MOTHER
New York City, New York | Film Short
Thriller, Drama
Pierre, a quiet, intelligent boy, frequents the home of Helen, a Chinese immigrant mother who takes care of her comatose son at home. Helen bonds with Pierre, knowing him as her son‘s lonely friend. However, dark secrets soon begin to surface, threatening this delicate, genuine connection.
MOTHER
New York City, New York | Film Short
Thriller, Drama
1 Campaigns |
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Pierre, a quiet, intelligent boy, frequents the home of Helen, a Chinese immigrant mother who takes care of her comatose son at home. Helen bonds with Pierre, knowing him as her son‘s lonely friend. However, dark secrets soon begin to surface, threatening this delicate, genuine connection.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"Helen's home", Cornwall, NY - still from location
THE PROJECT
Mother is a Columbia MFA thesis film written and directed by Mengyuan Li, a bicultural filmmaker from Beijing, China, currently based in New York City. It won the Katharina Otto-Bernstein Thesis Mentorship Grant at Columbia, and will release in 2026.
A psychological drama about grief, trauma, and our immutable need for love, Mother tells the story of a teenage boy and a grieving mother - one coming of age and one in regression - seeking what they need in the most dangerous place imaginable.
Inspired by Ratcatcher, Moonlight, and many more timeless films about complex youth, Mother follows Pierre, a precocious boy who imbeds himself in the house of Helen, an upper-class Chinese immigrant living in isolation. Helen's son, Bobby, was found unconscious in a field near school and taken home. Pierre, introducing himself as Bobby's school friend, had become a staple in Helen's beautiful home, doing chores and becoming Helen's friend and confidant. Soon, Pierre's role begins to merge with the unconscious boy he came to visit, and his unutterable secret threatens to surface.
"Where they found him" - Cornwall, NY - still from location
THE THEME
This is film that keeps its poignant, social-realistic elements hidden in the backdrop, leaving room for the characters to live authentically without burden of message. Pierre, a boy whose troubled, single-parent family is inferred, not demonstrated, crosses paths with an immigrant mother, whose identity and status are lived in, not relied upon. We get right to business - the complex, human business of contradictions, desire and secrecy.
"Why Helen?" "What do you mean?" "Why call yourself Helen... when you first came here. You could've called yourself anything." - Cornwall, NY - still from location
WHY NOW?
Writing as the writer/director, as someone who has worked in the industry and now experienced film school, I developed a strong, lifelong desire to tell evergreen stories. The world we live in gives storytellers an urgency to be direct, overly specific, to engage the audience with topical themes folded into digestible characters and relationships - to tell the audience what they already know. I diverge from this approach. I believe the true potential of cinematic storytelling lies in unanswerable questions told through complex, unique characters - characters locked in inexhaustible contradictions, where desire and morality meet, clash and implode, revealing something truthful and new.
This film is a love letter to people who watch their favorite movies over and over again - even if they remember every plot point, every line of dialogue, because those films who raised us taught us something about the world, made us ask interesting questions, and kept us curious in a world that somehow expands and shrinks at the same time. This film is a love letter to the tradition of storytelling, to the campfires and hearths and the dinner tables we long for - things we need more than ever.
"Man reading script" - Cornwall, NY - still from location
THE TEAM
The team behind Mother is a group of passionate filmmakers hailing from Columbia, NYU, AFI, from across the world and distinct cultures. We are united by a shared love of story, by curiosity for the world and by the complex individuals inhabiting it. Our two lead actors, having headlined titles from A2Apple TV and many more, are ready to bring their complex, fascinating characters to life.
The Dream Team - Cornwall, NY - still from location
OUR GOAL
- Keeping the bar high - hiring talented artists for post-production, including sound, color, score, and ADR. We poured our hearts out on set, capture truly special moments - now's our job to finish it the way it's meant to.
- Reimbursing our crew - many of the talented people on our set gave up higher-paid opportunities to be with us pour their talents into this film's singular vision, working on delayed pay. We wish to do right by their trust.
- Storytelling first - this film is a genuine, earnest expression of our love of story. We want to make more movies that raised us - unforgettable ideas, complex characters. We want to send Mother out into the world, to festivals and competitions. We hope this film opens the way for more like it in the years to come.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Reimbursement for cast & crew
Costs $3,500
Artists on this film chose passion over lucrative gigs - working on delayed pay. This helps house and feed them to fight another day.
Post-production sound & color
Costs $4,000
Shot on ARRI anamorphic with incredible ambient sound, the film calls for talented colorists and sound designers to reach its true potential
Musical Score
Costs $2,000
To bring out the psychological thriller in this story, we'll work with an original composer and record live score for the film - re: trailer
Festival outreach
Costs $1,500
Festival applications, digital packages... It costs to get the movie seen. We believe we've made something truly special - help us share it!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Mengyuan Li
Mengyuan is a writer/director born and raised in Beijing, China. He holds a B.A in political science from Yale University, where he received a full scholarship and completed the Directed Studies humanities program. Mengyuan worked as a director's assistant for Chinese filmmaker Jiang Wen on his 2014 feature Gone With the Bullets. He sold the option of his first feature screenplay to Sony Pictures Asia, and since worked as a creative executive for veteran filmmaker Dede Nickerson. When in Beijing, he created two web series for Tencent, staffed on an iQiYi original series, and script-consulted for filmmakers Zhang Yimo and Chen Kaige. At Columbia, he worked as a teaching assistant for Andrew Bienen and James Schamus. He won the Katharina Otto-Bernstein Thesis Grant, the highest award given to thesis short films.
Summer Li
Holds a master’s degree from NYU School of Engineering and an MFA in Creative Producing at Columbia University. Summer has experience working in the Stock Research Market in Shanghai, well aware of the value of investment and potential. Her diverse professional experience has enabled her to bring a global perspective to her work. She produced the shorts and thesis film works has been officially selected by Student Academy Finalist, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Hollywood Shortfest, First International Film Festival, Emerging Filmmakers Grant, and Katharina Otto-Bernstein Research and Development Prize.
Tonghuan Zhao
Tonghuan Zhao is a Chinese writer-director and cinematographer based in New York City. He studied documentary photography during his undergraduate years and moved to New York in 2021 to pursue an MFA in Film at Columbia University. Tonghuan’s works explore the delicate, often unspoken bonds between people—the quiet beauty and fragility of human connection. His most recent work, Last Day in the North (2025), was supported by the Indian Paintbrush Production Grant. As a cinematographer, he shot the feature Eight to Nine O’Clock (2024), which screened in the Industry section of the FIRST International Film Festival.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"Helen's home", Cornwall, NY - still from location
THE PROJECT
Mother is a Columbia MFA thesis film written and directed by Mengyuan Li, a bicultural filmmaker from Beijing, China, currently based in New York City. It won the Katharina Otto-Bernstein Thesis Mentorship Grant at Columbia, and will release in 2026.
A psychological drama about grief, trauma, and our immutable need for love, Mother tells the story of a teenage boy and a grieving mother - one coming of age and one in regression - seeking what they need in the most dangerous place imaginable.
Inspired by Ratcatcher, Moonlight, and many more timeless films about complex youth, Mother follows Pierre, a precocious boy who imbeds himself in the house of Helen, an upper-class Chinese immigrant living in isolation. Helen's son, Bobby, was found unconscious in a field near school and taken home. Pierre, introducing himself as Bobby's school friend, had become a staple in Helen's beautiful home, doing chores and becoming Helen's friend and confidant. Soon, Pierre's role begins to merge with the unconscious boy he came to visit, and his unutterable secret threatens to surface.
"Where they found him" - Cornwall, NY - still from location
THE THEME
This is film that keeps its poignant, social-realistic elements hidden in the backdrop, leaving room for the characters to live authentically without burden of message. Pierre, a boy whose troubled, single-parent family is inferred, not demonstrated, crosses paths with an immigrant mother, whose identity and status are lived in, not relied upon. We get right to business - the complex, human business of contradictions, desire and secrecy.
"Why Helen?" "What do you mean?" "Why call yourself Helen... when you first came here. You could've called yourself anything." - Cornwall, NY - still from location
WHY NOW?
Writing as the writer/director, as someone who has worked in the industry and now experienced film school, I developed a strong, lifelong desire to tell evergreen stories. The world we live in gives storytellers an urgency to be direct, overly specific, to engage the audience with topical themes folded into digestible characters and relationships - to tell the audience what they already know. I diverge from this approach. I believe the true potential of cinematic storytelling lies in unanswerable questions told through complex, unique characters - characters locked in inexhaustible contradictions, where desire and morality meet, clash and implode, revealing something truthful and new.
This film is a love letter to people who watch their favorite movies over and over again - even if they remember every plot point, every line of dialogue, because those films who raised us taught us something about the world, made us ask interesting questions, and kept us curious in a world that somehow expands and shrinks at the same time. This film is a love letter to the tradition of storytelling, to the campfires and hearths and the dinner tables we long for - things we need more than ever.
"Man reading script" - Cornwall, NY - still from location
THE TEAM
The team behind Mother is a group of passionate filmmakers hailing from Columbia, NYU, AFI, from across the world and distinct cultures. We are united by a shared love of story, by curiosity for the world and by the complex individuals inhabiting it. Our two lead actors, having headlined titles from A2Apple TV and many more, are ready to bring their complex, fascinating characters to life.
The Dream Team - Cornwall, NY - still from location
OUR GOAL
- Keeping the bar high - hiring talented artists for post-production, including sound, color, score, and ADR. We poured our hearts out on set, capture truly special moments - now's our job to finish it the way it's meant to.
- Reimbursing our crew - many of the talented people on our set gave up higher-paid opportunities to be with us pour their talents into this film's singular vision, working on delayed pay. We wish to do right by their trust.
- Storytelling first - this film is a genuine, earnest expression of our love of story. We want to make more movies that raised us - unforgettable ideas, complex characters. We want to send Mother out into the world, to festivals and competitions. We hope this film opens the way for more like it in the years to come.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Reimbursement for cast & crew
Costs $3,500
Artists on this film chose passion over lucrative gigs - working on delayed pay. This helps house and feed them to fight another day.
Post-production sound & color
Costs $4,000
Shot on ARRI anamorphic with incredible ambient sound, the film calls for talented colorists and sound designers to reach its true potential
Musical Score
Costs $2,000
To bring out the psychological thriller in this story, we'll work with an original composer and record live score for the film - re: trailer
Festival outreach
Costs $1,500
Festival applications, digital packages... It costs to get the movie seen. We believe we've made something truly special - help us share it!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Mengyuan Li
Mengyuan is a writer/director born and raised in Beijing, China. He holds a B.A in political science from Yale University, where he received a full scholarship and completed the Directed Studies humanities program. Mengyuan worked as a director's assistant for Chinese filmmaker Jiang Wen on his 2014 feature Gone With the Bullets. He sold the option of his first feature screenplay to Sony Pictures Asia, and since worked as a creative executive for veteran filmmaker Dede Nickerson. When in Beijing, he created two web series for Tencent, staffed on an iQiYi original series, and script-consulted for filmmakers Zhang Yimo and Chen Kaige. At Columbia, he worked as a teaching assistant for Andrew Bienen and James Schamus. He won the Katharina Otto-Bernstein Thesis Grant, the highest award given to thesis short films.
Summer Li
Holds a master’s degree from NYU School of Engineering and an MFA in Creative Producing at Columbia University. Summer has experience working in the Stock Research Market in Shanghai, well aware of the value of investment and potential. Her diverse professional experience has enabled her to bring a global perspective to her work. She produced the shorts and thesis film works has been officially selected by Student Academy Finalist, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Hollywood Shortfest, First International Film Festival, Emerging Filmmakers Grant, and Katharina Otto-Bernstein Research and Development Prize.
Tonghuan Zhao
Tonghuan Zhao is a Chinese writer-director and cinematographer based in New York City. He studied documentary photography during his undergraduate years and moved to New York in 2021 to pursue an MFA in Film at Columbia University. Tonghuan’s works explore the delicate, often unspoken bonds between people—the quiet beauty and fragility of human connection. His most recent work, Last Day in the North (2025), was supported by the Indian Paintbrush Production Grant. As a cinematographer, he shot the feature Eight to Nine O’Clock (2024), which screened in the Industry section of the FIRST International Film Festival.