About this episode
Rico Zhang discusses his filmmaking journey, cultural identity, and the challenges of his latest project, Dongji Rescue.
Rico Zhang is a Chinese-Australian Director known for his technical filmmaking, award-winning music videos and bold aesthetic world-building. His most recent project was Dongji Rescue 东极岛 (2025), a film based on the true story of Chinese fisherman from Dongji Island who risked their lives to rescue over 300 British POWs after a Japanese transport ship was torpedoed by the U.S. Navy in WWII. Today Rico shares the challenges working on Dongji Rescue, finding cultural identity in his filmmaking in China and the West, and we discuss the complexities of being an ABC in today’s world. We talk about the impact of cultural influence, and how the evolving global landscape shapes identity. Rico also reveals his fascinating physical ability to not get drunk and the importance of focusing on commonalities rather than differences. Don't forget to leave a rating and subscribe! 节目文字版 (Transcript)加微信: THD_Official Add us on WeChat: THD_Official 小红书: THD The Honest Drink Email: thehonestdrink@gmail.com IG: thehonestdrink_ Find us on: Apple, Spotify, 喜马拉雅, 小宇宙, 网易云音乐, 小红书, Bilibili, YouTube.
People in this episode
Guest: Rico Zhang
Topics covered
- filmmaking
- cultural identity
- Chinese-Australian experience
- historical storytelling
- global influence
- personal challenges
Keywords
- Rico Zhang
- Dongji Rescue
- filmmaking
- cultural identity
- Chinese-Australian
- WWII
- music videos
- global landscape
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Dongji Rescue 东极岛
Places: China, West
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