STANDARD OF A GOOD PUPIL -  A FILM BY ICE CHEUNG

Standard of a Good Pupil is an anthology of eleven interconnected short films - parables on the teachings of Confucius - that casts a probing light on the lives of young women in modern day China. Consumed by desire and rebelliousness and yet living within the strictures of societal expectations the women search for self-identity through validation in fashion, sensuality, and self-expression.

All the actors in my film are non-professional and as such were open to their roles and my 
directions. The atmosphere on set was collaborative and playful – the cast were adventurous. I enlisted the help of an excellent cinematographer who helped to capture the mood and dynamics I desired. It was important to me that Standard of a Good Pupil needed an underlining philosophy, that it stretched one’s understanding of the modern-day world by anchoring it to a set of values, of cultural learnings. This was not to be a parade of the mere beautiful it had to have a soul - a purpose. For this reason, every chapter in the film represents a part of the human experience and reflects upon my own journey and what it means to struggle, to discover oneself and to find HOME.

Cast
All-Woman cast : 30+ non-professional actors

 Crew
 Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Editor, Colorist, Costume Designer : Ice Cheung
 Cinematographer : Safwan Petwov Li Kontan