When $440 mysteriously vanishes from the till of a party store, reactions range from apathy to life-or-death panic. To Chinese-Australian manager Mimi, the number is a harbinger of doom: four means death.

Created by Jenny Zhou, Gaby Seow and Molly Daniels, web series Celebration Nation offers a playful take on retail life and customer service. Set exclusively during the holidays, this clip shows the crew in the lead-up to the Lunar New Year, drawing on cultural specificity to generate drama and comedy. Both the mundanity and eccentricities of working in a suburban store are reflected in the snappy dialogue and heightened style. So is the extreme stress: at a time when superstitions are rife, tight close-ups convey Mimi's brewing anxiety.

Funded through Screen Australia and YouTube’s 2020 Skip Ahead grant, the production champions inclusivity both on-screen and behind the scenes.