A short dance film displaying the exceptional story of a British Chinese immigrant in South Yorkshire has won the ‘Made in Sheffield’ category during this weekend’s Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (ShAFF). 

Produced and acted by Tala Lee-Turton, ‘Chinese Laundry’ is based on her experience growing up in a Chinese takeaway shop in Barnsley. 

Tala, on making the film, said: “It’s something that I always thought about, but never really thought of starting until I got a commission opportunity which I applied for and surprisingly won.”

The film’s background takes place in the Peak District which is said to reflect the “cyclical banality and frustration experienced from within the daily grind of the dry cleaners, contrasting with aspirations to feel freely Chinese and British.”

Tala highlighted the importance of her three-person crew who shot the film in one day, with director Patricia Zhou receiving a special mention,

Of Ms Zhou, Tala said: “She was someone that had experience in front of and behind the camera. She was able to translate my vision, which wasn’t necessarily as polished or as clear as it could have been, into something that was actually executable.”

The film was screened last Friday at the Showcase Cinema and has received high praise for its unique voice.

Paul Hodgson, ShAFF’s music judge, according to the festival’s website, said: ” [The film is] both a wonderful modern dance film, and an affecting immigration story.”

ShAFF is renowned for representing immigrant experiences with an aim of displaying the city’s diversity.

In the 2021 census, figures showed that Sheffield’s non-white British population increased by 6.3%, and that now 25% of the city (141,825 of the population) comes from a non-white British background. 

The film is available to watch here.