Isle Child - The Movie: Back the AAPI-led feature film about Asian identity, adoption, and self-love!

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

Hi, my name is “Thomas Percy Kim”, and I'm a Korean-American writer/director.

I put my name in quotes because I lied; “Thomas” isn’t my real name, “Thomas” isn’t who I am. I am Seung Kwon Kim, born in South Korea, raised in America. Who I am lies between those two masses of land, separated by a vast ocean. As much as I am American, I also am not.

As I grew up in colonial Concord, Massachusetts, I began to realize a fact that I had grew obliviously accustomed to — that I was one of only a few Asian-Americans in a near 20-mile radius. In this racial isolation, I tried everything I could to pass as white; I learned their slang, copied the way they dressed and sauntered down the halls. I never brought home friends, never called my parents in public, and legally changed the name given to me by my grandparents. I gave up my language, my heritage, my birthright. I truly believed that if I tried hard enough, I could become one of “them” — a blue-eyed, white-skinned American. Except that I wasn’t, and could never be. I loathed who I was and what my parents burdened me with. No matter how hard I worked, studied their mannerisms, or followed the rules, I could never be quite as American as they; it seemed that the American Dream was only a success story for those who have already succeeded.

ISLE CHILD is about the universal foreigners experience, told from the POV of a transracial adoptee.

Watch our proof-of-concept short film now on MAX or here:

SYNOPSIS FOR ISLE CHILD - THE MOVIE

CHARACTERS

LOCATIONS

CINEMATOGRAPHY

FINANCIAL PLAN

A Study: UCLA’s renowned Hollywood Report found that “big-budget films lacking in diversity make about $27 million less on their opening weekend, with a potential loss of $130 million in total". This also applied to independent films, "regardless of its critical acclaim". Another Forbes article found that Asian-American spending power is over $1.2 trillion, projected to $1.6 by 2024. 82% of AAPI households subscribe to one or more streaming service as compared to 72% of the total population. TLDR? Authentic diversity sells, today more than ever.

SI (also embedded at the top of the page): https://vimeo.com/358425895

OUR BUSINESS PLAN

Our financing will go entirely towards the production of this feature film; our location rentals, our crew, and our cast. We make our income from cutting deals with domestic and international distributors for Theatrical, Digital, and Blu-Ray releases. However, as stated, we receive zero payment as creators from this WeFunder raise as our contracts are organized to give our investors privileged returns so that you see your complete ROI before we see a dollar.

And as mentioned in the FINANCING slideshow above, you the investor, will make back 125% of your initial investment (130% for Early Bird Investors) PLUS 36% of Net Profits. Investing in this WeFunder means investing in our company, Red Bean Pastry LLC. This will be the first installment of future Film + TV projects that you and the company will own as part of Isle Child Franchise and all of our investors will receive income on all future Isle Child projects.

In the event of coming in under budget, those remaining funds will roll entirely into the digital marketing of the film, to get as many eyeballs on the movie as possible.

Once the film is completed, we will submit to the top film festivals with our personal connections to programmers (at Sundance, SXSW, Cannes, etc). Then, we will aggressively pursue top end distribution by packaging the film at the highest level agencies, distributors, and sales companies, like A24, Neon, IFC Films, Endeavor Content, UTA, CAA, and APA. Should we sign with one of these companies, we will create and launch a distribution strategy including top film markets. We'll also consider self-distribution with our renowned EP, Jim Cummings, who recently raised $350k on WeFunder for The Beta Test and self-distributed Thunder Road, making over $400k in the first year alone, doubling its budget in ticket sales during its first two weeks in French cinemas after winning the SXSW Grand Jury Prize and screening at the worlds biggest Cannes Film Festival.

ISLE CHILD has built in leverage for the Sundance Film Festival as the project is backed by the Institute through writer/director Thomas, who was a Sundance Fellow.

FOSTERING COMMUNITY

With WeFunder, we first wanted to bring this film to the people that it represents — namely, the neighboring communities of Concord, Massachusetts, Asian-Americans, and adoptees. With ISLE CHILD, we hope to foster a family that represents the voices of those who normally wouldn't have a seat at the Hollywood table... not only creatively, but financially as well.

The story for SI, the proof of concept short film, was first conceived from conversation with one of my hometown best friends who is a Korean-American adoptee. He is and will continue to be tightly integrated in the film process, from development to picture lock. Like my friend, there are many consultants that have been involved in the development of the film that are also Korean-American adoptees, and we've dedicated a portion of the funds and equity to these transracial adoptee writers and organizations (on top of the Korean-American adoptees that we've pledged to hire as part of our cast and crew down the line). We want to prioritize their paid involvement to ensure that we include them into our community and capture the complexities of their experience with the utmost sensitivity and diligence that it deserves.

Part of our mission for this campaign is to find even more partners and collaborators, so please let us know if you know any!

PERKS!

As a small way to show our gratitude, we've put together some sweet Perks just for our WeFunder investors.

You're now an executive producer of ISLE CHILD, complete with IMDb and screen credits. To say we’re thankful would be a massive understatement — you’re a dreammaker. Including all below rewards, you're invited to join us for the sparkly premiere night, and you'll be involved every step of the way, from rough cuts and sound mixes, to wrap parties and festival red carpets!

+ Two tickets to the West Coast & East Coast premieres, or Regional premiere of your choice.

+ An "Executive Producer" credit — on screen, IMDb, and the movie poster.

+ Your Company Logo or favorite NFT in credits, if wanted!

+ Invitation to a "cast & crew" screening in Los Angeles (travel/lodging not included).

+ A 1-day visit to the set (travel/lodging not included).

+ A limited edition poster signed by main cast and writer/director.

+ An annotated copy of shooting script signed by the Team.

+ A private link to the film once completed.

+ A specialized thank-you card from the Team.

+ A shout out on ISLE CHILD's social media.

Independent film depends on the generosity of people like you. We want to welcome you to the team as Co-Producer, officially credited on IMDb. You're part of our family now... and we can't wait to see you at our private LA screening and reception!

+ Invitation to a "cast & crew" screening in Los Angeles (travel/lodging not included).

+ A "Co-Producer" on-screen credit.

+ A 1-day visit to the set (travel/lodging not included).

+ A limited edition poster signed by main cast and writer/director.

+ An annotated copy of shooting script signed by the Team.

+ A private link to the film once completed.

+ A specialized thank-you card from the Team.

+ A shout out on ISLE CHILD's social media.

Time to shine! Garner that official Associate Producer credit, hang that big, signed, movie poster, and come see the movie magic on set!

+ A 1-day visit to the set (travel/lodging not included).

+ A limited edition poster signed by main cast and writer/director.

+ An "Associate Producer" credit.

+ An annotated copy of shooting script signed by the Team.

+ A private link to the film once completed.

+ A specialized thank-you card from the Team.

+ A shout out on ISLE CHILD's social media.

Hey look ma, I made it! Watch the film, find your name in the credits, and dive into the behind-the-scenes process with a copy of the director's annotated script.

+ A "special thanks to" credit.

+ An annotated copy of shooting script signed by the Team.

+ A private link to the film once completed.

+ A specialized thank-you card from the Team.

+ A shout out on ISLE CHILD's social media.

Watch the film with friends and family... and flaunt your unique, 1/1 thank you note!

+ A private link to the film once completed.

+ A specialized thank-you card from the Team.

+ A shout out on ISLE CHILD's social media.

+ A shout out on ISLE CHILD's social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook).

+ Our eternal love and gratitude ;)

ABOUT US

Thomas Percy Kim is a Korean-American writer/director kindled by raw, introspective narratives and poetic imagery. His debut stop-motion short film, TREJUR (2018, click to watch), has screened at venues such as Heartland (Indy Shorts) Film Festival and Busan International before receiving the Harry Winston Brilliant Futures award, YoungArts gold medal, and becoming a U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate by the age of 17. Repped at APA as writer/director and with a degree from USC's Film Production Program, he wrote/directed SI (2020), starring Ki Hong Lee (MAZE RUNNER, UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT), which premiered at the 2020 shorts Oscar-qualifying LAAPFF before being sold to and distributed by HBO as part of their APA Visionaries program, presented by the Bruce Lee Family Companies. He is a 2022 Sundance Ignite Fellow, 2021 Shorts to Feature Lab Fellow and a 2021 Diverso Minority Report Fellow where Brad Pitt's Producer Dede Gardner (MOONLIGHT, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE TREE OF LIFE) personally selected and reviewed ISLE CHILD. Thomas' work has been screened across the globe and publicized on outlets such as Variety, The Wrap, Deadline, NBC, Nike, Wongfu, CAAM, CAPE, Visual Communications, and more.

His latest short project, BUSAN, 1999 (2022) starring Lee Sang-Hee (ALL OF ARE DEAD) won the prestigious Golden Gate Award at the SF Film Festival, qualifying it for the 2023 Oscars®. It's also screening at the big Palm Springs Shortfest, LAAPFF, NFFTY, Ouray, APFF, and is privately linked for WeFunder audiences to view below:

Lauren Chen is an independent producer based in NYC. She was previously Director of Production and Development for James Schamus at Symbolic Exchange, where she worked on films such as INDIGNATION (2016), CASTING JONBENET (2017), and A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN (2018). Her more recent credits include ADAM (dir. by Rhys Ernst, starring Margaret Qualley and Leo Sheng), which was released in 2019 by Wolfe Video, and THE TOMORROW MAN (dir. by Noble Jones, starring Blythe Danner and John Lithgow), which was released in 2019 by Bleecker Street Media. Both films had their world premieres at Sundance 2019. Chen was an Associate Producer on DRIVEWAYS (dir. by Andrew Ahn, starring Hong Chau and Brian Dennehy) which premiered at Berlin Film Festival in 2019, and was released by FilmRise in 2020. She also worked on Kitty Green’s sophomore feature, THE ASSISTANT (starring Julia Garner and Matthew Macfadyen), which premiered at Telluride Film Festival in 2019 and was released by Bleecker Street Media in 2020. Chen started her career in the entertainment industry as a film and television actor (credits include THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION (1998) and WIREY SPINDELL (1999)). Prior to Symbolic Exchange, Chen was at Maven Pictures, where she worked on films such as TEN THOUSAND SAINTS (2015), AMERICAN HONEY (2016), and FREAK SHOW (2017). More recently, she produced several narrative podcasts with Best Case Studios, including "Ghostwriter" (dir. by Kimberly Senior, starring Kate Mara and Adam Scott) and "Treat" (dir. by Jaki Bradley, starring Kiernan Shipka and Marin Ireland), both of which were released by Cadence13 in 2021, and "The Cinnamon Bear" (dir. by David Cromer, starring Alan Cumming, Milo Manheim, Bridget Everett, Johnny Galecki, Ryan Reynolds) which was released by Audible in 2021. Chen is currently Post Production Supervising multiple projects, including RESURRECTION (dir. by Andrew Semans, starring Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth) which premiered at Sundance 2022, ALL DIRT ROADS TASTE OF SALT (dir. by Raven Jackson, produced by Pastel and A24), and a seven-part limited series entitled THE LAST MOVIE STARS (dir. by Ethan Hawke) for CNN+ and HBO Max. She is also in development on several feature films. Chen is originally from Princeton, New Jersey and received her B.A. from Wellesley College in English Literature.

Harrison Allen co-founded his production company, Arachnid Films, in New York City after producing the 2019 Wasserman Award winning short film CHAMPIONS (2019) while at NYU. Before completing his B.F.A at the the Tisch School of the Arts in 2020, Allen had served as the lead producer under the Arachnid Films banner on two debut feature films: VERDE (2020), a Dominican arthouse drama directed by Alfonso Morgan-Terrero, premiered at the Pan African Film Festival and was an official selection at the Festival des Trois Continents. THE LAST THING MARY SAW (2021), directed by Edoardo Vitaletti, is an elevated horror film starring Stefanie Scott, Isabelle Fuhrman, Judith Roberts, and Rory Culkin currently in post-production. Allen has also produced music videos for artists Frances Forever, Claud, and David Hugo as well as commercial campaigns for Canon.

Jim Cummings is an actor and filmmaker known for writing, directing and starring in the 2016 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, THUNDER ROAD which he extended into a 2018 feature film of the same name and won the SXSW Grand Jury Award and was nominated for the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award. He also wrote, directed and starred in the 2020 film THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW (alongside Academy-Award nominee Robert Forster). It was made with Orion Classics, and is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. His latest film, THE BETA TEST, premiered at the Berlinale, Tribeca, and Cannes film festivals before being picked up by IFC Films, released in theaters and eventually on Hulu. He was also the recipient of a career retrospective at the Champs-Élysées Film Festival in Paris, and can be seen starring in the recent HALLOWEEN KILLS movie opposite Jamie Lee Curtis (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE).