Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
In Bianca Rose Cheung's "My Dad is an Astronaut," lead character, Cami, lives in rural Northern BC alongside her Mother. Set in a picturesque yet gritty winter, Cami must grapple with her mother's deteriorating health, while reconciling with the absence of her Father.
In this short from Cheung, Cami's story is representative of the experience of growing up in an "Astronaut family," a term coined for Chinese migrant families in the 80s and 90s, where different members of the family lived in different countries for economic reasons. But what really intrigues Cheung is the emotional impact of this separation from your loved ones, and how the memory of them is embedded in each choice you make for your future.
"My Dad is an Astronaut" demonstrates how we live with decisions made for us, not by us, and how the memory of someone, while alive, can still be a grieving process. In this episode of the VIFF Podcast, we chat with the filmmaker about what it was like shooting in the dead of winter, and how the purpose of cinema is so much more than entertainment.
In Bianca Rose Cheung's "My Dad is an Astronaut," lead character, Cami, lives in rural Northern BC alongside her Mother. Set in a picturesque yet gritty winter, Cami must grapple with her mother's deteriorating health, while reconciling with the absence of her Father.
In this short from Cheung, Cami's story is representative of the experience of growing up in an "Astronaut family," a term coined for Chinese migrant families in the 80s and 90s, where different members of the family lived in different countries for economic reasons. But what really intrigues Cheung is the emotional impact of this separation from your loved ones, and how the memory of them is embedded in each choice you make for your future.
"My Dad is an Astronaut" demonstrates how we live with decisions made for us, not by us, and how the memory of someone, while alive, can still be a grieving process. In this episode of the VIFF Podcast, we chat with the filmmaker about what it was like shooting in the dead of winter, and how the purpose of cinema is so much more than entertainment.
