Mei Mei

Amid confusion, desire, and a familiar face, Lulu discovers

that nothing is as it seems when the past comes knocking at her door.

Technical Details | Mei Mei | Short Film

Original title: 美美 | Mei Mei
Spanish title: Mei Mei
International title: Mei Mei
Directed by: Xu Xiaoxi
Production: Marielvy D’Apollo, Ana Menéndez
Cinematography: Roberto F. Canuto
Music: Andrea Centazzo
Cast: Janet Chiarabaglio, Alex Best, Alexandra Smothers, Kjord Davis, Alexander Aguila, Gudmundur Luovik Porvaldsson, Miles Wood
 USA, China  2009  14’ 31"  Color

 English  Spanish, English, French

 Fiction, Drama  Mystery, LGBTQ+, Rural

 DCP · Digital HD · 1.85:1
SYNOPSIS

Lulú, a high-end sex worker, receives frequent visits from her neighbor Julian, who believes she is his missing ex-girlfriend, Mei Mei. He only wants a second chance. Lulú dismisses him, assuming he is making up the story to win her over and does not take him seriously.

After a time apart, she begins to miss him, until one day she discovers that Julian has found the real Mei Mei—someone who bears a striking resemblance to her.

COMMENTARY

Mei Mei is a Chinese–American short film directed by Xu Xiaoxi and written by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi during their MFA studies at the New York Film Academy (Hollywood).

Shot on Super 16mm with the support of Kodak and CCI, the film blends Chinese sensibility with American independent cinema to create an intimate and poetic work about desire, loneliness, and self-perception. Through the duality of two identical women—Lulu and Mei Mei—the film explores how experience and trauma shape identity and destiny.

Premiered at the Slow Film International Film Festival (Hungary, 2010), the short film was also nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2009 Kodak Scholarship Awards, representing the New York Film Academy in Hollywood.

Festival Selections

Title Mei Mei
Format Short film
Genre Drama, Social drama, LGBTQ+
Country USA, China
Language English
Director Xu Xiaoxi
Year 2010
Running time 14 minutes
Awards Kodak Scholarship Awards (USA, 2009)
Nominee – Best Cinematography
Official Selections Slow Film International Film Festival (Hungary, 3rd edition, 2010) – Official Selection