I recently heard from Mynette Louie, who producing the feature film
The Kids Are Alright, based on Tze Chun's 2007 Sundance short
Windowbreaker. I really loved that film, so I'm really happy to hear that Chun and Co. will be expanding and elaborating on that story. Here's the synopsis:
After being evicted from their home, the Cheng family finds that times are tighter than ever. Hardworking single mom and recent Boston transplant ELAINE (35) tries desperately to find the means to support her young children, RAYMOND (10) and TINA (6). They move illegally into a model apartment in an unfinished building, but try to maintain a normal life. While Elaine juggles a number of jobs, Raymond and Tina become latch-key kids, taking care of themselves and finding amusement in building childish inventions. When Elaine is arrested for unwittingly taking part in an illegal pyramid scheme, things take a turn for the worse. Nobody knows the kids are home alone, and they are left to fend for themselves. Without any communication from their mother, little Raymond hatches a plan -- to take the long trek from the suburbs to downtown Boston, withdraw his family's life savings from the bank, start a business selling his inventions, and take care of his sister.
Based on Tze Chun's own award-winning short film, Windowbreaker, which screened the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, The Kids Are Alright is a drama about the influence of an adult world on children, the immigrant mentality, and shortcuts to the American dream.
I normally get a little tired of all the casting stuff that comes my way, but I really like the sound of this project. They're hoping to shoot the film in New York and Boston this summer, and they're looking for
fourteen speaking roles for Chinese/Chinese American actors (or actors who can pass as Chinese American). Here are some details from Mynette:
Hey Asian Am film people + people who might know AA/kid actors + people who might have seen a movie lately with good AA actors:
I need your help with casting.
I'm producing a film, Tze Chun's "The Kids Are Alright," based on his Sundance 2007 short "Windowbreaker." We're hoping to shoot the film in NYC (and a little in Boston too) this July and/or August. The film has 14 (yes, FOURTEEN) speaking roles for Chinese / Chinese American actors (or actors who can pass as Chinese American).
If you know any NYC-based folks who would be great for any of the roles (Chinese or not), or can recommend any NYC-based casting directors who could help for a small fee (particularly w/the kid actors), please let me know. (Just so you know, we've also already contacted like every school in NYC with 60% or more Asian kids, so we've been having and will continue to have these open auditions at the schools--but if you can recommend any professional kid actors or any Chinese kids you personally know, lemme know.)
I've attached a character breakdown with actor submission instructions plus an overview of the film. You can also check out www.tkaa-movie.com for more info.
Thanks!
Mynette
And here's the character breakdown for the Chinese roles. I imagine the success of this film will be largely dependent on the performances of the two kid actors:
[RAYMOND CHENG] Boy, 6-12, Chinese American: Thoughtful, imaginative, verbal. Speaks fluent English.
[TINA CHENG] Girl, 5-9, Chinese American: Looks up to her brother. Very talkative around people she knows, shy around people she doesn't. Speaks fluent English.
[ELAINE CHENG] Female, 30-35, Chinese: A determined single mother. Tenacious. Won't take no for an answer. Immigrated 12 years ago from Hong Kong. Speaks with a slight Chinese accent. Speaks fluent Cantonese with no accent. Is hard on her kids at times, but does everything for them. A survivor.
[MICHAEL LEE] Male, 40s-50s, Chinese: A sweet businessman. He's active in the community and always trying to find ways to help people. Probably immigrated from Hong Kong, China, or Taiwan in his twenties. He's the kind of guy who started with nothing and built his business brick-by-brick.
[CHARLES CHENG] Male, 30s, Chinese: Raymond and Tina's absentee father. He lives in Hong Kong, and communicates with the kids long-distance. He's got a temper. Speaks fluent Cantonese with no accent.
[DORIS] Female, 50s, Chinese: Elaine's mother-in-law. Used to a comfortable life. Is protective of her grandchildren, and doesn't think Elaine's a good influence. Speaks fluent Cantonese with no accent.
[GREAT GRANDPA] Male, 70s, Chinese: Raymond and Tina's great-grandpa. He's thin, kind, and has Alzheimer's. He speaks very little English. He spends most of his life in his tiny Chinatown apartment, living in the past. Ability to speak Taishan or Fukian dialect a plus.
[LINDA GAU] Female, 50s, Chinese: Linda is down-to-earth and pragmatic. She wants what's best for her kids, but sometimes has trouble saying no. She's seen a lot in her life, and she always approaches personal and business interactions with a healthy bit of distrust.
[SUSAN GAU] Female, mid-late 20s, Chinese American: Susan and her mother live in Castle Square, the Chinatown projects. She went to local college, got married, and has a young child. She has bills to pay and wants to make money very very quickly. She's a bit more naive about the way the world works.
[NANCY] Female, late 30s-40s, Chinese: One of Elaine's co-workers in the pyramid scheme. High-strung. Competitive.
[ROSEMARY] Female, 40s, Chinese: One of Elaine's co-workers in the pyramid scheme. A smart, savvy, businesswoman. Dresses and acts very Chinese, but able to work with Americans.
[MRS. CHOW] Female, 50s, Chinese: New immigrant to the US. Came over to be with her son, who works in finance. Not happy with the weather and lifestyle in the US. Constantly bickering with her husband. Speaks fluent Mandarin or Cantonese with a Mandarin accent.
[MR. CHOW] Male, 50s, Chinese: New immigrant to the US. More reasonable than his wife. Speaks fluent Mandarin or Cantonese with a Mandarin accent.
[FELICIA] Female, 20s-40s, Chinese: Works as a real estate broker. The kind that is constantly showing houses but never selling or renting anything. We get the feeling she's just trying to get out of the house. (We are looking for a character actor here, someone compelling and quirky, who we can get to know in just one short scene. We are less concerned with a specific physical 'type.')
They've also got roles for non-Asian actors, as well as additional speaking roles and a need for extras. To submit, email your headshot and resume to tkaa.casting@gmail.com. To learn more about the film, visit the website (not much there right now)
here. I can't wait to see what happens with this movie.
