About

ABOUT

An adventure from conception to realization, MADE IN CHINA was truly an undertaking in guerilla filmmaking. Daringly executed by an American and Chinese crew working without the permission of the sacrosanct Chinese government, Director Brendan Merrill utilized the invaluable help of friends and contacts within China to make this film come to life. With their incredible access, the crew was able to capture stunning and never-before-seen portraits of both rural Chinese life and the colorful tapestry of hyper-urban cities like Shanghai. This movie was an intensely collaborative effort, its cast and crew made up of members from 20 different countries all adding their expertise and passion over the multiple trips needed to complete principle photography. The complicated process of filming MADE IN CHINA was a story in and of itself. Fraught with risk, uncertainty, discovery and incredible rewards the crew of the film was taken on a whirlwind adventure. Check out the Behind-The-Scenes for a deeper look at the making of MADE IN CHINA.

On Location

Filming took place between two main locations within Zhejiang Province in eastern China. The first site was the megalopolis of Shanghai in all of it's colorful bustle, titanic scale and uncommon grandeur. From the vaunted Pudong Riverfront to ultra-luxurious night-clubs, ancient temples and towering high-rise skyscrapers... Shanghai had it all. The second site for MADE IN CHINA was a city several hours away by high-speed rail, the thriving hamlet of Yiwu (population 1.5 million) known for it's newly-constructed International Market And Small-Commodities Fair, now one of the largest indoor spaces in the world. If it's smaller than a car and it's manufactured in China, it is traded directly through this exploding city. The crew had a continuous sequence of wild experiences in this small town (only 50,000 people less than two decades ago) for several long weeks during production, glimpsing the strange and beautiful life of a Chinese manufacturing city.

Brendan Merrill

WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER

Brendan first lived abroad in China during 2012, working for an Italian trading company in the rural manufacturing city of Yiwu in Zhejiang Province. During the next several years, Brendan raised enough money and returned to China to shoot the movie with an American and Chinese crew spread out over several visits. This is his first feature-film as a Director, his other recent features include serving as a Producer on “The Next Big Thing” (2016) and a Co-Producer of “Under My Skin” (2020).

Ethan Landry

LEAD ACTOR, CO-STORY BY

Born in Philadelphia and moving to Los Angeles in 2008, Landry’s professional career started when he played the lead in the Roger Corman-Produced heist film, “Stealing Las Vegas,” opposite Oscar nominee Eric Roberts. It then led him to national television in Japan, as the capricious Naval officer in a dramatic mini-series of the “Madame Butterfly” opera, where he got to star opposite one of Japan’s biggest stars— Aoi Miyazaki. Landry has been an actor, a director, a writer and an editor, in “Portal Fuel” (a 6-Minute short) he combines all those skills — and plays both on-screen parts for good measure. “Portal Fuel” made the festival circuit in 2018. Ethan has acted On-Stage in Los Angeles productions of “Crimes of the Heart” “Cabo San Lucas” and “The House of Yes.”

Adam Severi

CINEMATOGRAPHER

As a Cinematographer and Drone Operator Adam has worked on five continents for both films and Television. His credits include ABC's “Castaways”, Peter Berg's "The Selection: Special Operation Experiment" on History Channel and National Geographic’s “Chasing Genius,” He also worked on the Netflix feature documentary “Losing Sight of Shore” and most recently HBO Max’s new series from the creators of Queer Eye, “Legendary”. His other clients include Toyota, Lexus, Coors Light, Blumhouse, ESPN, FOX, MTV, The Years Project, Vice Media and The American Cancer Society.