Only the Moon Stands Still | Trailer

20th Tribeca Film Festival (World Premiere)
35th AFI FEST (Audience Award)
28th Palm Springs ShortFest
18th HollyShorts Film Festival
40th CAAMFest
45th Asian American International Film Festival

“Writer/director Johnson Cheng returns to AFI with yet another incredibly moving film about the complexities of intergenerational families: a slice-of-life tale of three generations of Chinese women confronting the realities of having to shut down their family’s ballroom dance studio and bid farewell to a life that has defined them for so long. I love how the film tells a story of how time marches forward, whether you are ready or not, and how it’s how you choose to face it that really determines who you are.”
- AFI FEST (Programmer Picks: https://www.afi.com/news/afi-fest-2021-programmer-picks)

Narrative | 22 min | Chinese (Mandarin), English

Written and Directed by
Johnson Cheng

Executive Produced by
Lena Waithe
Rishi Rajani
Natasha Wellesley
Doménica Castro
Constanza Castro

Produced by
Jera Wang

Cinematography by
Carlo Canlas Mendoza, LPS

Production Design by
Dong Lei

Costume Design by
Nan Zhou

Edited by
Emily Ge Zhai
Johnson Cheng

Music by
Zeke Khaseli
Yudhi Arfani

Casting by
Jera Wang
Luke Liu

Starring
Shirley Chen
Mardy Ma

Colorist
Andre Rivas

Sound Designer/Re-recording Mixer
Sam Fan

Indeed: Rising Voices

Shot on location in the San Gabriel Valley of L.A. County, California

Johnson Cheng | johnsoncheng.com