Finding Bliss with Josie Ho
How are you doing?
I’m good!! Just got off a month of travelling to Europe and South East Asia! Only bummer was catching Covid along the way! All better now, even though I’m currently serving mandatory Quarantine in HK!!
What was it like to find out “Finding Bliss: Fire and Ice” was going to premiere as an Official Selection of the Udine Far East Film Festival?
To find out that “Finding Bliss: Fire and Ice” was officially selected at FEFF 24 was super exciting!! At first when we prepped this documentary together with Jim Chin and 852 Films, along with Kim Chan our director, we felt it was such an underrated topic. We invited an intelligent, but “reserved” cast full of top-notch musicians and music students from Hong Kong to do this experiment with us. Every step of the pre-production was an unknown factor. I was just happy to have more people give us feedback and feelings about this subject matter.
What was your initial reaction when this project was brought to you?
I began to realize this project when I attended a Clown Class at the PIP school in Hong Kong which was founded by one of HK’s best comedic actors Jim Chim. He had invited his teacher Philippe Gaulier - the clown master - to teach the 2 certified course. I was laughing and learning from 9am to 5pm for two whole weeks. During this period, Hong Kong was going through some depressing times!! It inspired me to bring some of that laughter I had in class to a greater audience, hence the beginning of my little experiment “Finding Bliss: Fire and Ice.”
What was your favorite part about making this film?
My favorite part was to see the guests I invited on the trip and the people behind-the-scenes smiling and laughing throughout the journey!
What was the most challenging part of this process?
It was the financial side of the project that was tough since this topic was so out of left field for the time. I was lucky enough to be invited to a party held by Hong Kong PR magnate Yvette Yung and met the Investment company AMTD. Also, to make the bridge more solid and smooth I was lucky to have Professor Annie Wu to help us connect with the Beijing Icelandic Consulate.
What was your most powerful takeaway from this experience?
That would be the realization of opening oneself!! Hopefully the experience affected my guests and crew enough to share through their generations to come.
How will you carry what you learned during filming into the rest of your life?
If you feel that you will carry any of it at all. I will keep on applying my silliness, seriousness, and curiousness to my life in every moment that I can - especially in my singing, acting, and dealing with people!
What is next up for you?
Recording new songs and producing the Party Concert with my band Josie and the Uni Boys. I want to throw a big party for the post-covid period!
