Of Chinese-Vietnamese origin, Gianhi left Vietnam at the age of 5 with her three sisters and her parents to join her grandmother and aunt who were settled in Montreal. With an increasing fascination for the issue of multiple identities, her current interest lies in the reality of ethnic communities in pluralistic societies and the legacy of cultural values of immigrants parents to their children.
Born and raised in Montreal, Elizabeth’s first memorable experiences with stories were Disney animations, watching Chinese soap operas with her parents, and spending time in the library. She is content when she connects with others and when she can briefly “step in their shoes” to understand where they come from. Every time, she gets to experience a different life…
In Cantonese, maternal grandmother is called A pò and paternal grandmother is called A mā. In creating a series of short video clips highlighting A pò and A mā and their knowledge of traditional remedies, not only do Gianhi and Elizabeth seek to share their tips to fight colds or their solutions to soothe a broken heart, but they especially strive to learn these excerpts of stories and memories that are such a significant part of these women.
STAGING OUR HISTORIES 