I don’t jog shirtless. I don’t talk about diet plans, juice cleanses and three-week transformations. Because I came out when I was just 18, in a country not as open to gay culture, I immediately appreciated the diversity of this city.Īs an average looking guy who can barely lift a sandbag, it didn’t take long for me to realise that I didn’t fit in with the stereotypical gay men of WeHo. What have your experiences been living in California and being a part of that environment?Ī: At the age of 22, I moved to Los Angeles from China to study film. Q: The film comments on the image-obsessed and anxiety-inducing LA lifestyle. Hank explores the challenges older gay men face and the often heartbreaking choices they make to keep their marriages alive.Īfter I finished the logline, plot, and beat sheet, I found it was very difficult for me to write the dialogue for the character. Because I’m not a native English speaker, so that I always need co-writers to help me. I tried a few writing partners until I met my co-writer Austin James.Īustin brought some funny dialogues and moments into this sad story, which brought my story to another level. So I started to research the lives of older gay men, thinking: ‘How do they struggle with stereotypes?’ And: ‘What do older gay couples, who no longer fit these stereotypes, do when their long term relationships hit hard times?’ The question being: ‘Do you belong to this “progressive” community or not?’ I began to wonder if the question of opening up the relationship was a dilemma for couples who have been together for many years. Recently it seems open marriage has become another standard to measure up against. And what did you each bring individually to this story?Ī: While we ask people to accept the LGBTQ community, the LGBTQ community often only seems to accept the young, the beautiful, the perfect. What led you and co-writer Austin James to tackle this subject. Q: I can’t think of many things that explore the subject of open marriages. Hank received an Official Selection at Cannes Short Corner, won the Remi Award at Houston Film Fest, as well as an award at the Hollywood International Moving Picture Film Festival.
Hongyu Li’s second short film, Hank, follows a married man who, scared of losing his relationship, feels forced into agreeing to an open marriage. He then developed his filmmaking skills at the New York Film Academy before making his directorial debut with the award-winning short film, Waiting For Frank (2017). Born in 1994 and raised in Beijing, Hongyu Li became one of the most influential film critics in China when he was just 22 years old.