Throughout her esteemed career, Yang has worked on many projects she is incredibly passionate about, and audiences feel that passion when they watch her films. What is perhaps her most decorated film, The Letter, went on to win several awards at some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals. This is a trend is seen in most of Yang’s work, such as with the films Under the Pieces and Te Echo de Menos. Yang’s determination to make every film she works on the best it can be is a sure-fire path to success.
Her work on the film Jiaozi is no different. The film is a comedy about a Chinese-American boy who was embarrassed about his own cultural background, but soon accepts it and is proud of it. The story, for Yang, touched her on a personal level.
“I may not have been raised in a multicultural household, but I do have experience living and adapting in two different cultures. As I read the story, a lot of things did ring true to me as well. I felt that it was necessary to show audiences who aren’t from a multicultural household the impact one has from being raised in different cultures, how one could struggle with their identity. Being able to tell this story from a child’s perspective was a very interesting idea because it lightened up the heavy topic. I also enjoyed how the director brought in the Chinese cultural elements elegantly and showed the love the mother has for her child. It depicts the love of a parent and how much they would do in order to make their child happy,” said Yang.
The film went on to tremendous success, making its way to several festivals. It was nominated for Best Short Film at the NewFilmmakers Los Angeles 2017 and won the Audience Choice for comedy at the Top Shorts Film Festival 2017. None of this could have been possible without Yang’s work as producer, and yet, she remains humble.
“I am very happy that the film did so well on its festival run. It makes me happy knowing that the story could be told to many people. I hope that more people will be able to view this film and understand the struggle of finding one’s identity,” she said.
When Director Lin Zhao was looking for the best producer possible to turn his idea into reality, he approached Yang. He had seen her work and heard of her driven reputation, and he was enormously impressed. He came to Yang with his story, and the producer’s interest was caught. She wanted to tell a story that isn’t often seen on the big screen. As a producer and moviegoer, she knows there are films based on culture and race, but not necessarily the internal drama that goes through those who have grown in a multi-cultural household. Making Jiaozi gave Yang that chance to not only do something that is not regularly done, but also to make a difference with her work and educate her audiences.
Once work on the film began, Yang helped build the team, find the talent, acquire the necessary legal documents, and of course, run the daily production. As Jiaozi is told through the eyes of a child, Yang also had to manage many child actors. She hired a classroom full of children, which required extensive research to do things correctly. She had to organize everything from schedules to wardrobe for the children, whilst complying with all the paperwork and legal aspects of hiring child actors, all while making sure the parents were pleased. This was no easy task, but Yang’s fortitude pulled through, and everything went off without a hitch. During one day of production, which happened to fall on Mother’s Day, Yang provided roses for the child actors to give to their mothers when daily production wrapped. It was one of the most enjoyable days on set for the producer, as the happiness of the mothers and the children was contagious. Those she worked on the film were blown away with her thoughtfulness and what she accomplished.
“Sherry is phenomenal at organizing schedules and making sure things are moving forward as they should. She’s very diligent and a hard worker. If she is given a task, she does whatever she can to see that it gets done. She is an excellent communicator, keeping everyone on the same page within a shoot. Sherry will always be the first person I go to when I need a producer for any project I’m in charge of. She’s a good person. She’s a good friend. Anyone would be lucky to have her in their life. I know I consider myself lucky,” said Kraig Dane, who worked alongside Yang on Jiaozi, as well as many other projects.
Making Jiozi was immensely satisfying for the producer. Not only was it enjoyable to work on the day-to-day operations, but it resonated with audiences, something that Yang strives for with every film she works on. More importantly, however, it resonated with her.
“It is such a unique, cute story of a Chinese-American child finding his identity whilst his mother lovingly helps him by showing her son all the wonderful aspects of his Chinese culture. It allows the boy to learn, appreciate, and be proud of his Chinese culture, which he was embarrassed of earlier in the film. It’s such an amazing story that teaches children to be proud of their background and to be accepting of every culture,” she concluded.