Gloria
Oakland, California | Film Short
Drama, Comedy
This is a piece about warding off amnesia, both personally and historically: Gloria learns a new way to fight memory loss, while the film calls attention to those who are most forgotten.
Gloria
Oakland, California | Film Short
Drama, Comedy
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $15,055 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
162 supporters | followers
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This is a piece about warding off amnesia, both personally and historically: Gloria learns a new way to fight memory loss, while the film calls attention to those who are most forgotten.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Gloria, while a fictional piece, is inspired by my mom –– in all her tenacity and love for community. Like our main character, my mother lives in the Bay Area, and earlier in her life, was a dedicated Spanish student at her local community college.
In this film, Gloria, a Chinese woman in her 70s, lives alone and entertains a simple, monotonous life taking walks in her suburban Bay Area neighborhood and perusing her enormous stack of National Geographics. Despite her ironclad daily routine, Gloria fears she's losing her memory. One afternoon, she encounters an article titled "To Stave Off Dementia, Learn a Language?" Fearful and resentful, she refuses to read it. But later, after passing the Mexican grocery in her neighborhood, a sense of longing to improve her mental state and connect with her community activates a shift. She returns home, opens a Learn Spanish book given by her sister when she first moved to California, and dives into teaching herself the basics. This act sparks in her a new sense of purpose, and finally, she summons the courage to engage in Spanish conversation with Carlos, a young man who works at the grocery register. In an otherwise totally mundane exchange, she learns a little about him, and he a little about her.
Central Berkeley; an early inspiration image for Gloria's house.
The Mexican grocery in Gloria's neighborhood, where she meets and befriends Carlos.
Director's Vision
While this film is about a person fighting dementia symptoms, it’s also my aim to explore what it's like to be a Chinese woman living alone late in life. What is it like to pursue something new in your 70s? Is it an act of bravery? Is it natural? My hope is to tell the story of an elderly woman who learns how to access childlike curiosity again, and that despite mental decline, joy is always a part of the immigrant experience.
With this film, I aim to encourage other artists to make movies about people that are not usually centered in such work, like older women, and call attention to the ways in which Asian and Latine peoples interact and integrate (or don’t integrate) their lives in this particular part of the country. 50% of the Bay Area population is Latine and Asian, and yet stories of these communities’ overlap barely reach the public's eyes and ears. And as someone who works primarily in the theater world, I hope that my creation of this work inspires other theatermakers to explore the medium of film. We belong there too!
Finally, as an AAPI artist, with this film I seek to challenge the Asian American stereotype of a high-achieving nuclear family and explore the people who exist at the other end of that spectrum: single people living alone in their later years. Gloria has no visible family and pursues her life experience totally unsupported. With her at the center of this film, I work toward expanding the kinds of stories about Asian Americans being told.
In the making of this film, it is my hope to serve the interests of those most marginalized in stories about the modern California experience, and do so with authenticity and care.
How will we use these funds?
A proud recipient of a 2023 Berkeley FILM Foundation grant, a 2023 Seed&Spark Patrons Circle grant, and a 2023 Dementia Spring Foundation grant, this project is currently in pre-production: finalizing locations, planning our shooting script and shot list, and crewing up.
The funds raised from the Seed & Spark campaign will go directly toward paying the talented artists working on set (director of photography, camera operators, producers, gaffer, key grip, sound, actors, PAs, designers, etc.) as well as the rental fees for camera and lighting.
Stretch goals for the funds will go toward post-production: hiring an editor, a colorist, and a composer.
When are we making this film?
Starring Emily Kuroda of "Gilmore Girls," Gloria will film in Berkeley, Oakland, and Redwood City, CA in November 2023, acting in accordance with SAG-AFTRA under the Short Project Agreement.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Set and Production Design
Costs $1,400
A production designer will transform our locations into powerful pillars of storytelling.
Camera Rental
Costs $5,000
This covers the essential rental of a camera, lenses, tripods, and monitor.
Costume Design
Costs $1,250
In a super visual film like this one, Gloria's and Carlos's wardrobe tell us so much about who they are.
Camera Team
Costs $3,700
The cinematographer and her team create the imagery that tells our story!
Share this update!
About This Team
Our team is comprised of an all-star Bay Area crew, including Caitlin Machak (DP), Amelie Liu (Producer), and Caitlyn Durkin (Producer). Writer and director Kim Blanck is a Menlo Park native.
Our lead actor, Emily Kuroda, is a legend of stage and screen perhaps best known for her role as Mrs. Kim on the hit series "Gilmore Girls."
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Gloria, while a fictional piece, is inspired by my mom –– in all her tenacity and love for community. Like our main character, my mother lives in the Bay Area, and earlier in her life, was a dedicated Spanish student at her local community college.
In this film, Gloria, a Chinese woman in her 70s, lives alone and entertains a simple, monotonous life taking walks in her suburban Bay Area neighborhood and perusing her enormous stack of National Geographics. Despite her ironclad daily routine, Gloria fears she's losing her memory. One afternoon, she encounters an article titled "To Stave Off Dementia, Learn a Language?" Fearful and resentful, she refuses to read it. But later, after passing the Mexican grocery in her neighborhood, a sense of longing to improve her mental state and connect with her community activates a shift. She returns home, opens a Learn Spanish book given by her sister when she first moved to California, and dives into teaching herself the basics. This act sparks in her a new sense of purpose, and finally, she summons the courage to engage in Spanish conversation with Carlos, a young man who works at the grocery register. In an otherwise totally mundane exchange, she learns a little about him, and he a little about her.
Central Berkeley; an early inspiration image for Gloria's house.
The Mexican grocery in Gloria's neighborhood, where she meets and befriends Carlos.
Director's Vision
While this film is about a person fighting dementia symptoms, it’s also my aim to explore what it's like to be a Chinese woman living alone late in life. What is it like to pursue something new in your 70s? Is it an act of bravery? Is it natural? My hope is to tell the story of an elderly woman who learns how to access childlike curiosity again, and that despite mental decline, joy is always a part of the immigrant experience.
With this film, I aim to encourage other artists to make movies about people that are not usually centered in such work, like older women, and call attention to the ways in which Asian and Latine peoples interact and integrate (or don’t integrate) their lives in this particular part of the country. 50% of the Bay Area population is Latine and Asian, and yet stories of these communities’ overlap barely reach the public's eyes and ears. And as someone who works primarily in the theater world, I hope that my creation of this work inspires other theatermakers to explore the medium of film. We belong there too!
Finally, as an AAPI artist, with this film I seek to challenge the Asian American stereotype of a high-achieving nuclear family and explore the people who exist at the other end of that spectrum: single people living alone in their later years. Gloria has no visible family and pursues her life experience totally unsupported. With her at the center of this film, I work toward expanding the kinds of stories about Asian Americans being told.
In the making of this film, it is my hope to serve the interests of those most marginalized in stories about the modern California experience, and do so with authenticity and care.
How will we use these funds?
A proud recipient of a 2023 Berkeley FILM Foundation grant, a 2023 Seed&Spark Patrons Circle grant, and a 2023 Dementia Spring Foundation grant, this project is currently in pre-production: finalizing locations, planning our shooting script and shot list, and crewing up.
The funds raised from the Seed & Spark campaign will go directly toward paying the talented artists working on set (director of photography, camera operators, producers, gaffer, key grip, sound, actors, PAs, designers, etc.) as well as the rental fees for camera and lighting.
Stretch goals for the funds will go toward post-production: hiring an editor, a colorist, and a composer.
When are we making this film?
Starring Emily Kuroda of "Gilmore Girls," Gloria will film in Berkeley, Oakland, and Redwood City, CA in November 2023, acting in accordance with SAG-AFTRA under the Short Project Agreement.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Set and Production Design
Costs $1,400
A production designer will transform our locations into powerful pillars of storytelling.
Camera Rental
Costs $5,000
This covers the essential rental of a camera, lenses, tripods, and monitor.
Costume Design
Costs $1,250
In a super visual film like this one, Gloria's and Carlos's wardrobe tell us so much about who they are.
Camera Team
Costs $3,700
The cinematographer and her team create the imagery that tells our story!
Share this update!
About This Team
Our team is comprised of an all-star Bay Area crew, including Caitlin Machak (DP), Amelie Liu (Producer), and Caitlyn Durkin (Producer). Writer and director Kim Blanck is a Menlo Park native.
Our lead actor, Emily Kuroda, is a legend of stage and screen perhaps best known for her role as Mrs. Kim on the hit series "Gilmore Girls."