What is success when your parents aren't watching?

How do you balance filial piety with your individual needs and desires?

When does the guilt go away?

I (Sarah Ngô, the writer-director) have spent too many nights discussing these questions at lengths with siblings, cousins, and friends. Scientifically speaking (kind of, not really), an important variable to consider is that of having immigrant parents. None of us could ever seem to figure out the right ratio of sacrifice and selfishness to make everyone in the equation happy.

LET'S PARTY is a case study into this quandary. Well, case study might be a little inflated. Remove the quantitative data, real life test subjects and context, the restriction of time and space...And you've got a story about a first-generation Vietnamese American workaholic living her entire life the "right" way only to magically drop back into her adolescence with her childhood friend who is simply getting ready for a party that could alter their lives as they know it.

The film plays with the idea of time travel with similar rules to Back to the Future and dismantles the model minority stereotype by exploring the pressures related to familial expectations fueled by sacrifice, duty and a fear of failure through the lens of friendship between two very different girls. Speaking of, see below for the gals in question.

Elderly Lily (89 years old)

To her dismay, living her parent’s expectations didn’t pan out the way she expected. At all. With less days ahead of her, Lily is only left with memories and regrets until a bonk on the head gives her a chance to change her fate.

Margaret (the nurse)

She’s curiously familiar. Margaret sparks some memories for Lily, kickstarting this unexpected adventure.

Lily (17 years old)

Vietnamese American. She lives for the future. Every second of every day is an opportunity for a better tomorrow. A firm believer that she is the captain of her own destiny, Lily stops at nothing to build the life that she thinks she needs. There’s absolutely no time to smell the roses.

Mimi (18 years old)

Korean American, lives in the moment. To her mom’s dismay, she’s an average student, but an A+ gossip. From an early age, she astutely realized that so much of life was out of her control. This fact was both freeing and suffocating. Sometimes, maybe, most the time, a little release is necessary.

Lily and Mimi are foils of each other AND are representative of children of Asian immigrants that experience "higher rates of clinically impairing internalized problems (eg depression, anxiety disorder, suicide, etc.)"*, which leads us to...

Growing up in a Vietnamese immigrant household taught me mostly about survival and expectation. It's all about piling everything up internally and moving forward in life, which could manifest in hoarding material and immaterial things. Pain and shame should never be spoken about. Just throw it in the pile. It almost felt selfish to show any sort of emotion or identity. Of course, this way of life could only last for so long. For me, it led to (secretly) getting into acting, writing, and now...LET'S PARTY.

In a world where Asians continue to be typecasted, underrepresented, and grouped into a homogenous community, this story aims to thoughtfully explore the immense pressure to exceed parental expectations and sacrifice from the vantage point of a child of Vietnamese refugees. Though this isn't an isolated experience, the various stories stemming from this pressure amongst the children of immigrants is extensive, important, and sparsely spotlighted in mainstream media.

The numbers are staggering...

Being completely candid here, I have applied for sooooooo many grants and fellowships asking how my art will generate positive social impact addressing themes of race, diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility. The response (well, one of the responses) that led me to being a recipient of the California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship grant was simply to write and create truthfully with an understanding and appreciation of my own experiences in the world as a first-generation Vietnamese American woman.

I truly believe that we have yet to see the full scope of the world in film and TV because of the barriers to entry and inaccessibility of resources and experiences in the field. In order to improve the systems that be, I am determined to strengthen my own voice and craft to create more opportunities and strengthen the spirits of the communities that I wish to elevate, beginning with LET'S PARTY. My intent is to work with a cast and crew of women, LGBTQIA2S+, and BIPOC creatives to bring this story alive and build a community of filmmakers passionate about creating meaningful, rebellious, and diverse narratives.

As mentioned, I am so honored and grateful to be a recipient of the 2026 California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship as an Emerging Artist, which includes a $5,000 reward.

A lot goes into making a movie, so I am raising an additional $10,000. In order to receive any funds through Seed&Spark, 80% of our goal must be met. 

But where is all this money going, you ask?

A majority of the funds will go to the cast and crew (duh!), crafty (gotta feed the creative brain), HMU and set design to take us back to the 80s, gear, insurance...ETC. If you like graphs, like I do, check out that yummy pie below.

I've made a short film solo before, so I know that EVERY. SINGLE. CREW AND CAST MEMBER IS IMPORTANT AND DESERVES FAIR PAY. Your contribution will ensure this. Remember those staggering numbers? Your pledge will also support artists that aim to overturn those abysmal statistics. Be a part of the change that we all want to see today! :)

I know the incentives are super enticing and cool and amazing, so any amount above our goal will go right back into the film to ensure it's the best film it can be.

What's the timeline?

August to September 2026 = Crowdfunding campaign

Late September/Early October 2026 = Production / The Shoot

October to December 2026 = Post-Production

Pockets full of dust bunnies, but you still wanna help?

I totally get it!

Please follow the campaign on Seed&Spark :) this will boost excitement for LET'S PARTY. Feeling more giving? Leave a comment to increase visibility. MORE GIVING? Whoa! Share this campaign with friends & family via your socials, email, gossip, etc. to spread the love.

I'll even give you a lil cheat code to copy and paste ;) see below:

So stoked to see @letsparty.shortfilm come to life! Party with filmmaker @sarahhdngo and help spread the word about a film that thoughtfully explores the pressure to exceed parental expectations and sacrifice from the vantage point of children of immigrants AND that pushes underrepresented voices to the forefront of the story and on set. Would you be willing to show some support by donating to their crowdfunding campaign or passing it on? @seedandspark: bit.ly/letsparty-shortfilm

Follow LET'S PARTY on Instagram @letsparty.shortfilm to see what the haps is with the project (eg cast, crew, production updates, fun bts, etc.). <3

Seriously though. Thank you for reading and supporting LET'S PARTY! I (Sarah Ngô, the writer-director) appreciate you from the bottom of my heart!