GIVE ME LOVE (2024)

'Give Me Love' began as a compassionate exploration of the suppression of male emotions and their impact on others. As the film developed, I found myself confronting my ideals of manhood—ideals that stood in sharp contrast to those my father instilled in me: the 'proper' man, endowed with noble responsibilities, a stern and respectable composure, and an immunity to shedding tears. I believed that by being in tune with my emotions, I would achieve my vision of manhood. Yet, the man I aimed to be remained distant from the facade I actually wore.

This realization sparked deeper contemplation on my father's personal struggles. Could the capricious flashes beneath his rigid exterior signify his own struggle? Was he, too, laboring to reconcile his outward persona with an internal ideal that remained elusive?

This film does not attempt to provide answers about emotional repression, rather, it aims to observe the internal struggle experienced when one's emotions are not permitted to surface, and the profound loneliness that ensues.

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• written and directed by WILLIAM YAO
• choreography by ANDREW HA
• produced by SUNNY LIU
• director of photography JULLIAN VISCO
• starring JON RAY DY BUCO, DOMINIQUE MAILLOUX, and WILLIAM YAO
• edited by WILLIAM YAO and ANDREW HA
• sound design by ZAC CHUNG
• colored by PATRICK GONG
• co-produced by STEVEN CHEN
• assistant director SIJING YANG
• gaffer BERKELEY REYES
• assistant camera CARIS SIMMONS
• wardrobe EMMA CHIEW
• production design TEGAN DOBRICH
• hair and makeup YOUJIN KANG
• hmu assistant KITTY YIN
• dancers LLOYD GUNNER, ZAC CHUNG, STEVEN CHEN,
  RYAN PAJAR, YOUNEY TEREFE, FAN YE,
  JAYARE HERMANO, MARQUIS ALLEN, GABRIEL QUARESMA,
  JASSEN ONGCOL, XAVIEN HERBOSA-RODRIGUEZ, BILLY GRIMALDI,
  KALEAH CRUMP, CALEB AGNO, RICKY TAKAHOE,
  STEVEN DO, ZOE DANG
• executively produced by SITI AYUB