four aunties. one bill.
An action-comedy film
by lisianne chan
LOGLINEAsian-Australian Wen is in for a surprise when she tags along to lunch with Aunty Poh and her friends...The Aunties take the honour of paying the bill very seriously. When limbs start flying, Wen and Aunty Poh come to terms with the importance of friendship and family.
SYNOPSISWhen Wen is dragged along to her Aunty Poh’s friendship lunch at their local Thai restaurant, she’s unamused. What a waste of time! She really needs to get back to work.Meanwhile, Aunty Poh has her own concerns. She doesn’t have enough money to pay for today’s lunch, although her group of friends (The Aunties) have a decades-long tradition of taking turns to pay for the bill. Even worse, she’s going to have to pretend to fight to get it.No way Poh is “losing face” in front of her oldest friends by not winning. Wen thinks they should just split the bill, but she doesn’t know what’s about to go down... THE FIGHT IS ON!
GENREComedy, Action,
Drama & Animation
SPECS1.78 (16x9) 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD)
8:46:22 minutes
Stereo
FREE MONEY Director, Writer, Producer,
Animator & Editor
Lisianne Chan is a multi-disciplinary artist and filmmaker from Singapore based in Sydney, Australia.She is obsessed with finding new ways to use her creative toolbox. Free Money is her first foray into making a short film, born out of her love for action films and her desire to see older Asian women represented in them. She is so grateful to bring this story to life with a majority Asian and female cast and crew.Her creative background began as an independent hand lettering artist. She has taught lettering workshops and been a selected feature in TYPISM Books 7, 8 and 9 (2021-2023). As a motion graphics designer and video editor, her projects have created viral internet videos with more than 961.9k likes on TikTok.Currently, she is a video producer at Australian Geographic. Previously, she interned with the conference programming team at SXSW Sydney (2023). As a writer, she pens film reviews at the online film publication SWITCH.She is currently pursuing a BA of Communication (Media Arts & Production) and a BA of Laws at UTS. She is the Senior Manager of the Media portfolio at Diverse Women in Law Australia.Her work can be found at www.lisiannechan.com
HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS
EMILY WEEKS
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Emily Weeks is a student cinematographer and gaffer in Sydney. She is incredibly excited about Free Money being shot with Cooke lenses and Sony support from the the Sony Film School grant. With a keen eye for visuals and an extensive lighting plan handy, Emily is always ready to deliver a gorgeous shot.
IMANI JURD
PRODUCTION & COSTUME DESIGNER
Imani Jurd is a production designer studying at UTS. A frequent collaborator with Lisianne, she is incredibly passionate about everything that makes up a set – from the napkins on the table to the earrings each actress wears. She loves curating visuals with her team of stylists and artists.
JAXX LOUI
SOUND DESIGNER & RECORDIST
Jaxx Loui is a Chinese-Australian filmmaker. Born and raised in Hong Kong, they've enjoyed relating to Free Money's core themes and messages. With a keen understanding for characterisation and story, Jaxx is always looking to elevate a film's message through their sound design.
KEONA LAU
EDITOR
Keona Lau is a Chinese-Australian filmmaker specialising in editing. With an intuitive touch for editing and an extensive online audience, her video edits have garnered hundreds of thousands of views. A long-time editing friend of Lisianne, she has enjoyed piecing together Free Money over two months.
ANNIKA MULLER
PRODUCER
Annika Muller is a producer studying at UTS. Reuniting with Lisianne for their second joint project in UTS, Annika is a keen producer with an organised colour-coded set of folders ready and an excel spreadsheet of the budget balanced before we even hit the set.
MAIN CAST
LIZ LIN
WEN HUI
Liz Lin is a powerhouse actress of Chinese-Australian descent based in Sydney. Most recently, she held a main role in SXSW Sydney selected feature "Salt Along The Tongue" (2024).
TIANG LIM
AUNTY POH
Tiang Lim is a Malaysian-Chinese Australian comedian. She recently held her own show "Dandelion" at the 2024 Sydney Fringe Festival, and is a performer in the critically acclaimed "Crones in Caberet" troupe.
SUSAN LING YOUNG
AUNTY DARA
Susan Ling Young is a Chinese-Australian actress. She can be seen most recently in the new Australian reboot of "The Office" TV series on Prime Video as a series regular.
KAREN YEE
AUNTY VERONICA
Karen Yee is a Chinese-Australian actress based in Melbourne. Originally a music teacher, she has made the leap to acting the past few years and enjoys exploring characters in a thoughtful and personal manner.
PETRELL HUANG
AUNTY SHEN
Petrell Huang is a Chinese-Australian actress and model. Having appeared in numerous TV spots and ads, Petrell is a natural in front of the camera.
OFFICIAL FILM STILLS
LEFT TO RIGHT: Susan Ling Young as Aunty Dara, Karen Yee as Aunty Veronica, Artur Vanags as Waiter Jim, Petrell Huang as Aunty Shen, Tiang Lim as Aunty Poh
THE FIGHT IS ON!
LUNCH IS A BATTLEGROUND
LEFT TO RIGHT: Tiang Lim as Aunty Poh, Liz Lin as Wen Hui
WHO PAID...?
AN ASIAN AND FEMALE-LED STORY, TOLD BY AN ASIAN AND FEMALE-LED CAST AND CREW.
81% female or Non-binary
All HODs female or non-binary
60% Asian
Photos by Santi Untario (LEFT) & Erica Long (RIGHT)
I am so grateful for the number of everyone who showed up for the project and believed in it, volunteering both their time and resources for months to make this happen! From handmaking the wigs and building a lazy susan table, to planning shot by shot lighting plans, Free Money would not be anywhere without such a dedicated crew.Producing and directing a full crew for the first time was an incredible learning experience. The camaraderie and support each crew member has brought to the project is what makes the film so worthwhile.LISIANNE CHAN
Writer-Director
Producer, Animator & Editor
CREDITS
Writer-Director: Lisianne Chan
Producers: Lisianne Chan, Annika Muller
Cinematographer: Emily Weeks
Production & Costume Designer: Imani Jurd
Sound: Jaxx Loui
Editors: Keona Lau, Lisianne ChanStarring:
Tiang Lim
Liz Lin
Susan Ling Young
Karen Yee
Petra Huang
Artur Vanags
Dereck ThamrakLocation: Pron Prohm Thai RestaurantChoreographers: Tianna Pessotto, Ivana Jonjic
Stuntmen: Brian Tran, Jennifer Huynh, Beverely Misionare
VFX: Lisianne Chan
Motion Design: Lisianne Chan, Chiara Bicanic, Keona Lau
Color: Nicholas Andrews
Key Food Stylist: Isabelle Tang
Food Stylist: Sophie Dart1st ACs: Alexandra Anonuevo, Emy Mai
2nd ACs: Luke O’Donnell, Luke Huang
Gaffer: Annika Willcocks
Best Person: Bianca Tovia
Key Grip: Adam Stavros
Best Boy Grip: Shawn Lu, Sandon Hale, Jonathan Adrian
Lenses: Camera HireSpecial thanks to UTS MediaLab:
Nick Henderson, Cato Klafas, Hayden JonesKey Hair and MUA: Stella Jurd
Costume Design Assistants: Sophia Kouroupakis, Sebastian Jamnicky, Izabelle Lockley
MUA: Ty Doyle, Izabelle Lockley
Hair Stylists: Madison Kelly, Oliver Holmes, Jamalia Brown
Tailor: Scarlett Jurd1st ADs: Annika Muller, Haylee Muir
2nd AD: Kavyaa GohilSound Recordist: Jaxx Loui
Boom Operators: Haylee Muir, Arlo Di Fazio
Composer: Luca YiStills Photography: Santi Untario, Erica LongBuilder: Clinton Jurd
Wardrobe: Sam Jurd, Late SeptemberCultural Consultant: Kuo Yi QuanShoot Assistants:
Kristen Farrugia, Rachel Goh, Rachel Santos,
Anaya Kashid, Chiara Bicanic, Oh Jing Wen, Mya PockranThanks To
Sony Australia
UTS Media Lab
Justin HarveySpecial Thanks To
Charlie David Page
Margaret McHugh
Gerald Mair
Jurd Family
Goh Family
Chan Family
Free Money is inspired by the Asian culture of sharing food and fighting to pay the bill to "save face" – to maintain respect and honour amongst friends and family.
I wrote Free Money based on my experiences living in Singapore and Australia, and observations of how Asian traditions are adopted differently between generations. It means a lot to me to create an unapologetically Asian film starring women for my first short film.While based on Asian traditions, Free Money is so much more.Free Money is for the younger generation struggling to connect with heritage, for the older generation who dreams of being superheroes, and for anyone who has had to pretend they wanted to pay the bill.
LISIANNE CHAN
Writer-Director
Producer, Editor, Animator
