Echo Chamber - CIFF - Vol.1 (Hand)
Watch the conversation with Benny Chen, HERE!
Well, @EchoChamberFP is off to another Festival, this time in The Forest City!!!
It's the 50th Cleveland International Film Festival and thanks to Anthony Hon at London Flair PR, we have a short film that takes an intimate look at immigration life, through the lens of an undocumented chef. THEN, we chat with the writer / director behind the project, to explore motivations, inspirations, storytelling, and a lot more!!!
'Hand' is written & directed by Benny Chen. Lin (Zhan Wang), a middle-aged undocumented cook working in a small Chinese restaurant in California, as he struggles to navigate the realities of life in the United States. Caught between the demands of economic survival and a deepening sense of isolation, he begins to confront the personal cost of remaining invisible in a society where anti-Asian hostility continues to rise beyond his workplace. Through this intimate portrait, the film explores the tensions of immigrant life and reveals how dignity, fear, and resilience coexist under constant pressure.
Watch the conversation with Benny Chen, HERE!
Today we have:
Hand - Poster
Hand
Watch Review: Here.
50th Cleveland International Film Festival
FilmSlam
Monday, 13th April 2026, World Premiere
Buy Tickets: Here.
CIFF best of Fest
Sunday, 19th April 2026
Director: Benny Chen
Cast: Zhan Wang, Yosilu Chen, Nan Guan, Wilma Rivera, Andy Sun, Lingbin Qiu, Yanyao Qi, William Thomas Jones, Darin Singleton, Yan Cui, Mary Matthews, Don Barbato, Gabriel Liron, Luna Belle, Wolfie Jones, Amanda Callas, Otto Logan, John A. Bauer, Collene Frashure, Stephanie Clayton, Alexis Felix, Nick McCarthy
Genre: Drama, Short
Running Time: 23:39 min
Cert: 15
Watch the conversation with Benny Chen, HERE!
Benny Chen
Benny Chen
Writer, Director, Producer
Benny Chen is a Taiwanese writer, director, and producer based in Los Angeles, California. His work often explores the complexities of human nature and the moral grey areas of society. Drawing from his bicultural background, he seeks to find beauty and balance between Eastern and Western cinema. His very first film in film school earned recognition at Oscar-qualifying festivals, including the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, FIMUCITÉ – The International Film Music Festival of Tenerife, and the Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
Follow Benny via:
IMDb: Here.
Linkedin: Here.
Instagram: @bennychen31
Vimeo: Here.
50th Cleveland International Film Festival - Logo
50th Cleveland International Film Festival
Festival Date: 9th - 18th April 2026
Cleveland International Film Festival
*(Music)
'The Big Payback' (Instrumental) by EPMD - 2020