Where I Finally Belong
"Where I Finally Belong" is a short film about finding myself and a community that felt like family. The film presents my personal experiences of growing up in a small town and feeling a loss of identity until joining UWVSA which introduced me to lifelong friends.
OVERVIEW:
Given the task to illustrate your "Best Story Ever" in any type of medium, I created a short film that is inspired by my experience in UWVSA.
ROLE:
INDEPENDENT PROJECT - SHORT FILM
DURATION:
MAR 2026
TOOLS:
PREMIERE PRO
CANON R7
SYNOPSIS:
A journey through finding myself and connecting with my roots/culture.
Growing up in a small town, being one of the very few Asians in my community, I felt like I was losing touch with my culture and becoming “white-washed.” I felt like I was different from my peers and tried to fit into what others were doing since I didn’t want to be “bullied.” I couldn’t express who I was and felt insecure to how I expressed myself. Entering university, it was hard for me to adjust in the first term in such a new environment away from home. It felt refreshing but I didn’t have a sense of community supporting me, which caused me to feel isolated and empty inside. Some days felt like I was living with no purpose, nothing to look forward to, wishing days can end faster.
Until I found a community that allowed me to find who I am.
In Winter 2025, I joined UWVSA (University of Waterloo Vietnamese Students’ Association) which led me to meet people sharing the same culture and experiences I faced. Even though VSA is just a cultural club, it gave me so many opportunities and a sense of cultural connection that I wasn’t able to have in the past. Things like celebrating Tết (Lunar New Year) was only celebrated within family settings and didn’t mean much to me. Joining VSA made me realize I can be proud of my culture and I was able to celebrate Tết as a big event. VSA introduced me to people who feel like family. There’s something special about these friends that make me feel welcomed, safe, and proud whenever I’m with them. I finally found a sense of community and love with these people, through VSA events and even our own hangouts, whether its studying or eating dinner together, this community is home for me.
PROCESS:
For this short film, I was inspired by K-drama films and hope-core videos, wanting to represent a narrative told in first person. I looked at video references (mostly music videos) to get an idea of what shots I wanted.
The film begins with the Vietnamese phrase, “Vạn sự khởi đầu nan,” meaning “all things are difficult before they become easy,” setting the tone for the struggles presented in the story. The film then transitions into a nostalgic mood with camcorder clips, giving the experiences within VSA feel like memories/flashbacks. The film concludes with me looking into the distance as my younger self (portrayed by the other girl) asks if I am happy now. This ending symbolizes my journey toward self-acceptance and finding happiness within myself.
RETROSPECTIVE:
Creating this short film was something very personal to me as it talks about my personal experiences and mental health. VSA means a lot to me and I made a lot of friendships from the club. I want this short film to be relatable to others who have joined or experienced similar struggles as me.
Fun fact! I showed this to my friends in VSA and some of them cried/got emotional while watching it. :)