Mission Statement

The traditional nuclear family dynamic is evolving today, and so is the role a woman plays in a child’s upbringing. The film showcases the journey of a working comedian mom and son, who both try to negotiate their need for space, freedom, and personal joys.

The film also highlights the cultural gaps between China and the U.S., immigrants and native-born Americans, and Gen X and Gen Z.

Helen Chu, Director, Producer

Not everyone is a natural parent. I was not one and did not have a great connection with Evan when has born, but through doing comedy we were able to understand each other more and now are much closer. Even as our relationship improved, we still have differences due to our upbringing, my communist childhood in China and his avocado toast lifestyle in San Francisco lends itself to a lot of interesting and funny discourse. 

Naum Milyavskiy, Director

I want to tell this story because it is about a unique connection between a mother and son who both happen to do comedy. Their relationship is both personal and professional. I think there are so many dos and donts around how to be a good parent. This story challenges our framework for good parenthood and also captures another unique immigrant family dynamic, which is important to me as an immigrant from Ukraine. We’ve got communism too.

Synopsis:

Having been called a "bad mom", San Francisco comedian Helen Chu brings her 10-year-old comedian son to Beijing to show him how she grew up to create more understanding between them. Themes include difficulty of motherhood, the unique nature of parent-child relationships, the culture of comedy in the Bay Area, and the differences between Eastern and Western values.

Goals and Stretch Goals:

We are currently in the final production phase of the project, and are weeks away from finishing the final cut of the film for festival submission.

Our $18,000 goal is the bare minimum needed to get the film entered into the top 20 film festivals we'd like to submit to, and have a layer of PR surrounding it.

• If we raise $28,000, we'll be able to hire a social media agency to help support creating the buzz and fill seats at festivals.
• If we raise $40,000, we'll be able to have a wider distribution theater network after the movie releases, and show it in more cities in the US, and around the world.

Why Donate and Share:

If you think the world could use more laughter, more understanding between generations, country borders (especially US and China), we think this film will help us push the cultural conversation forward.

By pledging, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how a film like this progresses—from launch to premiere to generating buzz and sparking conversation—helping this story make a lasting impact today and for future generations.