Motel Grand-Pré — a Q&A with Calvin

At a small motel in Gaspésie, Mr. Liu moves through repairs, cleaning, and routine while his visiting filmmaker son tries to understand him by staying close to the work. A quiet, often funny documentary about the delicate ways a father and son learn to share time together. Winner of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers Award and Air Canada Best Short Film Award.

Motel Grand-Pré screens in People's History on Saturday, June 27 at 2:30pm at LSPU Hall.

How did your film come together?

The idea for Motel Grand-Pré had been living in the back of my mind for years. I always knew I wanted to make a film about my father and his life running a motel in the Gaspésie—it’s a rugged, isolated part of Quebec where you rarely see a Chinese family, and that felt like a story that needed to be told. The turning point finally came when I was selected for the Unsung Voices program at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. That gave me the push and the platform I needed to finally turn this piece of my family history into a film.

Did anything unexpected happen as you were making this film?

The ending was a total surprise. I hadn't planned for it to go that way at all, but it just happened naturally while we were filming. It felt more honest to follow where the story was actually going rather than sticking to a script, so I just let it happen.

What’s the best filmmaking advice you’ve ever received?

Always feed well your crew.