MTV Act Blog - [Interview] Young Filmmaker Bravely Fights Back With ‘The Forge’ After Losing His Sister
ACT: What’s been the response to the video so far? Can talk to us about comments or stories that resonated with you?
LIM: That’s a really good question. The most important thing for me was hearing back from my sister’s friends. Them saying thank you so much for making this and saying that Tanya would have been so proud, because in a lot of ways her friends were closer to her than I was. They spent their time socializing or just growing up with her or getting to know her wherever she lived (New York or Boston or New Orleans or Chicago). She had these amazing, really loyal, close friends all around the globe. For them to tell me that was really important to me. And that definitely was very rewarding. To have my own friends come out and just tell me, you know, how proud they were of me was a really special thing. To have people actually respond to the video and say “this really helped me; I was in a dark place; this really changed my day; I was thinking of hurting myself and this made me reconsider.” That was really the point of the film — to try and use the production values, the action, that kind of high intensity film-making as a Trojan horse to kind of get into people and leave a message behind with them so that they are kind of left in an emotional place or left where they feel a little more empowered about themselves. That was very important to me.
ACT: For those who are looking for resources, can you recommend some places they should turn?
LIM: Yeah, absolutely. One of the places I went to the most just for information and understanding the resources was the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (I talked to them) a lot just to make sure that we were conveying the message in the right way. And, obviously, I think the de facto resource that we really wanted to provide for all people, that was very important for me, which actually makes the running time longer, was to give people the resources for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
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ACT: Is there anything you want people to know about Tanya?
LIM: I think the thing about Tanya that I always really, really respected and looked up to was that she had this spirit of adventure. And, you know, it was really difficult for her to deal with her illness and the severity of that and something I could never empathize with, but one thing she never lost was her spirit of adventure. She was constantly traveling the world and taking on new endeavors and was never afraid to try new things. And that’s something I really have tried to take on just from watching my big sister. I hope I can kind of keep that mindset open, where I try my best with all my heart no matter how discouraging it might get. It’s not easy but I think in the end it’s extremely worthwhile. (End of interview)
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The video isn’t just spreading a positive message, though. Austin Wintory’s soundtrack to the film is currently on sale, with all of the proceeds benefiting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. If you or someone you know needs immediate help, please call 800-273-TALK (8255) for confidential support. For more resources on dealing with depression or thoughts of suicide, you can find help at Half Of Us or by taking action below. You’re not in this alone. It’s never too late to ask for help.