Bursting at the Fold
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Teen
When their favorite Chinatown dumpling shop is forced to leave, two boys confront the ones taking over by making dumplings to save the place they love. They pour everything they’re feeling into a batch of dumplings that don’t quite hold together.
Bursting at the Fold
New York City, New York | Film Short
Drama, Teen
26 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$2,835
Goal: $8,000 for production
When their favorite Chinatown dumpling shop is forced to leave, two boys confront the ones taking over by making dumplings to save the place they love. They pour everything they’re feeling into a batch of dumplings that don’t quite hold together.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In the heart of Manhattan's Chinatown, two boys are about to lose the only place that ever felt like home.
Ian is 11, Korean, and achingly lonely, living with his mother while his father remains overseas. Henry was born and raised here, watching his neighborhood transform around him. Together, they've found refuge in Lai Kee Dumplings, where Keith Cheung has been feeding the community for over 30 years. But tonight is the shop's last night. Tomorrow, a corporate Korean fried chicken chain moves in.
After one final meal of Keith's famous dumplings, the boys refuse to accept defeat. In a desperate act of youthful defiance, they decide to make their own dumplings, a messy, imperfect blend of Cantonese gaau ji and Korean mandu, to convince Keith to stay. Ian worries they're "ugly," bursting at the seams. Henry insists on packing them until they overflow.
When they return to the shop, Keith is already gone. In his place: Daehyun, the corporate manager, and Jong-ho, a struggling Korean immigrant worker, the boys initially see as the enemy. But in offering Jong-ho their overstuffed dumplings, they discover something unexpected. He loved Keith's dumplings too.
Bursting at the Fold is a story about what gets lost when neighborhoods are erased, and what survives when we choose connection over division.
Ian Kang is a lonely 11-year-old immigrant from Korea. Living in Chinatown with his mother while his father stays behind, Ian is desperate to find a sense of home.
Henry Luo was born and raised in Chinatown, Henry is proud and fiercely loyal. He views the neighborhood’s gentrification as a personal attack.
Keith Cheung has been the owner of Lai Kee Dumplings for over 30 years. Keith has spent decades nourishing his neighbors, but rising rents are forcing him out.
Jong-ho is a Korean student working for the new chicken chain. While the boys see him as the enemy, Jong-ho is just an immigrant trying to survive.
Growing up between the U.S., China, and South Korea, I’ve always used film as a bridge to understand others. But when I moved to New York City, I was met with a reality I didn’t quite know how to process: a lack of harmony within the East Asian community. Instead of the shared bond I had imagined, I found deep-seated misunderstandings between different groups. It was a disheartening discovery, especially because this friction is so rarely portrayed in media, which often prefers to view the Asian diaspora as a single, unified block.
I’m still figuring out exactly where this tension comes from and how to navigate it myself. However, through my time in Manhattan’s Chinatown, I’ve started to see how much of this friction is motivated by external pressures. When a neighborhood faces the constant threat of rising rents and displacement, it creates a high-stakes environment where everyone is just trying to survive. In that struggle, it becomes easy to see a neighbor as a competitor or an outsider, rather than someone sharing the same burden.
Bursting at the Fold is my way of exploring these questions out loud. While the film is a definitive effort to raise awareness about the gentrification of Chinatown, it is also intended to be a mediator—specifically between the Chinese-American and Korean-American communities here in the city. By following two boys who try to build something together amidst the chaos of change, I hope to show that while external forces may try to divide us, we still have the agency to choose empathy over conflict. This film starts a conversation about what it means to truly protect our home.
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Previous Work
I have led a production of a documentary about Chinatown, Manhattan, with the Media Department of Generasian. A student-led club at NYU that acts as a multimedia platform to tell the stories about the Asian experiences in NYC. We were able to explore and discover themes like sense of community, gentrification, and the jail project.
The Plan
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Where We Are:
The script is complete, the crew is committed, and locations have been scouted throughout Chinatown.
Your Support Funds:
- Supporting local Chinatown businesses through location fees, catering, and sourcing authentic props
- Transportation and logistics
- Compensating our cast and crew
- Camera equipment rental
- Digital storage and media management
Timeline:
Production begins in April 2026. Following post-production, we'll submit to film festivals starting in October 2026. Select donors will receive a private screening link before the film enters the festival circuit.
Stretch Goals:
If this campaign demonstrates strong audience demand for stories that bridge communities, we'll develop Bursting at the Fold into a feature-length film or extended series that continues to explore these urgent conversations.
How You Can Help
Pledge. Every contribution helps us tell this story with authenticity.
Follow. Instagram @burstingatthefold
Share. Copy and paste the link and share!
Thank you so much for believing in independent storytelling and our project "Bursting at the Fold" - Caleb Kim
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Forever Taste
Costs $2,300
Help us capture the beauty of Chinatown through our locations, starting with our restaurant, Forever Taste!
Production Design
Costs $1,500
To experience the truth of Chinatown and the reality of gentrification, help us create the signs of the Korean Chicken Shop: Gyochon.
Camera
Costs $1,350
We want the best camera and gear possible to bring this movie to life, help us get it!
storage
Costs $150
We want to assure that our gear sleeps safe and sound in the storage unit. Help us make that a reality!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director
Caleb Kim is a filmmaker pursuing a BFA in Film & Television Production at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a minor in East Asian Civilizations. Drawing from lived experiences across the U.S., Korea, and China, he is interested in cinema as an act of care, where visual language, texture, and restraint meet the emotional realities of people on the margins.
Producers
Ann is a recent NYU Tisch Film & TV graduate, passionate about bridging creative storytelling with the business of global entertainment through development, marketing, and cross-cultural collaboration.
Edyn Lim is a filmmaker pursuing a BFA in Film & Television Production at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, with a minor in Business Studies and on the Pre-Med track. Originally from Orange County, California and South Korea, she is focused on aligning a story’s messaging with its target audience while balancing creative ambition with practical means.
Emily Nguyen is a senior at NYU Tisch studying Film/TV Production with a minor in BEMT. She has interned at National Geographic and the International Emmy Awards and received the Fall 2025 Student Producer’s Award. She is excited to help bring Bursting At The Fold to life as part of the producing team.
Khayta Diongue is a nineteen-year-old filmmaker based in New York City and Ohio, working across cinematography, writing, directing, and producing. She is a BFA student in Film & Television at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BEMT minor. Focuses on visually immersive storytelling and community-centered narratives.
Director of Photography
Ryan is a Japanese-American filmmaker at NYU studying Film & TV Production, specializing in cinematography and color.
Drawing from his multicultural heritage, his work aims to capture—through atmosphere and texture—the subtle humanity that ebbs within all narratives. His work draws on atmosphere and texture to capture quiet human moments, and he hopes you enjoy the film.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In the heart of Manhattan's Chinatown, two boys are about to lose the only place that ever felt like home.
Ian is 11, Korean, and achingly lonely, living with his mother while his father remains overseas. Henry was born and raised here, watching his neighborhood transform around him. Together, they've found refuge in Lai Kee Dumplings, where Keith Cheung has been feeding the community for over 30 years. But tonight is the shop's last night. Tomorrow, a corporate Korean fried chicken chain moves in.
After one final meal of Keith's famous dumplings, the boys refuse to accept defeat. In a desperate act of youthful defiance, they decide to make their own dumplings, a messy, imperfect blend of Cantonese gaau ji and Korean mandu, to convince Keith to stay. Ian worries they're "ugly," bursting at the seams. Henry insists on packing them until they overflow.
When they return to the shop, Keith is already gone. In his place: Daehyun, the corporate manager, and Jong-ho, a struggling Korean immigrant worker, the boys initially see as the enemy. But in offering Jong-ho their overstuffed dumplings, they discover something unexpected. He loved Keith's dumplings too.
Bursting at the Fold is a story about what gets lost when neighborhoods are erased, and what survives when we choose connection over division.
Ian Kang is a lonely 11-year-old immigrant from Korea. Living in Chinatown with his mother while his father stays behind, Ian is desperate to find a sense of home.
Henry Luo was born and raised in Chinatown, Henry is proud and fiercely loyal. He views the neighborhood’s gentrification as a personal attack.
Keith Cheung has been the owner of Lai Kee Dumplings for over 30 years. Keith has spent decades nourishing his neighbors, but rising rents are forcing him out.
Jong-ho is a Korean student working for the new chicken chain. While the boys see him as the enemy, Jong-ho is just an immigrant trying to survive.
Growing up between the U.S., China, and South Korea, I’ve always used film as a bridge to understand others. But when I moved to New York City, I was met with a reality I didn’t quite know how to process: a lack of harmony within the East Asian community. Instead of the shared bond I had imagined, I found deep-seated misunderstandings between different groups. It was a disheartening discovery, especially because this friction is so rarely portrayed in media, which often prefers to view the Asian diaspora as a single, unified block.
I’m still figuring out exactly where this tension comes from and how to navigate it myself. However, through my time in Manhattan’s Chinatown, I’ve started to see how much of this friction is motivated by external pressures. When a neighborhood faces the constant threat of rising rents and displacement, it creates a high-stakes environment where everyone is just trying to survive. In that struggle, it becomes easy to see a neighbor as a competitor or an outsider, rather than someone sharing the same burden.
Bursting at the Fold is my way of exploring these questions out loud. While the film is a definitive effort to raise awareness about the gentrification of Chinatown, it is also intended to be a mediator—specifically between the Chinese-American and Korean-American communities here in the city. By following two boys who try to build something together amidst the chaos of change, I hope to show that while external forces may try to divide us, we still have the agency to choose empathy over conflict. This film starts a conversation about what it means to truly protect our home.
Previous Work
I have led a production of a documentary about Chinatown, Manhattan, with the Media Department of Generasian. A student-led club at NYU that acts as a multimedia platform to tell the stories about the Asian experiences in NYC. We were able to explore and discover themes like sense of community, gentrification, and the jail project.
The Plan
Where We Are:
The script is complete, the crew is committed, and locations have been scouted throughout Chinatown.
Your Support Funds:
- Supporting local Chinatown businesses through location fees, catering, and sourcing authentic props
- Transportation and logistics
- Compensating our cast and crew
- Camera equipment rental
- Digital storage and media management
Timeline:
Production begins in April 2026. Following post-production, we'll submit to film festivals starting in October 2026. Select donors will receive a private screening link before the film enters the festival circuit.
Stretch Goals:
If this campaign demonstrates strong audience demand for stories that bridge communities, we'll develop Bursting at the Fold into a feature-length film or extended series that continues to explore these urgent conversations.
How You Can Help
Pledge. Every contribution helps us tell this story with authenticity.
Follow. Instagram @burstingatthefold
Share. Copy and paste the link and share!
Thank you so much for believing in independent storytelling and our project "Bursting at the Fold" - Caleb Kim
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Forever Taste
Costs $2,300
Help us capture the beauty of Chinatown through our locations, starting with our restaurant, Forever Taste!
Production Design
Costs $1,500
To experience the truth of Chinatown and the reality of gentrification, help us create the signs of the Korean Chicken Shop: Gyochon.
Camera
Costs $1,350
We want the best camera and gear possible to bring this movie to life, help us get it!
storage
Costs $150
We want to assure that our gear sleeps safe and sound in the storage unit. Help us make that a reality!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director
Caleb Kim is a filmmaker pursuing a BFA in Film & Television Production at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a minor in East Asian Civilizations. Drawing from lived experiences across the U.S., Korea, and China, he is interested in cinema as an act of care, where visual language, texture, and restraint meet the emotional realities of people on the margins.
Producers
Ann is a recent NYU Tisch Film & TV graduate, passionate about bridging creative storytelling with the business of global entertainment through development, marketing, and cross-cultural collaboration.
Edyn Lim is a filmmaker pursuing a BFA in Film & Television Production at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, with a minor in Business Studies and on the Pre-Med track. Originally from Orange County, California and South Korea, she is focused on aligning a story’s messaging with its target audience while balancing creative ambition with practical means.
Emily Nguyen is a senior at NYU Tisch studying Film/TV Production with a minor in BEMT. She has interned at National Geographic and the International Emmy Awards and received the Fall 2025 Student Producer’s Award. She is excited to help bring Bursting At The Fold to life as part of the producing team.
Khayta Diongue is a nineteen-year-old filmmaker based in New York City and Ohio, working across cinematography, writing, directing, and producing. She is a BFA student in Film & Television at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BEMT minor. Focuses on visually immersive storytelling and community-centered narratives.
Director of Photography
Ryan is a Japanese-American filmmaker at NYU studying Film & TV Production, specializing in cinematography and color.
Drawing from his multicultural heritage, his work aims to capture—through atmosphere and texture—the subtle humanity that ebbs within all narratives. His work draws on atmosphere and texture to capture quiet human moments, and he hopes you enjoy the film.