Travelling Distribution

Masterpiece Mommy

A film by

Dorothea Sing Zhang

Synopsis

A modern musical between Tess, a mother, and her daughter Justine. After suffering a fall, the doctor expresses to Tess, from the CT scan, a potential presence of a lump in her breast and recommends a mammogram. Justine accompanies her and ultimately uncovering the real reason for the fall.

Highlights

Tags

2024

Ovni

Drama

Fiction

Genre

Ovni

Drama

Country

UK, China

Year

2024

Length

15'00"

Themes

Family bond

Musical

With
Leah Dou, Christina Tam
‍
Production
Lily Ashton (Iconoclast UK)
‍
Executive Production
Sarah Pearson (Iconoclast UK)
‍
Director
Dorothea Sing Zhang
‍
Screenplay
Dorothea Sing Zhang
‍
Cinematography
Maximilian Pittner
‍
Art director
Elena Isolini
‍
Costume Designer
Clara Mary Joy
‍
Casting Director
Kharmel Cochrane
‍
Editing
Lainy Black, Carla Luffe
‍
Sound
David Giles
‍
Music
Sebastian Gainsborough, Alex Minyailo

‍

Director's statement

My desire to make MASTERPIECE MOMMY originated from my own experience of accompanying my mother to a mammogram appointment. I was moved and unsettled by the sight of her breast being compressed during the procedure; it felt strangely fantastical and fictional, yet we were facing something very real. It was an image that seemed to encompass something so complicated; our relationship, our future. The machine also made a certain noise that felt very rhythmic and melodic like it could already be a song.

I wanted to create new images, one that aren’t associated with musicals, and allowing it to motivate the music. The turbulent depths within the songs all lead me to cast Leah Dou as Justine. For the past decade, I have admired Leah and her music and acting from afar. I sensed a secret beauty within Leah. I knew we shared the same affection for our mothers just as much as the fear. Leah has followed in her mother, Faye Wong’s, footsteps, with everyone in China observing her closely she still managed to break the conformity and insert herself in something unfamiliar. She gave me a gift to be able to bring her for the first time to Europe.

I’ve always been interested in the form and the shape of films. I wanted to contribute something different towards an exhausted genre. Musicals allow us to suspend our disbelief, to go further and to express unexplainable feelings. I have never come across a musical that I was fond of, which is why I wanted to make one.

Dorothea Sing Zhang

Dorothea Sing Zhang studied Fine Arts at the University College of London, Slade, and pursued film studies at Ecole de Leth (Denmark) with Lars Von Trier and Jørgen Leth. In 2021, she directed the documentary BÀBÀ (Festival du Nouveau Cinéma). In addition to her film work, she also released the monograph LIKE SOMEONE ALIVE (2023, Art Paper Editions)

Filmography

Social media

No items found.

Festivals

DokuFest and Short Film Festival, Kosovo | 2025 * Best European Short Film Vimeo Award
Bolton International Film Festival, UK | 2025 *Best UK Short

‍

Press Inquiries

Press Kit

Social media

Instagram

Back to catalogue