Lock
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Romance
Under China's Strict COVID lockdown, a heartbroken Yufei finds herself accidentally locked in an unfurnished, empty apartment with her only company: Yang, a construction worker who has been squatting in the building. A spark ignites between them despite Yufei's attempts to escape proving futile.
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Under China's Strict COVID lockdown, a heartbroken Yufei finds herself accidentally locked in an unfurnished, empty apartment with her only company: Yang, a construction worker who has been squatting in the building. A spark ignites between them despite Yufei's attempts to escape proving futile.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The story begins with Yufei, pregnant and heartbroken after being abandoned by her married lover, who was also her financial lifeline. Stranded in an empty apartment building due to China's stringent COVID lockdown, Yufei finds unlikely companionship in Yang, a struggling construction worker secretly squatting in the building.
Despite the challenges posed by the authorities enforcing the lockdown, Yufei remains resolute in her desire to escape, clinging to the hope of reuniting with her lover in America. However, as her escape attempts prove fruitless, she forms a deep bond with Yang, sharing their isolation and mutual struggles and finding a glimmer of hope in their companionship.
Yang offers her the warmth and support she needs. After a small victory against the disease control officers, Yufei and Yang's spark for romance is kindled. After losing all sense of time and space in this empty apartment, they kiss, make love, and daydream.
But the lockdown ends when they adapt to this bizarre living situation. When they leave the building and re-enter the outside world, Yufei receives a phone call from her old lover. She picks up, but will she be drawn back into her old reality?
On November 24th, 2022, a fire broke out in a residential high-rise building in Urumqi, China. The fire killed ten residents in the building, and many suspected it was due to the fence installed around the building entrance that caused the residents to be unable to escape from the building in time. The fence was installed due to China’s strict zero-Covid policy to stop residents from leaving their buildings during quarantine. At that time, this was all I, as well as many other Chinese students studying abroad here, could care for. We were sad and angered. We posted on social media; we went to the streets to protest against the inhumane and unreasonable zero-tolerance policy, as well as the general lack of freedom that the pandemic in China has exacerbated. The resistance and revolutionary fervor spread fast, but as I participated in the protests, I realized nothing was as simple as it seemed.
Even though the protestors have the same general incentives, we are still very much divided by our economic background, social status, as well as gender identity. To my surprise, the act of protest and the sentiment for rebellion share many similarities with sex and romantic passion. They are both intimate, emotionally intense, and susceptible to spur-of-the-moment ideations and are often transient. After the protests, I was left overwhelmed and confused. As a group of people not used to protesting to get what we want, who are accustomed to being “docile”, how do we move forward? How can we truly unite?
But the zero-Covid policy abruptly ended before I could think deeply about these questions. And the protests and the protesters soon seem to lose interest, including me. We seem to be appeased by this one small victory, despite the government not being held accountable for the deaths, despite the deep-rooted lack of freedom that is still present. That is why I want to write this love story. In this story, their love, kindled by revolution sensation, is soon extinguished as they return to “real life.” I want to tell this story to remind myself that people forget. But making this story is my way of remembering and attempting to process and understand the nuance of everything that happened. Just as the baby kicks in the end in Yufei’s belly, something changes from within.
Our visual style combines surrealism and performance art, recreating living in a Chinese apartment. We want to convey a feeling of intimacy within the confines of bare living spaces and textures as the characters’ physical intimacy evolves.
How many of us felt a sheer volume of anxiety and uncertainty when the world forced us to stay within the confines of our four walls? We share a unique memory of where they were when the pandemic broke out. Our lives forever changed when a mandatory COVID lockdown ensued soon after.
For some, unlikely connections and bonds formed, while others felt the weight of isolation took a toll on their mental and emotional state of being. Even after four years, we continue to process these memories and experiences etched forever in our consciousness.
More than anything, Lock speaks to our humanity and what it means to love, survive, and fight for liberation. Our fervor as emerging filmmakers is telling authentic and intriguing stories that would resonate with audiences.
We are currently in the pre-production phase of the film and are seeking production costs help with the filming Lock as we move into filming next month. Our goal is $10,000. Because we are recreating a Chinese apartment, if fully funded, it will support gathering materials in Production Design, Camera Equipment Rentals, meals for both cast and crew, securing locations, and crew compensation.
Pre-Production Timeline: January-April (Script Development, Casting, Securing Locations and Crew)
Production Timeline: Late May
Post-Production Timeline: July-September (Editorial, Sound Design, VFX, and Music Composition)
Once the film is finished, we hope to bring the film to a broader audience at local and international film festivals. We aim to amplify more stories from the perspectives of individuals from the Asian/Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. We truly appreciate any contribution and support in sharing Lock with the world. If you cannot contribute now, please share our story with anyone you know. Thank you!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production Design
Costs $500
Recreating a Chinese-styled apartment in Los Angeles will enhance the story's authenticity and visuals.
Camera Rentals
Costs $500
With your contribution, we can help cover the costs of camera rentals for our Cinematographer and Camera Crew.
Food
Costs $1,000
Any contribution will help us keep our cast and crew nourished and healthy during film production.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director - Yishan (Monica) Wu
Yishan was born and raised in Beijing, China. She got her English name “Monica” when her kindergarten teacher drew it from a raffle box made from a tissue dispenser. She has been using the name ever since. Monica has had an interest in film since she was little. To her, the film world was her escape, her magical tree castle that allowed her a hideout from reality. After pursuing a film studies major at the University of California, Berkeley, she became increasingly amazed by films’ potential as empathy machines. She decided to pursue her passion for storytelling and directing further at the University of Southern California.
Producer - Lenti Liang
Lenti Liang, originally from Guangzhou, China, is a Chinese director and producer based in Los Angeles. She earned her BA in Visual Arts Media at UC San Diego and is pursuing her MFA in Film Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts as a recipient of the Annenberg Fellowship. Lenti has been interning in film development at Celes Luna Holding as a development and acquisition specialist, a firm committed to funding projects that emphasize narratives about women.
Producer - Chirsten Vanderbilt Ellis
Originally from Chicago, Chirsten Vanderbilt Ellis is pursuing an MFA in Film and Television Production at the University of Southern California. She is the recipient of the prestigious George Lucas Family Foundation Scholarship Award. Chirsten has a passion for storytelling and considers every story as an adventure. While at USC, she produced several short films and documentaries. A few of the movies she produced were selected for various film festivals, including the American Documentary and Animation Film Festival, the United Nations Association Film Festival, and the Junior Leo Awards. Mainly, she aims to elevate narratives from underrepresented communities.
Cinematographer-M.L
Female cinematographer. She doesn’t have a fixed cinematography language. Conveying rich and subtle emotions through visual language is the only constant language for her.
Production Design - Yao Wen
Yao Wen is an LA-based Production Designer and Writer Director from China. She earned her Fine Arts and Film Production degrees from Brandeis University and is pursuing her MFA Film Production degree at USC.
Sound Design - Victoria Dong
Victoria focuses on enhancing her craft as a sound designer and re-recording mixer. She feels safe and relaxed when creating in the sonic world. She enjoys keeping clips and tracks highly organized and letting them make their punch at their best potential form. She always tries to tell the director's story well through sound design and mixing. Her work has been selected for various festivals throughout America.
Sound Design - Borna Moinpour
Borna Moinpour is an Iranian-American sound Designer and mixer pursuing his MFA in Film and TV Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He initially studied to become an architect, but after seven years of practicing architecture in Tehran and San Francisco, he decided to pursue his passion for cinema. He focuses mainly on stories about deep human behavior in coincidental encounters.
Editor- April Liu
April is an editor who loves durians, colorful fluffy hats, and big dogs that aren’t too smart. As for editing, she emphasizes performance and firmly believes that the story should take precedence above all else. She is naturally collaborative and proficient in other post-production aspects, such as visual effects (VFX).
Associate Producer-Shufan
Shufan, originally from Chongqing, China, graduated from the Beijing Film Academy and is pursuing an MFA in Film & TV Production at USC. He's passionate about getting to tell stories about everything that goes on in relationships. These stories can be romantic, painful, bittersweet, or meaningful. As long as they are about the emotions that arise between people, they are to be cherished and told.
Associate Producer-Arwen Wang
Passionate about the art of filmmaking, Arwen Wang brings her creative vision to life as an international filmmaker from China. She thrives on embracing new challenges in producing and directing. With a sincere belief in the power of storytelling, she seeks to make meaningful contributions to telling heartfelt and sensitive stories.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The story begins with Yufei, pregnant and heartbroken after being abandoned by her married lover, who was also her financial lifeline. Stranded in an empty apartment building due to China's stringent COVID lockdown, Yufei finds unlikely companionship in Yang, a struggling construction worker secretly squatting in the building.
Despite the challenges posed by the authorities enforcing the lockdown, Yufei remains resolute in her desire to escape, clinging to the hope of reuniting with her lover in America. However, as her escape attempts prove fruitless, she forms a deep bond with Yang, sharing their isolation and mutual struggles and finding a glimmer of hope in their companionship.
Yang offers her the warmth and support she needs. After a small victory against the disease control officers, Yufei and Yang's spark for romance is kindled. After losing all sense of time and space in this empty apartment, they kiss, make love, and daydream.
But the lockdown ends when they adapt to this bizarre living situation. When they leave the building and re-enter the outside world, Yufei receives a phone call from her old lover. She picks up, but will she be drawn back into her old reality?
On November 24th, 2022, a fire broke out in a residential high-rise building in Urumqi, China. The fire killed ten residents in the building, and many suspected it was due to the fence installed around the building entrance that caused the residents to be unable to escape from the building in time. The fence was installed due to China’s strict zero-Covid policy to stop residents from leaving their buildings during quarantine. At that time, this was all I, as well as many other Chinese students studying abroad here, could care for. We were sad and angered. We posted on social media; we went to the streets to protest against the inhumane and unreasonable zero-tolerance policy, as well as the general lack of freedom that the pandemic in China has exacerbated. The resistance and revolutionary fervor spread fast, but as I participated in the protests, I realized nothing was as simple as it seemed.
Even though the protestors have the same general incentives, we are still very much divided by our economic background, social status, as well as gender identity. To my surprise, the act of protest and the sentiment for rebellion share many similarities with sex and romantic passion. They are both intimate, emotionally intense, and susceptible to spur-of-the-moment ideations and are often transient. After the protests, I was left overwhelmed and confused. As a group of people not used to protesting to get what we want, who are accustomed to being “docile”, how do we move forward? How can we truly unite?
But the zero-Covid policy abruptly ended before I could think deeply about these questions. And the protests and the protesters soon seem to lose interest, including me. We seem to be appeased by this one small victory, despite the government not being held accountable for the deaths, despite the deep-rooted lack of freedom that is still present. That is why I want to write this love story. In this story, their love, kindled by revolution sensation, is soon extinguished as they return to “real life.” I want to tell this story to remind myself that people forget. But making this story is my way of remembering and attempting to process and understand the nuance of everything that happened. Just as the baby kicks in the end in Yufei’s belly, something changes from within.
Our visual style combines surrealism and performance art, recreating living in a Chinese apartment. We want to convey a feeling of intimacy within the confines of bare living spaces and textures as the characters’ physical intimacy evolves.
How many of us felt a sheer volume of anxiety and uncertainty when the world forced us to stay within the confines of our four walls? We share a unique memory of where they were when the pandemic broke out. Our lives forever changed when a mandatory COVID lockdown ensued soon after.
For some, unlikely connections and bonds formed, while others felt the weight of isolation took a toll on their mental and emotional state of being. Even after four years, we continue to process these memories and experiences etched forever in our consciousness.
More than anything, Lock speaks to our humanity and what it means to love, survive, and fight for liberation. Our fervor as emerging filmmakers is telling authentic and intriguing stories that would resonate with audiences.
We are currently in the pre-production phase of the film and are seeking production costs help with the filming Lock as we move into filming next month. Our goal is $10,000. Because we are recreating a Chinese apartment, if fully funded, it will support gathering materials in Production Design, Camera Equipment Rentals, meals for both cast and crew, securing locations, and crew compensation.
Pre-Production Timeline: January-April (Script Development, Casting, Securing Locations and Crew)
Production Timeline: Late May
Post-Production Timeline: July-September (Editorial, Sound Design, VFX, and Music Composition)
Once the film is finished, we hope to bring the film to a broader audience at local and international film festivals. We aim to amplify more stories from the perspectives of individuals from the Asian/Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. We truly appreciate any contribution and support in sharing Lock with the world. If you cannot contribute now, please share our story with anyone you know. Thank you!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Production Design
Costs $500
Recreating a Chinese-styled apartment in Los Angeles will enhance the story's authenticity and visuals.
Camera Rentals
Costs $500
With your contribution, we can help cover the costs of camera rentals for our Cinematographer and Camera Crew.
Food
Costs $1,000
Any contribution will help us keep our cast and crew nourished and healthy during film production.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Writer/Director - Yishan (Monica) Wu
Yishan was born and raised in Beijing, China. She got her English name “Monica” when her kindergarten teacher drew it from a raffle box made from a tissue dispenser. She has been using the name ever since. Monica has had an interest in film since she was little. To her, the film world was her escape, her magical tree castle that allowed her a hideout from reality. After pursuing a film studies major at the University of California, Berkeley, she became increasingly amazed by films’ potential as empathy machines. She decided to pursue her passion for storytelling and directing further at the University of Southern California.
Producer - Lenti Liang
Lenti Liang, originally from Guangzhou, China, is a Chinese director and producer based in Los Angeles. She earned her BA in Visual Arts Media at UC San Diego and is pursuing her MFA in Film Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts as a recipient of the Annenberg Fellowship. Lenti has been interning in film development at Celes Luna Holding as a development and acquisition specialist, a firm committed to funding projects that emphasize narratives about women.
Producer - Chirsten Vanderbilt Ellis
Originally from Chicago, Chirsten Vanderbilt Ellis is pursuing an MFA in Film and Television Production at the University of Southern California. She is the recipient of the prestigious George Lucas Family Foundation Scholarship Award. Chirsten has a passion for storytelling and considers every story as an adventure. While at USC, she produced several short films and documentaries. A few of the movies she produced were selected for various film festivals, including the American Documentary and Animation Film Festival, the United Nations Association Film Festival, and the Junior Leo Awards. Mainly, she aims to elevate narratives from underrepresented communities.
Cinematographer-M.L
Female cinematographer. She doesn’t have a fixed cinematography language. Conveying rich and subtle emotions through visual language is the only constant language for her.
Production Design - Yao Wen
Yao Wen is an LA-based Production Designer and Writer Director from China. She earned her Fine Arts and Film Production degrees from Brandeis University and is pursuing her MFA Film Production degree at USC.
Sound Design - Victoria Dong
Victoria focuses on enhancing her craft as a sound designer and re-recording mixer. She feels safe and relaxed when creating in the sonic world. She enjoys keeping clips and tracks highly organized and letting them make their punch at their best potential form. She always tries to tell the director's story well through sound design and mixing. Her work has been selected for various festivals throughout America.
Sound Design - Borna Moinpour
Borna Moinpour is an Iranian-American sound Designer and mixer pursuing his MFA in Film and TV Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He initially studied to become an architect, but after seven years of practicing architecture in Tehran and San Francisco, he decided to pursue his passion for cinema. He focuses mainly on stories about deep human behavior in coincidental encounters.
Editor- April Liu
April is an editor who loves durians, colorful fluffy hats, and big dogs that aren’t too smart. As for editing, she emphasizes performance and firmly believes that the story should take precedence above all else. She is naturally collaborative and proficient in other post-production aspects, such as visual effects (VFX).
Associate Producer-Shufan
Shufan, originally from Chongqing, China, graduated from the Beijing Film Academy and is pursuing an MFA in Film & TV Production at USC. He's passionate about getting to tell stories about everything that goes on in relationships. These stories can be romantic, painful, bittersweet, or meaningful. As long as they are about the emotions that arise between people, they are to be cherished and told.
Associate Producer-Arwen Wang
Passionate about the art of filmmaking, Arwen Wang brings her creative vision to life as an international filmmaker from China. She thrives on embracing new challenges in producing and directing. With a sincere belief in the power of storytelling, she seeks to make meaningful contributions to telling heartfelt and sensitive stories.