identity, which I think is unfair, because no one has ever said to Steven Soderbergh, "oh your films should represent the white male!" *Chuckles* So because there's so many films out there by white males it's really a non-issue. I just hope that more and more up and coming Asian filmmakers will make their own films, without feeling as if they're forced to represent an entire culture, and become like a Steven Soderbergh, so that it becomes a non-issue.

JXM: Do you feel that there is any pressure on you to prove yourself and be looked at as a director rather than a director that is female and a visible minority?

Julia: I think I faced a lot of the challenges that any first time filmmakers face, because you are unproven and you always have to prove yourself. Maybe there was a bit more of a challenge for me in terms of having to prove myself as a filmmaker. I may have had to jump through more hoops because I'm not a man and I'm Asian, but those challenges only make you stronger. The more you talk about your film and the more you try to teach people about the complexities of the film the more focused you become and the more determined you become. It's really hard for any first time filmmaker regardless of gender and race.

JXM: Did you feel that you had such a female perspective that others couldn't grasp it?

Julia: Well two of my producers are male! I mean, if the distributors and funders had any issues with it at all, it was probably more because they thought it wasn't commercially viable since it was an Asian film and it was episodic in nature, unlike most mainstream films. So there were obstacles that we had to overcome but I don't think it being from a female perspective was one of them.

JXM: Who or what other films or filmmakers do you admire, or inspire you?

Julia: I really like Lea Pool, a French female filmmaker from Quebec. Lea Pool did a film called Emporte-moi, and it was such an inspiration for me. It's sort of autobiographical and is about growing up in the 60s through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old girl. It's really beautiful. I actually met her at a festival in Paris about four years ago and we had lunch and I talked to her briefly. Before we made this film, my producers got in touch with her agent to see if she would want to come on as a director's mentor or consultant, because I really believe in mentorship. And so she remembered me and loved the script and agreed to come on. So she ended up being on set for three days as a consultant. Turns out she also adopted a little girl from China and named her Julia! I also really admire filmmakers like Wong Kar Wai, Hirokazu Koreeda, the Japanese director who did the film Afterlife, and Ang Lee.

JXM: Do you ever find that you have any insecurities when showcasing the film at new festivals?

Julia: Oh my God, all the time! I think it's healthy to go in with some uncertainty because you're always going to see all the things you weren't sure about, which helps you become a better filmmaker. But in the end it is what it is, and the film still definitely reflects the emotions that I wanted to get across. It was honest to me and it was truthful in the end I think, regardless of the acting or anything else. I made a truthful film and that was what I set out to do.

JXM: Do you still have any insecurities as a director?

Julia: Oh God yeah! I think I'll always have it in my whole career. I think a lot of artists do because we're all perfectionists. I think its good to be a little unsure because if you're too sure of everything you do then your thinking becomes pretty narrow.

JXM: So when you win praise and awards at festivals, such as the Jury Prize at Sundance, does that boost your confidence in any way?

Julia: It's definitely encouraging when that happens and it encourages me to go out and do my next project. Especially with this Jury Prize, because there are so films at Sundance and it's such a competitive film festival. It's on a world stage, and is such an important festival in North America - one of the most important festivals in the U.S. So yeah, it was definitely a very special moment - especially when you're getting up onstage for this award and you see Terrence Howard and Roger Ebert sitting in the front row - it really hits you. It definitely encourages you to make more films and keep telling your stories.

JXM: Did you feel any pressure to represent Canada, being the only Canadian feature at Sundance this year?

Julia: I did because I wanted it to do well, and I did feel in a way like I was representing Canada. So I definitely wanted the film to be very well received. Fortunately the film did great the first night and in the second night we had a standing ovation and was sold out. The government was also very supportive because they paid for our crew jackets and our buttons and our hats. So we were walking around with Eve & the Fire Horse gear and people were stopping us on the streets saying, "oh I heard your film was good" and "I saw your film and I think it was great." So there was a lot of attention being paid to our little film. And at one point they did a formal poll of the favourite films that were shown at the festival and it included films like Thank You For Smoking and Eve & the Fire Horse in the top five, so it was unbelievable! And I couldn't ask for a better reception audience wise. And critically I got a really nice write-up from Roger Ebert and so Sundance was definitely one of the highlights out of all the festivals for sure. It just wasn't about the glamour, or about Paris Hilton showing up. It was really about mentoring directors.

JXM: Do you find that a lot of festivals these days are actually becoming more and more about the celebrities as opposed to the films?

Julia: I guess it depends on which festivals you go to. I have to say Sundance is really wonderful that way in that it's entirely not about the celebrities, but about celebrating film. And all the programmers are genuinely happy to have you there and are happy for you. They're really all so supportive and warm. I also really liked Seattle. That was a really nice festival. I just enjoy the film festival circuit in general because you meet so many other Asian filmmakers and we really become a family since we keep seeing each other in every city and in all the Asian-American festivals.

JXM: So do you find that there's a really supportive community of Canadian and Asian filmmakers?

Julia: Definitely, especially with other Asian-American filmmakers, just because we keep seeing each other. We're all going to go to Hawaii in October for that festival so I'll be seeing them again. It's just really a lot of fun. We watch each other's films, and just recently four of the other Asian-American filmmakers saw my film again which I thought was amazing support.

JXM: Is there anything you're working on right now that you can tell us about?

Julia: Well I'm working on another Asian themed feature. And I've also been asked to adapt the book, Generation X by Douglas Coupland. I'm excited about doing that because it's one of my favourite books.

JXM: Thanks for talking with us!

Julia: Thank you, it was great!