“Gone with the Boat” Launches Film Production Alumni Xiaoyu Chen into International Spotlight

“This is really a dream come true.”

So exclaimed Xiaoyu Chen, as his film Gone with the Boat heads to the silver screen in China. The movie is getting a wide theatrical release by Nationwide Alliance of Art-house Cinemas, an organization aiming to promote and distribute high-quality, artistic films.

“On April 12, which was the official release date, most cities in China screened Gone with the Boat,” explained the 2018 Film Production grad. “It’s such an honor to be selected into this high standard screening system. We also started a road trip all around China on March 31, having pre-premieres one city per day, to communicate with the audience face-to-face, and hopefully result in more people going to the cinema.”

This is the latest in a series of triumphs for the filmmaker, who earlier this year traveled to Ireland, where his debut feature film Gone With the Boat screened at the 2024 Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF).

Recalling his experience at the festival, Xiaoyu beamed with pride, “It was my first time in Europe and the audience in Dublin was incredibly receptive. They connected with the essence of the story, despite our differences in culture and background.”

Last year, Gone with the Boat premiered at the Shanghai International Film Festival, where it captured the hearts of viewers and critics alike, earning Chen the prestigious award for Best Screenplay.

“I remember when I was coming out after the movie,” reflected Chen, “an old man came up to me and said, ‘Young fella, your film is okay. I wish I could see this kind of film every year at this festival.’”

“So I felt very proud.”

Gone with the Boat is a poignant exploration of identity and belonging. Set against the backdrop of a family confronting the impending loss of their matriarch, the film delves into the complexities of modern life while reflecting on the ties that bind us to our roots.

This question of what is home – is it where we’re from, or where we belong? Is something that has deep personal meaning for Chen, whose formative years involved moving with his parents from his native China to the United Arab Emirates. But at 17 years old, he moved back to China alone.

“I felt like a stranger coming back. Although my grandmother is here, my parents were still in the UAE and I was considered as a rebel,” he recalled, “because they wanted me to finish university, of course, but I dropped out.”

Despite initial skepticism from his family, Chen’s determination never wavered. “I already knew what I wanted to do; I wanted to make films. So I decided to invest my time in filmmaking, and starting making documentaries.”

In 2016, Chen found himself “stuck”. He had some success with documentaries, but wanted to make a feature film. There was just one problem, he realized – he had much to learn of the craftsmanship of narrative filmmaking. “And that brought me to Toronto Film School.”

“I thought it would be a good thing for me, because it’s a short course; just 18 months,” Chen remembered, “and everything you learned seemed to be useful.” So he took the jump, and moved to Toronto to study. At TFS, Chen gained the tools and inspiration to bring his creative vision to life. “TFS taught me to make my vision more clear,” he remembered. “It really changed me.”

Beyond technical skills, Chen found a community of like-minded creatives.

“I really feel like a family in Toronto with my classmates,” he mused. “Maybe in a few years I’ll have a bigger budget and I can hire them for a project here in China, who knows?”

Looking ahead, Chen’s path is brimming with possibilities. He’ll soon return to Europe, this time for screenings of Gone with the Boat in London. And though his next few projects are set in China, he said he envisions returning to Toronto to make films set in his Canadian home-away-from-home.

Chen remains committed to storytelling that bridges cultural divides and is drawn to narratives that bring different worlds together, fostering understanding and empathy.

“I always find stories that bring two totally different worlds together to be very interesting,” he concluded. “In modern days, everybody is going to different places, sharing different thoughts. Things change so quickly, and people and communities feel very divided. And I think that’s really dangerous.”

“For me, film is an opportunity to tell a story and bring ideas together that let people feel that even though this person is so different from you, you basically feel the same thing as a human.”