Sydney Tooley on Finding Hope in Taiwan and Sun Moon (Video Interview)

Sydney Tooley first picked up a camcorder when she was ten years old. It was then that her love for filmmaking was born. Fast forward several years, Tooley, fresh out of college, was at crossroads. Unsure of what she wanted to do with her life, she moved to Taiwan for a year to teach English at a local school. After her year abroad, she returned to the States and moved to Nashville to pursue her Masters of Fine Arts at Lipscomb University.

While there, one of her professors encouraged her to write down her memories and thoughts about her year in Taiwan. Those notes eventually became the script for her first feature-length film, Sun Moon, which is based on her time in Taiwan. Sony saw potential in the script and decided to back the project. According to Tooley, the movie, which is set and filmed largely in Taiwan, is her love letter to the country that helped her discover joy and purpose during a very difficult period in her life. Although filming in Taiwan during COVID presented its own set of unique challenges, Tooley and the cast and crew didn’t let that affect the finished product. Sun Moon stars MacKenzie Mauzy, Justin Chien, Madison McLaughlin, Michael Jong-Quin Huang, Jason Burkey, and Leanne Morgan.

Inspiration Ministries’ John Farrell sits down with Tooley to discuss Sun Moon, Taiwan, and how God asked her to step out in faith during the filmmaking process. We hope you enjoy!

…

Sun Moon is currently available to view on various platforms.