The Side of Chinese New Year We Rarely See

你是誰？
Who are you?
Wie ben jij?

—

我是什麼？
What am I?
Wat ben ik?

—

他們會如何看待我？
What will they make of me?
Wat denken ze van mij?

—

LION is a short dance film by Nastassia Winge Tan, commissioned by Soursop. The film explores identity and assimilation through the language of movement. Drawing on the traditional lion dance, LION reclaims a familiar cultural ritual and repositions it as a space for reflection and pride.

For Winge Tan, the film continues a growing body of work concerned with cross-cultural
identity and emotional truth. Born in the Netherlands with roots in China and Indonesia, she
brings a distinctive cinematic voice shaped by sensitivity to narrative and lived experience.
LION does not seek to redefine Chinese New Year. It widens the lens, making space for
those who experience the moment in more complicated and deeply felt ways.

ENTITLED1 PRESENTS

A Q&A with Nastassia Winge Tan

How did the co-curation between Annie Chiu-Giang and yourself come about, and what was it like to shape the film together?

Meeting Annie at the end of 2024 really changed the trajectory of my life, and I’m so grateful for that. We instantly clicked. I think that was because of a shared cultural history. Sharing cultural references, inside jokes, and a drive to fight for better representation, all that kind of stuff.

We were working on a commercial project together, totally different from this, and as Annie said, inspiration can truly come from anywhere. During that project, we had to include an image of a lion dancer somewhere, and that sparked conversations about Chinese New Year, the lion dance, and our memories. We realized how little artful, creative representation of the lion dance exists, and in that moment LION was born.

I had long wanted to make something about my own connection to heritage, assimilation, and family, but didn’t know how as it’s such a sensitive subject and carries not just my own emotions but years of our family’s. When I started thinking deeper of the lion dance for LION and what it should represent, it was like two pieces of the puzzle finally came together and the lion dance became a vessel for those emotions, for my experience and that of many in the diasporic community. Most of us on the team come from commercial creative backgrounds, so bringing a deeply traditional art into our own contemporary lens felt empowering. I rarely feel proud of my work as a filmmaker, but I can keep watching LION and feel proud of what we created, together.

This film was created in collaboration with East and South East Asian diasporas – can you share how the team came together and what the atmosphere on set felt like?

Honestly, this has been one of the most special parts of the project. In the Netherlands, representation in the industry is still really lacking. You might know other East and South East Asian creatives through Instagram or online, but it’s rare that you actually get to work together on set.

LION came from that feeling. I had been following so many Asian creatives for years, and it felt incredible to finally reach out and bring those people together. For me, directing is about building worlds, but it’s also about building community. About bringing people together. Creating a predominantly East and South East Asian team was something I had never experienced before, and it felt really important.

It might sound small, but seeing the behind-the-scenes images and noticing that almost everyone on set looked like us made me feel so warm and proud. There was a shared understanding in the room. A kind of unspoken familiarity in our stories. The atmosphere felt open, caring, and grounded. In many ways, it felt like healing.

The Lion dance troupe Luk Hop Moon informs so much of the movement in the film – did you have a relationship with them prior to the project, and how did that collaboration develop?

I really want to start by saying how much love and gratitude I have for Luk Hop Moon. I’d known of them for years because I used to go to the lion dance on the Zeedijk in Amsterdam for Chinese New Year, and they were usually the troupe performing. So when I started making LION, it felt like a full circle moment to reach out to them.

From the beginning, Man Lung, their Sifu, was incredibly open and enthusiastic, especially since he also has experience in film. I first met them at their gym in Amsterdam and started joining their Lion Dance and Kung Fu classes every Wednesday in the lead-up to the shoot. I would come in thinking we’d discuss choreography or production, but it quickly became clear that first you train, then you talk ‘business’. I loved that.

They really took me in as one of their own and I am beyond grateful to them for making me feel more connected to my heritage than I ever have before. After only two classes, they had me dancing in one of their parades with the lion head. I was probably not very good, but it felt powerful. It was like physically stepping into a part of myself I had kept at a distance. Honestly, even if the film had never been finished, what they gave me through that experience would already have made it worth it.

The Lions themselves are phenomenal; were they created by the art team or sourced, and what considerations shaped that decision?

The Lions are mesmerizing! The first time I trained with them, I was completely in awe of how enigmatic they are. You forget there’s a person inside, which is a huge credit to the dancers who bring them to life and convey so much emotion through the costume. The Lions are from Luk Hop Moon, and many of the suits are handcrafted by Man Lung himself. The craftsmanship is astonishing, and we wanted to give that stage in LION.

The first time I saw the practice head, the bamboo skeleton without its colourful outer layer, I was immediately drawn to its structure. It wasn’t just beautiful, it carried symbolic weight. In the film, it became a vessel to explore the layers of the New Self that the White Lion represents. You quickly forget the people inside, but they carry generations of history and personal stories, which LION seeks to honour and bring into the present.

Light and colour play a huge role in the film’s atmosphere, particularly the rich reds and deep blues. Can you describe your and the team’s approach to lighting?

All credit goes to our amazing cinematographer, Lenny Lu. I’d been following his work for years, his eye for colour, light, and mood is incredible. I had always wanted to collaborate with him, so he was the first person I reached out to for LION. Honestly, no Lenny, no film.

We knew we wanted to make this a highly visual film that gave the lion dance the stage it deserves, so we kept the sets clean and minimal, letting the lighting and grading drive the narrative and emotion. The deep reds and filmic look nod to cinematic history, inspired by Wong Kar-wai’s work, while the deep blues and lighting push the lions into a contemporary, almost futuristic space. It’s a play between old and new, just like the Red and White Lions themselves. Lenny and I share a taste and vision, so I trusted him completely to shape that world with light and colour.

Has making this film changed how you’re experiencing Chinese New Year this year?

It really has. For a long time, Chinese New Year came with mixed feelings for me. There was pride and warmth, and this sense that for a moment the part of me that’s usually quieter got to be seen. But there was also this feeling of guilt.

As someone who is mixed and part of a diaspora family that slowly stopped celebrating, I often felt like I wasn’t “enough.” Like I was somehow failing my heritage by not fully living it.

Making LION changed that. I started it because I wanted to reconnect and feel more secure in who I am. Through the process, I’ve had more conversations about my family history than ever before. This year feels like a soft reset. Not a dramatic shift, but something settling into place.

I feel more grounded now, and more at ease claiming all parts of myself. That’s also why I’ve decided to change my name and move forward with both my Western and Chinese surnames, becoming Nastassia Winge Tan (from my birth name which is Nastassia Winge). It feels like reclaiming something that was always there, just quieter before.

I’m hoping this is the beginning of celebrating Chinese New Year again as a family, and maybe one day passing it on. We can be proud of who we are. And we should be.

QUOTES CREW RECORDED ON SET:

Lenny Lu (cinematographer):

“I grew up with lion dance, so being part of this project 20 years later feels surreal. Working with an all-Asian team, reliving those childhood memories, and creating space for something that shaped us. It truly feels like coming full circle. That connection has been such a powerful artistic driving force.”

Kevin Fung (First Assistant Director):

“This project brought together Asian creatives both in front of and behind the camera. Seeing people from so many different countries unite on set made it a truly special moment for all of us. I hope younger Asian kids are inspired. Not just by the film itself, but by the crew behind it, and to be fearless in their creativity and realize there are so many paths into the film industry.”

CREDITS
A Soursop Production @soursop.world
Director: Nastassia Winge Tan @nastassiawingetan
Created by: Annie Chiu-Giang & Nastassia Winge Tan @annieinna @nastassiawingetan
Producer: Vyvy Ly @vyvy.ly
DoP: Lenny Lu @themlenny
1st AD: Kevin Fung @fungfilms
Movement Director: Leonarda Lovrekovic @leonarda_lovrekovic
Gaffer: Zen Bloot @zenbloot
Best Boy: Patrick Galvin @harppat
Electrician: Tony Chen @tonychendp
Steadicam Operator: Tim Zentner @steadi_raaf
1st AC: Joey Janssen @7oey7anssen
2nd AC: Jacco Hoppenbrouwers @jaccohoppenbrouwers
Sound On Set: Stefan Meutstege @stefan.meutstege.wav
Assistant Sound On Set: Nurdian Pustiadi
Styling & Design: Juliana Miguéis @julianapmigueis
HMU: Anastasiia Minina @gypsymakeupme
Set Designer: Daphne Temen @zooitje.tuig
Art Assistant: Anne Cruden @annecruden
Photographer: Andy Tan @andytanphoto
Photography Assistant: Kenny Nagelkerke @kennymcgizzle
BTS Photographer: Hiep Nguyen @hiepng
BTS Videographer: Ihau Yang @ihvu
Production Manager: Tilda Ferm @tildaferm
Production Assistant: Vera Kroll

CAST
Red Lion: Joshua Tjon Sieuw
Red Lion: Jeroen Timmerman
White Lion: Hairu Mas
White Lion: Ka Sing Wu
Drummer: Ricky Man-Kit Tang
Cymbals: Wendy Man-Ting Tang
Gong: Man-Lung Tang
Cymbals: Tsak-Kin Man
Voice: Thi Go Woing
Voice: Ang Lian Nio
Voice: Minh Hanh Bui
Voice: Hairu Mas
Voice: Ka Sing Wu
Voice: Joan J.

Location: Prereserved @prereserved
Catering: Yubu Bento @yububento
Editor: Leda Zhang @leda.zhang
Grading: Milton Broen @miltonbroen.color
Composer & Sound Design: Yuka Otsuki @yuka_._o
Sound Mix: Stefan Meutstege @stefan.meutstege.wav
VFX: Patrick Meere
Retouching: imposters – Pär Alster @imposters.studio
Graphic Designer: Juliana Miguéis @julianapmigueis
Calligrapher: Annie Chiu-Giang @annieinna
Made In Collaboration With: Luk Hop Moon @lukhopmoon
Executive Producer: Ravi Amaratunga Hitchcock @rja54

SPECIAL THANKS TO
Luk Hop Moon @lukhopmoon
Park Pictures @parkpictures
Cinesupply @cinesupply.nl
Lichtman