Bayard Street
The doors are closed. There are no more screenings of this film.
Synopsis: In the kitchen of a late-night spot on Bayard Street in Chinatown, New York, Mei Ching, the new Chinese takeout gal fumbles to prepare orders. As the atmosphere overwhelms her, she clashes with the other workers. Just when the restaurant manager is about to fire her, Andy, another waiter steps in to defend her. When Mei Ching doubts herself coming to America, Andy brings hope back into her life, and they share their greatest dreams for the future.
Language
Run Time
Starring
Haosong Yang (Andy)
Andy Chu (Manager)
Xiao Xiao Sun (Ray)
Shu Hang Chan (Cook)
Kamila Hoe (Girl One)
Directed by
Produced by
Jenna You
Edited by
Composer
Production Designer
Cinematographer
Director's Statement
BAYARD STREET grew from a conversation with my dad about how my immigrant parents met in the 1980s N.Y.C. and the struggles they faced to financially support our family and arguments they had that stemmed from their different class backgrounds. My dad was a working-class waiter from China while my mom was a wealthier immigrant from Taiwan. I wondered how these seemingly different people fell in love in a country that doesn’t love them back.
Inspired by my parents, BAYARD STREET became a story of Andy and Mei Ching, young lovers filled with hope and romance, but soon realize the American Dream isn’t all it’s cut out to be. They reflect similar experiences to most Chinese and Taiwanese immigrants during the 1980s when the best possible options were to work in restaurants where very few people rise up to the corporate world.
This film honors the people who’ve faced harsh realities and sacrifices in order to build better lives in America.
Director's Bio
Cindy Chu is a writer and filmmaker born and raised in Queens, NY from a Chinese and Taiwanese immigrant family. She is a Mentorship Matters fellow (mentored by Angela Kang, showrunner of The Walking Dead), a Blackmagic Collective fellow, a #Startwith8Hollywood mentee, and a semifinalist for Hillman Grad Mentorship. Her digital dramedy series, Queens won best TV pilot comedy at Omni Cultural TV fest, and her horror TV pilot, Angel Island, was selected for the 2nd round for Sundance Episodic Lab. Her romantic drama feature script, Bayard Street was a grand prize winner of Pitch Royale that was judged by Oscar winners, Baz Luhrmann and Jason Blum, and received multiple grants to shoot the short film version. Her stories are female-led, and about 1st gen and immigrant urban working-class Asian Americans in various genres of comedy, drama, and horror.