Filmmaker Profile: Teresa Xie
Teresa Xie
Teresa Xie (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and journalist who reports on culture, politics, business — and the spaces where they intersect. She has written for publications ranging from Pitchfork to The Nation, worked on NPR’s Tiny Desk and Louder Than A Riot, and produced an audio story on the mispronunciation of Asian-American names as an AAJA Voices Fellow. Teresa is a member of independent filmmaker collective Filmshop, a 2024-2025 Bronx Documentary Center Films Fellow, and was part of BRIC’s 2024 Documentary Intensive Cohort.
This Q&A is part of the Bushwick Film Fest Filmmaker Q&A series.
What do you hope audiences will take away from watching your film?
I hope that audiences will see the complexity of intergenerational familial relationships in immigrant families!
Can you tell us about the central themes of your film? What message or emotion did you hope to convey?
BABA (爸爸) is about my sister’s first trip to China in six years. The film unravels her reflections on our grandfather’s passing and relationship with our parents. I wanted to dissect the experience of feeling distant from places and people so integral to your family history and the complex emotions that come with it.
Were there any films or directors that influenced your approach to this project?
Sean Wang's shorts were definitely my biggest influences, particularly 3000 Miles! And also, Carol Nguyen's No Crying at the Dinner Table!
Can you talk about the festival experience? How does it feel to have your film selected?
I made this film for myself and for my family, so having the opportunity to have it screened in front of a larger audience feels surreal and super validating.
What’s the last film you watched?
War for the Planet of the Apes (lol)
Teresa Xie’s Q&A is part of the Bushwick Film Fest Filmmaker Q&A series.
