Fall 2023 MVA Projects 

In You Never Die, four women, both religious and secular, share their stories of navigating grief and connecting with loved ones who have passed away through a temple in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Thien Hau Temple, built primarily by Vietnamese refugees, houses altars for Buddhist and Daoist deities, as well as a dedicated altar for Mazu, also known as Thien Hau. Mazu is a sea goddess believed to have ensured the safe passage of Vietnamese refugees across the sea to the United States. Mazu is said to protect people on maritime journeys and serves as a mother figure for many of her followers. The temple also holds an ancestral altar where visitors can place memorial tablets for deceased loved ones. Three of the four women featured, including the filmmaker, have performed this act of remembrance and prayer, a central practice that the film explores. Attending to ways that the presence of loved ones extends across time and space through sound and symbol, You Never Die explores the coexistence of the living and the dead and attempts to show that the deities and spirits of ancestors and loved ones are ever-present in many people’s lives.

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Running time: 23 minutes

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