Mei Tao, “Homecoming”

"I met Hannah on set 5 years ago. Over the years we became friends.

About a year ago, I started to see a shift on her social media. Because it’s part of how models get work and stay relevant, most use Instagram to share recent work, selfies and images of lifestyles that look like the fashion sets they are on. But now, in one of Hannah’s posts, she was mending a cushion for a bench and I found myself mesmerized by this quiet action of repair. I knew her family had a farm in Utah and it looked as if she was spending more time there. I decided to ask what she was up to? This turned into a text dialogue we continued for months about looking back, stillness, and mending.

In our conversations Hannah was sharing her evolution, I knew it would be beautiful to see her in her element at home. I wanted to bear witness to her beauty, her strength, her grace, her ease as it was glowing in Utah. This woman saying I am at home here.

I proposed the idea of me coming to Utah to photograph her and to my delight and excitement she agreed. The more she shared about this majestic place where she grew up, the more I realized it needed to be filmed. From our conversations - I laid down a framework for a small script that would support the sentiments conjured from these conversations.

In order to make this project according to my vision, I knew support was needed. I was fortunate to gather 4 teammates who would contribute their talent, time and care filming with me. I worked closely with my DOP to develop the visual direction outlined in the script. It was organic and from the gut.

We spent 2 days filming under the hot sun during the day and moonlight during the night bringing the project to life. The experience was transformative. When it came to edit, I handed it off to an editor whom I’ve been working with for the past 3 yrs. We then worked together to bring Hannah’s story to life.

At the start of the project, I had a solid idea of how I wanted this story to open and of where it led, but collaborating with a talented team took it to a higher ground."

—Mei Tao