Abstract
This research project is an investigation of the conditions of in-betweenness faced by diasporic Chinese in New Zealand as well as techniques and strategies utilised by diasporic filmmakers to document their experiences. Through a practice-based research approach interviewing those born and raised in New Zealand as well as other diasporic Chinese, I derived techniques and strategies to support the creation of Somewhere In-between - an autobiographical documentary exploring intergenerational conflicts and how it shapes diasporic experiences.
Somewhere In-between aims to investigate cultural in-betweenness through reflexive analysis of my own diasporic experiences of intergenerational conflicts, and how cultural identities evolve and reshape through internal and external influences.
This research investigates my own experiences of in-betweenness in diasporic conflicts such as Chinese cultural traditions around marriage, lifestyle, and career decisions, assimilating to the new or obeying old cultural habits, to migrate or to return to my roots. By interpreting my personal diasporic experiences, my research documents the contemporary diasporic conditions of in-betweenness faced by Chinese families in New Zealand through an autobiographical lens.
The exegesis concludes with a reflective analysis of the creative process which produced Somewhere In-between.
