Dad vs Bees: An Australian Documentary’s West Coast Premiere in San Francisco

Hoa Quach is 79, he’s stubborn, and he wants his garden back. The bees have other ideas. Dad vs Bees, a short documentary by Chicago-based Australian filmmaker David Quach, has its West Coast premiere at the Green Film Festival of San Francisco on Saturday, October 17, at the 4 Star Theater in the Richmond District.

A garden, a hose and a lot of uncooperative bees

On the surface, Dad vs Bees is a comedy. David’s father, a Vietnamese refugee who has made his life in Australia, is determined to rid his beloved garden of a bee infestation. His tools are mostly a hose and sheer stubbornness.

As the film goes on, the bees turn out to be only one of the obstacles in his way. Age, language, family obligation and the lasting impact of war and displacement all sit in the frame too. The festival program at Montreal described it as “tender, humorous, and deeply human.”

The film runs 20 minutes, in English, Vietnamese and Teochew, with English subtitles. Teochew is a Chinese language spoken by many Chinese communities across Southeast Asia, including David’s parents, and it’s rarely heard on screen.

A Sydney story made by an Australian living in the US

This one will land close to home for a lot of us. David made Dad vs Bees after more than four years away from his parents during the pandemic. When he finally flew home to Sydney in 2022, he was aware they were getting older, and he wanted to capture them on film while he could. It was filmed mostly in his parents’ home in Sydney.

“Making a documentary gave me an excuse to ask my parents questions that I would not normally be able to ask,” David says. “My mum was very prepared to talk.”

He had no formal film training. A data scientist by day, he came to filmmaking through storytelling and comedy. He’s a Moth StorySLAM winner and a graduate of the improv programs at The Second City and iO in Chicago. He directed, wrote, filmed, produced and edited Dad vs Bees largely by himself.

The Dad vs Bees festival run so far

San Francisco is the latest stop on a festival run that started this year:

• Montreal Asian International Film Festival: world premiere, winner of the Dancheong Award for Best Editing
• Melbourne Documentary Film Festival: Asia-Pacific premiere on Opening Night to a sold-out audience, nominated for Best Melbourne Short
• Wyoming International Film Festival: United States premiere
• Midwest Film Festival: Chicago premiere, with David nominated for Best Director
• Saugatuck Film Festival: Michigan premiere

A double bill at the Green Film Festival of San Francisco

Dad vs Bees screens alongside Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong, a 73-minute film about poop, directed by Kaitlyn Schwalje and Alex Wolf Lewis.

Tickets are on sale now through the Green Film Festival of San Francisco. You can watch the trailer and follow the film at dadvsbeesfilm.com and on Instagram at @dadvsbeesfilm.