Seeking Wh(y)
Kingston, Canada | Film Feature
Documentary, Family
I'm returning to China to find the father who abandoned me when I was 3. My search uncovers buried family secrets and explores how childhood loss shapes one's identity, mental health, and what we pass on. Now I'm a mother to three sons, and I’m determined to break that cycle for future generations.
Seeking Wh(y)
Kingston, Canada | Film Feature
Documentary, Family
1 Campaigns | Ontario, Canada
134 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
C$17,558
Goal: C$18,000 for production
I'm returning to China to find the father who abandoned me when I was 3. My search uncovers buried family secrets and explores how childhood loss shapes one's identity, mental health, and what we pass on. Now I'm a mother to three sons, and I’m determined to break that cycle for future generations.
Participating In
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Why did my father leave?
When I was three, my father left our family in China. Some say it was because of the one-child policy but only my mom truly knows. She left shortly after to make a better life for us in America, and I didn't see her for 6 long years. By then, she had a new family and a newborn son. I've spent my whole life feeling like the child not chosen.
What does familial abandonment and trauma do to a young child? I'm confronting my mother after many decades of silence, and going to China to find my father. This documentary is about the process.
The “Y” in Seeking Wh(y) represents the Y chromosome, the symbol of sons, and the question that has shaped my life: Why?
Chinese by birth, American by upbringing, and Canadian by naturalization. Stuck between those worlds. It's a feeling that the Asian diaspora everywhere can understand.
Stories were a world I could escape to. I immersed myself in films at a young age. I've spent the last two decades working on shows and productions, but never felt brave enough to share this story...until now.
Kaycee, age 13.
On set
I just had my last baby, and now, as a mother of three little boys, the space left by my father feels more painful than ever before. I can't help but wonder...
How do you raise your children when you don't even know half your story?
I've put in the work over the years to build lasting friendships, find my community, and be in a family where I am loved for exactly who I am. I want to be an advocate for speaking up about mental health, something that is still taboo and stigmatized, especially in the Asian community, because therapy and inner work was my saving grace. This journey is the last piece of the puzzle to healing.
If you've read this far, I thank you deeply. And if this story resonates with the part of you that's seeking your own identity, a place to belong, know that I'm making this film for you. Yes... you.
This January I was laid off right after returning from maternity leave. It gave me the kick in the a** I needed to finally share my story and jump into this film fully. This is the year of the Fire Horse, and as I shed my snake skin (Year of the 🐍 folks, where you at?!), I know it's time to find my father, speak truthfully with my mother, and find the answers I've searched for my whole life.
The funds from this campaign support Seeking Wh(y)'s first production phase.
I’ll be able to film the story with a small crew in Canada and China. The funds raised will allow us to travel, pay local crew, hire local fixers and researchers who can help find my father, and rent the equipment needed.
I’ve applied to several arts and public grants, but documentary funding is highly competitive and often takes years to secure. Crowdfunding allows us to start filming now, capturing moments that can’t wait, and build momentum for the film.
Stretch Goals
(For context, most theatrical documentary features cost $200,000+)
1) PLEDGE - Our goal is $18,000 to film production phase one. Travel to China, payment for crew, and local research help in China is expensive, not to mention editing and translation for the film.
We can only do this with your help!
2) SHARE this page with your friends, family, and network. Here's a blurb you can use:
Hey everyone! I'm sharing a documentary about an independent filmmaker named Kaycee Leigh who's trying to find her biological father in China after 30 years apart. It's a poignant story about family trauma, identity, and breaking cycles for the next generation. Please watch the trailer. If you can contribute, please do. Every dollar helps bring this film to life. She needs to raise $18,000 in 30 days. Let's support a female BIPOC filmmaker and a hardworking mother of three.
https://seedandspark.com/fund/seekingwhy
I recently won the Kingston Canadian Film Festival's Script to Screen Pitch Competition with this film, and the project is gaining traction 🔥 and I have been accepted into the Moving Pictures Institute's Documentary Filmmakers workshop.
I'm ready to make this film with a small team that believes in its importance. With your support, both through contributions and by following and sharing the campaign, we are bringing this film to life.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Kaycee Leigh
Director, Seeking Wh(y)
AI Disclosure: Some of the incentive images were AI-generated. The illustrated courtroom scene at the beginning of the video was AI-generated. I will work with a paid artist to create this scene for the film.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera and audio rentals
Costs C$4,300
A portable cinema camera and pro audio kit help us capture intimate vérité moments across three locations with a small, flexible crew.
Flights
Costs C$3,500
Only the Director and DP are flying, our crew is local. Travel is still expensive, and your support helps get us where the story unfolds.
Crew Payment
Costs C$4,000
Our crew is contributing their time and expertise out of belief in this story. Your support helps us offer a modest payment for their work.
Post Production
Costs C$4,200
Help us transform raw footage into a powerful story through editing, sound design, and color grading that will bring this film to life.
China-based researcher/fixer
Costs C$2,000
Finding answers requires local knowledge. Your support helps us hire local researchers, translators, and fixers who specialize in this work.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Hey 👋 Kaycee Leigh, a filmmaker and producer based in Canada. My work centres on intimate and authentic storytelling that often challenges the ways Asian characters and narratives have traditionally been portrayed in popular media. I've worked in the film and TV industry for two decades.
Some of my accolades are:
Kingston Canadian Film Festival Script to Screen competition - Winner
Kingston Canadian Film Festival Doc Factory - Selected participant
Bell Media Banff World Media Festival - National fellow
Canadian Media Producer's Association - Producer mentee
Hot Docs Producer's Accelerator - Selected participant
I've worked on:
- The Juno Awards (CTV)
- But I'm Chris Jericho (Bell Media web series)
- Never Ever Do This At Home (Discover Channel)
- Hard Rock Medical S. 2 (TVO)
- The London Olympic Games (CTV)
- Entertainment Tonight Canada (Global TV)
I've directed and produced commercial and storytelling projects like these:
My debut short documentary, To Labour, with Love, premiered at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival and was nominated for Best First-Time Director at the Toronto International Women's Film Festival.
Seeking Wh(y), we’re working with a team committed to telling this story with honesty, care, and a strong cinematic vision.
Dorlene Lin, Producer Mentor
Dorlene is an award-winning producer with over 25 years of experience in drama, news, documentary, and factual production. Her work has been featured on Food Network Canada, SLICE, CBC, TVO, and more.
Courtney McCune, Editor/Story Consultant
Courtney is a writer and editor with experience leading content and storytelling initiatives across tech, media, and higher education.
Helena Debnam, Marketing Advisor
Helena is an award-winning strategist with over 25 years of experience leading communications, audience engagement, and storytelling initiatives across Canada.
Colin Morley, Researcher
Colin is a journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University and a historian whose academic work has focused on archival research, historical, and genealogical storytelling.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Why did my father leave?
When I was three, my father left our family in China. Some say it was because of the one-child policy but only my mom truly knows. She left shortly after to make a better life for us in America, and I didn't see her for 6 long years. By then, she had a new family and a newborn son. I've spent my whole life feeling like the child not chosen.
What does familial abandonment and trauma do to a young child? I'm confronting my mother after many decades of silence, and going to China to find my father. This documentary is about the process.
The “Y” in Seeking Wh(y) represents the Y chromosome, the symbol of sons, and the question that has shaped my life: Why?
Chinese by birth, American by upbringing, and Canadian by naturalization. Stuck between those worlds. It's a feeling that the Asian diaspora everywhere can understand.
Stories were a world I could escape to. I immersed myself in films at a young age. I've spent the last two decades working on shows and productions, but never felt brave enough to share this story...until now.
Kaycee, age 13.
On set
I just had my last baby, and now, as a mother of three little boys, the space left by my father feels more painful than ever before. I can't help but wonder...
How do you raise your children when you don't even know half your story?
I've put in the work over the years to build lasting friendships, find my community, and be in a family where I am loved for exactly who I am. I want to be an advocate for speaking up about mental health, something that is still taboo and stigmatized, especially in the Asian community, because therapy and inner work was my saving grace. This journey is the last piece of the puzzle to healing.
If you've read this far, I thank you deeply. And if this story resonates with the part of you that's seeking your own identity, a place to belong, know that I'm making this film for you. Yes... you.
This January I was laid off right after returning from maternity leave. It gave me the kick in the a** I needed to finally share my story and jump into this film fully. This is the year of the Fire Horse, and as I shed my snake skin (Year of the 🐍 folks, where you at?!), I know it's time to find my father, speak truthfully with my mother, and find the answers I've searched for my whole life.
The funds from this campaign support Seeking Wh(y)'s first production phase.
I’ll be able to film the story with a small crew in Canada and China. The funds raised will allow us to travel, pay local crew, hire local fixers and researchers who can help find my father, and rent the equipment needed.
I’ve applied to several arts and public grants, but documentary funding is highly competitive and often takes years to secure. Crowdfunding allows us to start filming now, capturing moments that can’t wait, and build momentum for the film.
Stretch Goals
(For context, most theatrical documentary features cost $200,000+)
1) PLEDGE - Our goal is $18,000 to film production phase one. Travel to China, payment for crew, and local research help in China is expensive, not to mention editing and translation for the film.
We can only do this with your help!
2) SHARE this page with your friends, family, and network. Here's a blurb you can use:
Hey everyone! I'm sharing a documentary about an independent filmmaker named Kaycee Leigh who's trying to find her biological father in China after 30 years apart. It's a poignant story about family trauma, identity, and breaking cycles for the next generation. Please watch the trailer. If you can contribute, please do. Every dollar helps bring this film to life. She needs to raise $18,000 in 30 days. Let's support a female BIPOC filmmaker and a hardworking mother of three.
https://seedandspark.com/fund/seekingwhy
I recently won the Kingston Canadian Film Festival's Script to Screen Pitch Competition with this film, and the project is gaining traction 🔥 and I have been accepted into the Moving Pictures Institute's Documentary Filmmakers workshop.
I'm ready to make this film with a small team that believes in its importance. With your support, both through contributions and by following and sharing the campaign, we are bringing this film to life.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Kaycee Leigh
Director, Seeking Wh(y)
AI Disclosure: Some of the incentive images were AI-generated. The illustrated courtroom scene at the beginning of the video was AI-generated. I will work with a paid artist to create this scene for the film.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera and audio rentals
Costs C$4,300
A portable cinema camera and pro audio kit help us capture intimate vérité moments across three locations with a small, flexible crew.
Flights
Costs C$3,500
Only the Director and DP are flying, our crew is local. Travel is still expensive, and your support helps get us where the story unfolds.
Crew Payment
Costs C$4,000
Our crew is contributing their time and expertise out of belief in this story. Your support helps us offer a modest payment for their work.
Post Production
Costs C$4,200
Help us transform raw footage into a powerful story through editing, sound design, and color grading that will bring this film to life.
China-based researcher/fixer
Costs C$2,000
Finding answers requires local knowledge. Your support helps us hire local researchers, translators, and fixers who specialize in this work.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Hey 👋 Kaycee Leigh, a filmmaker and producer based in Canada. My work centres on intimate and authentic storytelling that often challenges the ways Asian characters and narratives have traditionally been portrayed in popular media. I've worked in the film and TV industry for two decades.
Some of my accolades are:
Kingston Canadian Film Festival Script to Screen competition - Winner
Kingston Canadian Film Festival Doc Factory - Selected participant
Bell Media Banff World Media Festival - National fellow
Canadian Media Producer's Association - Producer mentee
Hot Docs Producer's Accelerator - Selected participant
I've worked on:
- The Juno Awards (CTV)
- But I'm Chris Jericho (Bell Media web series)
- Never Ever Do This At Home (Discover Channel)
- Hard Rock Medical S. 2 (TVO)
- The London Olympic Games (CTV)
- Entertainment Tonight Canada (Global TV)
I've directed and produced commercial and storytelling projects like these:
My debut short documentary, To Labour, with Love, premiered at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival and was nominated for Best First-Time Director at the Toronto International Women's Film Festival.
Seeking Wh(y), we’re working with a team committed to telling this story with honesty, care, and a strong cinematic vision.
Dorlene Lin, Producer Mentor
Dorlene is an award-winning producer with over 25 years of experience in drama, news, documentary, and factual production. Her work has been featured on Food Network Canada, SLICE, CBC, TVO, and more.
Courtney McCune, Editor/Story Consultant
Courtney is a writer and editor with experience leading content and storytelling initiatives across tech, media, and higher education.
Helena Debnam, Marketing Advisor
Helena is an award-winning strategist with over 25 years of experience leading communications, audience engagement, and storytelling initiatives across Canada.
Colin Morley, Researcher
Colin is a journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University and a historian whose academic work has focused on archival research, historical, and genealogical storytelling.