Summary

My name is Claire Shiying Li(李石影), and I have always been fascinated by how Chinese people choose their housing location and interior decorations using five elements system, which is a part of Yin-yang theory. People interpret their surrounding environment by symbolism and association with medal, wood, water, fire, and earth, so they can enhance their quality of living by balancing out elements in their outer surroundings. Despite their superstitious intent for luck, Chinese people utilize this philosophical system so profoundly that fundamentally distinguish their own perspectives from the western ones, on which how human relate to the nature as a whole. It is a cultural heritage that connects people beyond words, so I want to give that worldview a direct and consumable cinematic form.

As a millennial who have observed parallel social movements in the US and China, I realized there are so many new intricate and bizarre conditions faced by modern women.  They opened up new conversations between women, particularly between mother and daughter.

Inspired by these conditions, I want to bring to my audience an intimate space to explore their fantasies and limits for familial relationships.

As a contributor, you are helping to construct a modern tale of mother-daughter through an ancient Chinese lens.

THE TEAM

Claire Li 李石影 - Writer & Director

Claire Shiying Li is a recent graduate from Rice University and currently a visiting film student at New York University. She studied architecture design and art history in undergraduate and worked as an architect and real estate consultant at various firms in China. She is also a curator for contemporary art exhibitions at Matchbox gallery. She has directed two short documentaries on performing arts and one experimental play "A Letter from an Unknown Woman". Her autobiographical narrative film was screened at NYU Sight & Sound Showcase in 2016.

Zoey Pressey - Producer

Zoey has produced many narrative and experimental short films with budgets ranging from $2,000 to $20,000, as well as branded and web content, over the past four years. She is currently a student at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, majoring in Film & TV Production with a minor in Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology, and works as an Office PA at RSA Films. In the past, she has interned for the Producer’s Guild of America and Weller Media Agency, as well as worked as an editor on multiple videos for the City of Seattle and non-profits including Girl Scouts of America, Reel Grrls, and Social Justice Fund Northwest.

Jiachen Long 龙佳辰- Cinematographer

Born in china, Jiachen Long is currently studying film and comparative literature at New York University. He has been practicing visual storytelling with film and digital mediums at a young age. He has photographed various student projects, narrative films, documentaries and commercials. His goal as a DP is to create images that speak for themselves.

Moni (Jasmine) Guo - Composer

Composer/pianist Moni (Jasmine) Guo, born in China, has studied music since she was three. After her piano and composition studies at Interlochen Arts Academy and The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, she is currently a first year Master student at Rice University studying composition under Shih-Hui Chen. Her pieces has been read by famous soloists such as Miranda Cuckson, Courtney Orlando, Michael Kannen, Kyung Wha Chu, also ensembles such as IIIZ+ and Deviant Septet. Jasmine is now a member of The Pi Kappa Lambda Society, and she has received the P. Bruce Blair Award in Composition and the Pauline Favin Memorial Award in Piano in 2016. Her music has been performed in the US and Europe.

What We Need & What You Get

My team and I are asking for $2,000 to produce the film which has a total budget of $2,500. We are receiving $500 from NYU and are hoping to raise the rest of the budget for locations, transportation, production design and craft services. Every single dollar will go to making the production better, from keeping our crew fed to paying locations that have the visual look the film needs to best communicate its story. 

In exchange for your contribution, we have a variety of great perks that will let you inside the production of the film, with items such as behind the scenes photos taken on film and actual wood carvings from the set! All of our perks are exclusive to our Indiegogo contributors and will be made and distributed with care by the Mu Gu Niang team. 

Risks & Challenges

No film is risk-free, but my production team is ready to handle any "Murphy's Law" obstacle that comes our way. We have a flexible crew and solid relationships with our locations and other vendors, including local wood carvers that have been brought on to consult for artistic and technical accuracy in our representation of the craft of wood carving. 

I have partnered with an experienced producer who has been with me every step of the way, ensuring my vision comes to life in the best way possible. We have focused heavily on pre-production, making sure every element of the film, from plants to be used as set decoration up to casting, is locked in place. We are always in communication, ready to solve any challenges that come our way. 

Other Ways You Can Help

Can't donate? You can still help this campaign by sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or anywhere else you network with friends & family!