This is a story about ghosts. Not a ghost story.

Set entirely in an isolated cabin in the rural Japanese countryside, Monkey Drum tells the story of Minato, a reclusive elderly man who begins taking care of a starving father and his son. When a fierce storm strands the three overnight, tensions rise as family secrets threaten to rot the cabin from the inside out. A cold, nightmarish, and eerily atmospheric horror film, Monkey Drum oscillates between moments of quiet reflection and visceral brutality - unflinchingly exploring themes of self-neglect, familial dysfunction, and grief.

Minato’s story of self-neglect and parental neglect is almost completely built on intrusions–both his internal intrusions and Isseki’s physical intrusion upon Minato’s home. As opposed to our individualist culture in the West (where I was born and raised), collectivism is a major cornerstone of Japanese culture, as well as many other East Asian cultures. It’s a pillar of Japanese culture and tradition that actually informs the way many Japanese people interact with friends, neighbors, and most importantly, strangers.

“お邪魔します”

Literally translating to “I am disturbing”, “お邪魔します" is widely used in the Japanese language to politely apologize before entering someone’s home. In Japanese culture, the mere act of entering someone else’s residence signifies a level of intrusion and disturbance that has to be made up through acts of extensive respect and apology. In fact, the kanji for “Jama” (邪魔 - “disturbance”) can be traced back to the roots of Buddhism – a word used to refer to demons that prevent people from acting morally in the eyes of Buddhist culture.

Demon with a Buddhist prayer (Oni no nenbutsu)

1864 - Kawanabe Kyōsai

To intrude upon a home is to invoke a demon within yourself. For Minato, the demon intruding upon his home (and the demon of this horror film) comes in the form of a single father and his young son. In a culture where respecting your fellow neighbor is considered deathly important, Monkey Drum is a film that pits a broken man in the twilight of his life against an intrusive family. This is a story about three people who you'll find are tethered together by something more sinister than blood...

MINATO (75): 港 “Harbour”. Pale, frail, and broken. Minato is a reclusive hermit who lives in the isolated Japanese countryside. A man who understands he’s on his final chapter of life and yearns to forget and be forgotten.

Tadashi Mitsui as "Minato"

(PREVISUALIZATION SCENE)

ISSEKI (35): 一関 “One connection”. Stern yet caring. Isseki is a single father who is the driven protector of his young son Jun. Shares several ticks and quirks with Minato. If Jun breathes, he breathes.

Masaya Okubo as "Isseki"

(PREVISUALIZATION SCENE)

JUN (7): 純 “Pure”. Isseki’s adorable, squishy-faced son, Jun is the walking definition of the phrase “childhood innocence”. Mostly nonverbal but oddly observant of the world around him.  His monkey drum/でんでん太鼓 is a toy he’d protect with his life.

As a filmmaker born and raised through the lens of three very distinct Asian cultures, I’m constantly asking myself who I’m representing through my filmmaking. In this age, being a multicultural artist comes with the unspoken pressure to “choose” a culture and this film exists to challenge that notion. Monkey Drum is a story that empathetically lives and breathes within Japanese culture but isn’t exclusive to the experience of being Japanese. As an Asian artist, I believe in the importance of Asians existing within art just for the sake of existing.

Existence is resistance. Especially today.

Monkey Drum is a reflection of so many things within my identity as a filmmaker. Sometimes, I think of it as a horror film reflecting my journey with grief. Other days, it’s an otherworldly warning about the destructive cycle of self-neglect. If there’s anything I want to impart on anyone who is interested in helping this story, it’s that I see this film as an open letter to my older self, not a tragedy. It’s an optimistic call towards a version of myself decades in the future who I hope can welcome me with open arms should I come knocking on his door one day.

Sure, the world of Monkey Drum is cold and unforgiving but there is something incredibly human about Minato's journey. There is a breathing warmth that lives underneath the dreary surface of this script and I believe it's absolutely crucial to film's execution that we find it.

This film represents the culmination of my studies at NYU Tisch and I'm endlessly grateful for the outpour of support this project has received over the past few months. Monkey Drum has been living in my head for so long and every contribution makes all the difference in creating the living, breathing story I know this film can be.

To anyone who has taken the time to read this. To anyone and everyone who believes in this quiet nightmare about a lonely old man named Minato, the strange family he takes in, and their sinister cyclical legacy, thank you.

And now, the part you've been scrolling for... the budget! It's absolutely essential that Monkey Drum accurately reflects the director's visceral and lived-in vision and we need your help to make it a reality. We're looking to raise at least $8K to help cover a significant portion of the budget.

The following chart represents the allocation of funds the Monkey Drum team deems critical to smoothly execute this ambitious production.

With your generous support, our funds will go towards essential production expenses including equipment rentals, crew lodging, food, location costs, and production design. Crew comfort and most importantly, safety is paramount to the honest realization of this film. Trust us, every single step we can possibly take towards cultivating a warm and welcoming set will show on screen.

Monkey Drum is currently in pre-production and is scheduled to enter production in April 2025 aiming for a 2026 festival run. The production team is endlessly grateful for all of your support and is excited to bring Monkey Drum to life!

1) FOLLOW US!

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2) SPREAD THE WORD!

Let's face it, we need people (a lot of people) to know us to support us. Share our social media or even just mention us to your friends and family. Every person we reach is a step closer to making Monkey Drum a reality!

3) SUPPORT ALL EMERGING AAPI VOICES IN FILM!

Yes, not just us. Monkey Drum is just one of many exciting short films emerging from the AAPI community. The independent film world is an incredibly difficult road to navigate and these stories are made possible through the generosity of supporters like you.