Jaelyn and Emmi are the average theatre kids – they’re loud, they’re outgoing, they say “I love you” to everyone they walk by on their way to class…

Identity Piece follows the two best friends, amidst their classes and after-school jobs, as they take their usual walk together after Emmi’s shift at the café. Set against the backdrop of Hamilton Heights, a neighborhood in West Harlem, Jaelyn and Emmi soak in the world around them, eating snacks and people-watching at a nearby park as the day melts into evening.

Their routine gab sesh turns existential and calls their friendship into question when Jaelyn recounts the story of a dismissive comment that a classmate made about her in an acting class. Jaelyn and Emmi reflect on the joys, difficulties, and nuances of studying theatre as a person of color and reckon with their conflicting ideas about attending a predominantly white institution.

Identity Piece is an exploration of disagreement and moral discord through the lens of best friendship, while centering the thoughts, feelings, and lives of people of color facing structures of whiteness that are woven into academia and the theatre industry.

As much as this story is a reflection of my own experience studying theatre at a PWI, I would be nothing without the lessons and perspectives of all of the artists of color that I met and learned from during my time in school. This film is by no means an autobiography, but rather, a mosaic of every wonderful person who made me feel seen and heard in a space that I felt I had to fight to exist in. The comforting realization that I was not alone in my struggles came with the hard truth that my outlook on theatre school and life was one of many ways to carry the emotional weight of being a person of color at a PWI. To me, this film is about finding the compassion for all of the ways that we may carry that weight with us.

This story, despite its seeming focus on the difficulties of attending a PWI, is also a celebration of the friendships that can be found in those spaces. Jaelyn and Emmi’s friendship is one that I wish I would’ve had more of in college, a special connection between two people that is strengthened by their circumstances. Their friendship resists the structures of isolation around them, simply by existing, taking up space, and centering their own joy and love above all else.

I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to create art like this and to experiment in another medium. I hope that this story can reach beyond its small, theatre kid niche and resonate across all of our audiences. There is a lot of love being put into this project and I hope that you are able to feel that joy through the screen!

The Identity Piece team is led by Han Bumanlag and Chris Thach, two AAPI artists who are melding their brains to create something that neither of them have made before!

Han and Chris share a similar philosophy that centers community and prioritizes the safeties and wellbeings of those that they work with. They take an approach that places the people over the art, because it is their belief that the work can get done quickly and efficiently, while still maintaining an environment that is safe, comfortable, and playful.

Chris is a thoughtful and conscientious filmmaker whose extensive background and previous works in film are the foundation upon which this film is built. Han, a theatre director experimenting in film for the first time, is diving into the deep end, with Chris' support, to bring their unique perspective on-screen. The two are embracing their differing backgrounds in theatre and film to bring forth a story that is new and different, while staying true to their creative experiences, inspirations, and influences. As they take this leap into the unknown, they hope to lead the cast and crew boldly and with grace!

We are a small but mighty cast and crew of friends making this film with a lot of love! With your support, we can make sure to pay each and every member of our cast and crew who are being so generous with their time and energy to make this film. Our major expenses include:

• Production Crew: Fair compensation for our awesome production crew!
• Talent: Fair compensation for our actors, Edelsa and Maleyah, whose performances will bring Jaelyn and Emmi to life!
• Equipment Rentals: Camera and lighting equipment rentals to improve the look of the film!
• Craft Services: Gotta eat!
• Post-Production Crew: Fair compensation for our awesome post-production crew!

The following is a breakdown of our budget so that you can see exactly what your donation is going to and how we plan to allocate the funds that we receive:

Check out our Incentives to explore the perks we are offering, as well as our Wishlist to see exact numbers of the funds that we need!

Seed&Spark requires that we meet at least 80% of our goal over the course of our 30-day campaign, or we won't receive any of the funds at all.

We are working tirelessly to spread the word about our film so that we can receive the funds we need to get it made! With your help, we can reach beyond our own circles and share our story with larger communities!

Even if you can’t donate, you can spread the word by finding us on Instagram @identitypiecefilm and by sharing our campaign far and wide! We are so grateful for the opportunity to share our film with you and we hope you'll join in helping us make Identity Piece!