‘Finding Home’ was a two-day shoot in the home of a refugee family in Sydney. We were fortunate enough to be invited into their home, drink their tea, eat their food, and bond with them as we helped tell their story of moving to Australia and their difficulties adapting to a new life.

In pre-production, director Grace Rodgers and I had locked in the idea of shooting the whole short in the subjects’ family house, as it was central to the theme of ‘Finding Home‘ and physically connected the story of the homeowner and the refugee family. When we arrived on-set, all that was left to do was observe the family in daily life and let them talk about their experiences.

The whole project was highly resonant for me, as most of my Vietnamese family in Australia are also refugees. I hoped this film would reinforce for a contemporary audience that not only are refugees still a pressing issue for Australia, but we are a country built on multiculturalism, and we should never stop celebrating our diversity.