Local Victoria filmmaker Ryan Duan has received $26,000 in funding to direct and produce a short documentary on a Chinese woman’s journey as an immigrant, and her drive to open a noodle shop in retirement.
The project is being funded by Telus STORYHIVE as a part of their Pan-Asian Storyteller Edition, with some additional funding coming through Creative BC.
Duan’s film, Three Stories and a Bowl of Noodle Soup, will follow 63-year-old Dan Dan, who immigrated to Victoria from China with the dream of opening a noodle shop in town to help garner community.
“I met this lady, who wanted to open a restaurant, a noodle restaurant, in town and by the time I met her she had just relocated herself from China,” Duan told Victoria Buzz.
“She decided to come to Victoria, where her son lives.”
Duan says that he spoke with Dan when she was new in town and began to learn more about her storied life. He was fascinated at her drive and passion for food, connecting with family and making a place where immigrants would feel welcome if they had no family here.
“The more she talked, the more interested I became,” he explained.
“Thinking about this lady and how she wanted to put her retirement funds down to open a business… It takes a lot of courage.”
Additionally, Duan says that he was inspired by her story because he found out through talking with Dan that she has had some issues with her son. He can relate to this because he has felt tension through the space between him and his parents back in China, who are around the same age as Dan.
Around two years ago, Dan managed to open her shop, Jiang Yun Noodle House, located at 830 Fort Street.
Duan helped her to open her business, and had the idea to capture her story in a documentary.
He says he has always wanted to work in film.
Duan immigrated to Canada from China as well around 18-years-ago, and has spent most of his working life in hospitality, working in Victoria hotels.
After the COVID-19 pandemic struck, he was forced to rethink what he wanted to do with his life, so he acted upon his childhood dream and attended Vancouver Film School to get the know-how to work in the industry.
Thus far, he has worked on a handful of projects with his former classmates, but this story, Three Stories and a Bowl of Noodle Soup, will be his first project in the driver’s seat.
Duan’s plan for this film is for it to follow Dan’s life, and tell three specific stories while highlighting Victoria’s Chinese community and the food she cooks at Jiang Yun.
“We’re going to start with food, but emphasize Asian, as well as our Chinese culture and connections,” Duan explained.
He added that noodles are a metaphor in his culture for reunions.
“In north Chinese culture, they have a saying of, if you leave the family and go elsewhere, usually your mother will make you a dumpling for your last meal. That represents the richness of the meal and the best hopes of success for the future,” he said.
“But when you come back, they will make you a warm noodle soup, because after a long trip travelling home, noodle soup is easy and casual, as well as warm. The noodle represents longevity and connections.”
Aside from food being a major component of the film, he noted that the heart of Three Stories and a bowl of Noodle Soup will be connection.
Duan is set to begin production on his documentary this fall, and it will be released through Telus STORYHIVE sometime in 2026.
Telus STORYHIVE’s Pan-Asian Storyteller Edition will highlight 35 projects made by emerging filmmakers from throughout BC and Alberta.
