Vertical Entertainment is set to release Asian-Canadian writer/director Li Dong’s feature debut film, STEALING SCHOOL, on Digital and Video On Demand on February 26, 2021.
I had the great opportunity to not only watch a screener but also speak with Li Dong.
I enjoyed the film and found it to be a classic movie experience.
“The engaging film STEALING SCHOOL walks a tense high-wire that sways between psychology and emotion.” The actors cleverly manipulate the audience and each other with guilt, secrets, and lies. It is a tightly crafted film with high-stakes consequences.
Li Dong creates a unique character driven story world of higher learning where each actor makes a significant contribution to the film. I was especially moved by the Protagonist and female lead Celine Tsai, whose performance is richly nuanced. Her on-screen nemesis, Jonathan Kertz, was fearless and manages to make us hate him and feel sorry for him simultaneously.
Who is the Film Director that has inspired you the most?
Li Dong: Steven Soderbergh. He is always taking chances and is fearless in his approach to trying new avenues of expression. On one hand he has created some of my favorite films, and on the other hand he has created some of my least favorite, but I find I always learn something whether I like the film or not.
What was the Werner Herzog ‘Rogue Film School’ experience like?
Li Dong: I submitted a short film that was impressive enough to get invited. It was held in a hotel conference room in New Jersey with Werner Herzog, the filmmaker, screenwriter, director just talking and sharing his ideas and experiences. It was tremendously insightful and memorable.
Would you be interested in doing some TV directing?
Li Dong: Absolutely! I would relish the opportunity to work collaboratively, and to be able to interpret another writer’s work. I know it would be challenging and rewarding on m any levels.
What is next on your agenda?
Li Dong: I have written a Romantic Comedy that I hope will be my next project.
The dark comedy Stealing School, releasing in a moment of time when systemic racism issues in North America have come to the forefront of conversations, follows an Asian-Canadian tech prodigy accused of plagiarism who must fight to prove her innocence in a secret trial held before an academic tribunal. Racial tensions and systemic biases are exposed as the trial unravels in the film, forcing viewers to question their ideas of innocence.
Stealing School is a black comedy parable that reflects the modern-day anxieties and fears of an entire generation of millennials who are facing uncertain futures. Through the story of a simple trial set in the halls of academia, the film explores a myriad of controversial and pressing issues involving race, gender, uneasy power dynamics and the questionable value of a liberal arts education in a fastly-globalizing and tech-dominated world.
The film also provides a glimpse into the mysterious world of academia and what happens behind closed doors at prestigious universities as well as explores modern-day anxieties of a generation facing uncertain futures.
Toronto based award-winning Writer/Director Li Dong was inspired to make STEALING SCHOOL from his personal experiences with systematic racism and his time studying law before pursuing filmmaking after graduation. Despite the potentially weighty subject matter, Li Dong’s first and foremost aim is for STEALING SCHOOL to be fun and entertaining.
Li Dong graduated from Dalhousie University in 2006 with honours in English and history and then went on to graduate from Dalhousie Law School. After law school Li played poker professionally before he was hand-selected by Oscar-nominated director Werner Herzog for his “Rogue Film School”. He has since gone on to write and direct numerous short narratives, documentaries and music videos.
Thank you Li Dong!
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