Seppuku in the Park
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Thriller
Blending dark comedy and psychological suspense, Seppuku in the Park depicts the obsession of chasing a dream that feels just out of reach. This surreal voyage follows an unraveling insurance commercial actor, who is desperate to shed his familiar character and pivot his career toward film roles.
Seppuku in the Park
New York City, New York | Film Short
Comedy, Thriller
1 Campaigns | New York, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $20,510 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
119 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Blending dark comedy and psychological suspense, Seppuku in the Park depicts the obsession of chasing a dream that feels just out of reach. This surreal voyage follows an unraveling insurance commercial actor, who is desperate to shed his familiar character and pivot his career toward film roles.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
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Andrew Lee is a New York actor who dreams of reaching acclaimed artistic heights. However, for the last seven years he’s been pigeonholed as “Samurai Shinji” – the tacky brand mascot from a series of insurance commercials. While these commercials have started to air less frequently, Andrew’s desire to break free from this Asian caricature and pivot toward the big screen has morphed into an unhealthy obsession. This infatuation has only expanded the rift between him and his girlfriend, Elle, whose sympathy for Andrew’s exhausting fixation has wavered.
Nevertheless, after his agent books him an audition for a highly anticipated film, Andrew believes his career is finally course correcting. Therefore, when he discovers that his familiar character prevented him from ever having a real shot at the role – or, for that matter, any role – he spirals. Amidst this unraveling, Andrew confronts his psyche and contemplates surrendering his ambitions once and for all…while undergoing a shroom-induced ego death.
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We are thrilled to share that Brian Park will be playing lead role of "Andrew Lee"
Mood board for Andrew’s Crown Heights apartment
I’ve always been most inspired by stories outside the margins – experimental premises and unconventional characters that evoke a shared human experience through their specificity. Seppuku in the Park embodies this approach, while cultivating my mission to amplify Asian American narratives beyond dramatic identity-centered struggles. It’s a film populated with AAPI characters whose ethnicities naturally inform their lives, but whose desires and conflicts also reside outside of these bounds…a film I craved during my formative years that didn’t exist.
Mood board of photos and trinkets from Nikko’s formative years
For the past year, I’ve been drawn to this journey of a fictional commercial actor, entangled by his own ambition and blocked off from his ultimate dream in life. At its core, it’s a story about having a passion that informs your entire existence and the obsession that can consume you while attempting to turn this dream into reality.
Seppuku in the Park is inspired by my own anxieties. Especially, the restlessness of working in an industry where it sometimes feels like there’s a quota on the amount and types of AAPI stories that actually get made. Self-doubt and imposter syndrome also arise, leading me to question if I even possess the authority to expand the scope of Asian American characters when I’m “only” half Japanese. Acting is an art form fully intertwined with appearance, so Andrew’s aspirations channel this inner strife and exemplify how Asian American artists inherently have less of a road map to guide them. I’m not only making this film for myself, but for every Asian American kid that grew up without a definitive path to follow. Thankfully, I’m surrounded by the most incredible team, and with your generous support we will be able to turn these anxious inclinations into a twisted, funny, and ethereal film.
Combining the dark comedy of Beef and The Curse with the psychological tension of Under the Skin, Seppuku in the Park presents a heightened portrayal of the internalized pressure that comes with pursuing your passion. Through this genre-blending lens, our film reveals how this stress accumulates in the strained relationships, cramped apartments, coveted job interviews, and psychedelic excursions that fill this journey – as well as the everyday chaos of New York City.
I love films like Birdman and Being John Malkovich that apply a similar fusion of styles, but we have yet to see a neurotic, dwindling artist on screen who also happens to be Asian American. An artist who strives to avoid being tied down by their racial identity, but is simultaneously bound by it. Ultimately, by magnifying my own anxieties with morbid humor and surreal suspense, I hope to satirically personify the reality of working in any creative industry as a person of color.
Tonal references for how the film will look and feel
During undergrad at UCLA, I began interning in the film and television industry, and I immediately fell in love with the process of bringing stories to life. After graduating, I moved to New York and gained incredible insight into development and production through working at United Talent Agency, A24, and Annapurna Pictures. Most recently, I have been expanding my storytelling skills in the writers’ room for Crutch (CBS), Overcompensating (A24), and When in Rio (Amazon MGM Studios) as Writers’ Assistant. These nurturing experiences have taught me so much about filmmaking, and they inspired me to take this leap and bring one of my own stories to life, with a team of friends who I trust and admire.
Nikko and Annie on the set of AWIT NATIN
Last year, I produced the short film Awit Natin, alongside our producer, Annie Cui. Working on this film, and a handful of other independent productions in New York, revealed so many valuable lessons that have already shaped the development of Seppuku in the Park. Our team of producers – Tiffany Hue, Annie Cui, and Alex Treisman – have also worked on a combined dozens of projects, and their experience has been crucial for elevating Seppuku in the Park to the highest caliber. Films that Tiffany has produced, like As With Dogs and El Carrito, have been programmed and awarded at SXSW, NYLFF, AFI Fest, Palm Springs Shorts Fest, Indy Shorts, and Seattle International Film Festival. There is truly nobody I would rather have in my corner than this immensely talented team.
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Seed & Spark requires us to raise at least 80% of our goal for this project to be funded. If we don’t hit this goal within 45 days, then we won’t receive any funds.
Your support will enable us to fully realize our vision and help us take care of the cast and crew bringing this story to life. While we are confident in our independent, run-and-gun skillset, it’s also important that we prioritize fair compensation, ethical work hours, and a safe and uplifting environment for the team that will be joining us on this adventure. Your pledge toward our $25,000 goal will help cover:
- Hiring an experienced local crew
- Hiring a local cast for production and rehearsals
- Securing locations in New York City
- Equipment rentals
- Post-production and festival distribution
- Craft Services
- Legal fees
While reaching our goal of $25,000 will allow us to start production, the following stretch goals would facilitate even more resources and push this film to its best possible version:
- $27,000 – We will be able to expand our casting resources for supporting roles, and be able to invest in a space for rehearsals.
- $30,000 – We will be able to work more closely with a choreographer and stunt coordinator in order to perfect the dance sequence and fight scene that serve as the climax for our film.
Development (May 2024 – August 2024): This concept sparked from memories of the commercial mascots I grew up watching, who all seemed to fade out of the spotlight over the years. After writing the first draft of the script, I reached out to my friends to start sculpting this story into a full production. We then fleshed out the immersive tone through multiple rewrites, mood boards, and even early demos of the score.
Pre-production (September 2024 – April 2025): From the start, we knew we needed a skilled comedic voice to help lead this project. We immediately gravitated toward Brian Park, and we are so lucky he saw the same potential in this story that we do. Collaborating with our Director of Photography, Cece Chan, has also been an absolute dream. We are so stoked to be assembling such talented cast and crew members from the New York area. Our team is also in talks with local businesses to find ways to support our community in New York, whether it be through shooting locations, catering, or promotional events. We care about uprooting this film in community, so we aim to collaborate with AAPI creatives and organizations as an AAPI led team.
Production (April 2025): We are set to begin principal photography in April 2025 in New York.
Post-production + Distribution (April 2025 – October 2025): And then, comes the exciting part! Our team will be sitting down with our post-production crew to edit, color, sound mix, and lock our final picture. We will also be constructing the eerie, hypnotic score with our composer Jack Barrera, which will help conjure the unsettling tension throughout the film.
From there, we will focus our festival run on sourcing distribution, so we can share Seppuku in the Park with the world. By targeting high-profile festivals like Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and Toronto Film Festival, we are hoping to ignite conversations that can facilitate international distribution. We will also be submitting to New York and AAPI centered festivals so that we can share the film with our communities that made this project possible. And of course, Seppuku in the Park will eventually have an online release, so that all of our supporters can watch the culmination of this shared journey.
With any production, there are obstacles that need to be overcome. For Seppuku in the Park, a majority of these challenges include the financial overhead of: securing locations that extract the disarray of living in New York, renting equipment to effectively capture the underlying anxieties of our characters, and taking care of our dedicated cast and crew. During development and pre-production, we have minimized these risks by building a thorough budget breakdown and timeline for our film and also preparing contingency plans.
While our team possesses extensive filmmaking experience, we also share a deep trust in one another through years of friendship. Tiffany, Annie, Alex, and I all went to college together at UCLA, and I became friends with each of them through a common love for film. Our composer, Jack Barrera, and I have been best friends since we were freshman roommates, and his early work on the unnerving score has already proven that we are constantly in-tune creatively. This will be my first time collaborating with Brian and Cece, but I can already tell that we share the same sensibilities, and I’m excited for their talents to boost this film to new heights. Beyond this trust and wide breadth of experience, this is an extremely ambitious and intuitive team, so I am confident that we will be able to tackle any obstacle we face.
The most difficult hurdle to clear will be hitting our fundraising goal to ensure that we have the resources needed to bring this story to life with the proper care. Although not reaching our goal would be a difficult setback, I am determined to bring this story to the screen, even if that means having to do strategic rewrites in order to adapt. With all of our efforts put together, I truly believe nothing is impossible for our team. In order to demonstrate our commitment, we will be sharing updates through every stage of production with our patrons and followers.
We are so lucky to have a compassionate network helping us create this film, but in order to hit our goal, we will need to reach people outside of our immediate circle. Please help us spread the word by sharing our campaign on social media, sending it to friends and family, casually bringing it up to your cinephile situationship, renting a skywriting plane, anything that helps our film come across new faces!
Please feel free to copy and paste the following message when sharing:
“Help @nikkowisner and a team of Asian American filmmakers make their surreal, dark comedy film, Seppuku in the Park, shooting in New York this spring. Support their journey on @seedandspark: seedandspark.com/fund/seppuku-in-the-park”
Even if you are not able to support us monetarily, there are other ways to help us reach our goal! Please give us a follow us on Seed & Spark! Once we have 500 followers, we unlock access to festival waivers and other resources offered by the Seed & Spark team.
You can also follow us on Instagram @seppukuinthepark to get updates, behind-the-scenes content, insight from our cast and crew, and sneak peeks!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our film! Even if you can’t contribute today, I hope our team has inspired you to spread the word and follow us on this journey. If you ever want to learn more about our film or are just down to chat, feel free to email me at [email protected], whether it be about filmmaking, insurance commercials, or your favorite soup recipe!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast and Crew Wages
Costs $15,750
Our incredible cast and crew will be working hard to bring this project to life, so we need to ensure they are fairly compensated.
Equipment Rentals
Costs $4,500
In order to achieve a cohesive cinematic look and tone in our film, we will need to rent professional lighting, lenses, and sound equipment.
Locations
Costs $2,150
To fully evoke the tension set in Andrew's apartment and the chaos of New York City, we will need to book authentic locations in NY.
Post Production and Festival Submission
Costs $1,250
During post production we will be enhancing every detail of our film. We'll also submit to festivals to share our story with the world.
Craft Services
Costs $800
We need to ensure that our hardworking cast and crew are well fed and taken care of during production.
Legal Fees
Costs $550
To create a safe and uplifting environment on set, we will need to purchase insurance and other precautions for production.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Nikko Wisner (Writer, Director, Producer) is a Japanese American writer, director, and producer based in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up biracial in the suburbia of Southern California, he imbues surrealism and dark comedy into stories that reconstruct contemporary Asian American experiences. After graduating from UCLA, Nikko gained prolific insight in development and production through working at United Talent Agency, A24, and Annapurna Pictures. He was also awarded as a 2024 fellow of the WGAE Support Staff Program and as a semifinalist for the 2025 Disney Writing Program. The last short film Nikko produced, AWIT NATIN, is currently being submitted to film festivals across the globe. Most recently, Nikko has expanded his storytelling skills while being in the writers room for CRUTCH (CBS), OVERCOMPENSATING (A24), and WHEN IN RIO (Amazon) as Writers’ Assistant. When he’s not writing, you can find Nikko at an indie rock show, exploring the Catskills, or watching anime.
Brian Park (Executive Producer, "Andrew") is a Brooklyn-based comedian, actor, and writer whose work has been featured in The New Yorker, Vulture, CNN, and NPR. His standup has earned him spots at New York's most renowned comedy clubs, leading to his selection as a featured performer at NBC's Breakout Festival. Through his incisive social commentary, Brian has carved out a distinct voice on social media with his pointed satire of creative directors, menswear enthusiasts, therapy culture, cinephiles and anything else that falls under the umbrella of the 'bicoastal elite lifestyle'. His signature videos have amassed over 45 million views and 100k followers across platforms, along with a growing list of brand clients who embrace his playful roasts. Brian is also the co-host of Middlebrow, a cultural commentary podcast launched in late 2024 that has already been recognized as a 'Best New Podcast' by Apple and Spotify. The show blends comedic insights with sharp analysis of contemporary culture.
Tiffany Hue (Producer) is an award-winning producer whose work focuses on international stories that expose injustices against gender, race, and class. In 2022, she produced the Spanish-language film AS WITH DOGS, which will premiere at NYLFF in 2024. Tiffany also produced EL CARRITO (streaming on Max) about street vendors in Queens. The film was programmed at SXSW & AFI Fest, and won the Audience Award at Palm Springs Shorts Fest and Jury Prizes at Indy Shorts & Seattle International Film Festival.
Annie Cui (Producer) grew up in Davis, CA and is now based in Brooklyn. She’s produced various marketing campaigns for TV shows, such as Emily in Paris, Never Have I Ever, Outer Banks, and American Horror Stories. She’s also one of the producers for the short film, AWIT NATIN. You'll often find her at a cafe with a croissant and a cortado. Maybe crocheting too.
Alex Treisman (Producer) is an associate producer at Kevin Burke Productions based in Brooklyn. She is currently producing SCENE CITY, a documentary about a group of outcasts whose lives and art intersected in New York City during the 90s. She is also editing an oral history of the renowned author Jean Stein. In addition to producing, she has a background in location scouting for companies such as Netflix, Apple TV, and Hulu.
Cece Chan (Director of Photography) is a New York–based cinematographer born and raised in Hong Kong. She graduated from Tisch School of the Arts in 2020 with a BFA in Film and Television. She is a 2023-2024 ASC Vision Mentee. Her work has screened at academy award qualifying screen festivals such as Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and New Hampshire Film Festival, and in 2023 she was awarded Best Cinematography at the National Film Fest for Talented Youth. She was also the recipient of the Néstor Almendros Award for Cinematography in 2022 and 2024. She is a third culture kid raised by Chinese immigrant parents, and she connects most deeply with stories with unique cultural perspectives. Working primarily in the narrative world, she has shot in Lebanon, Colombia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Canada, and Japan. Sean Baker recently shared a music video she shot (“Sole Obsession”) on X.
Jack Barrera (Composer) is a producer and DJ based in Brooklyn, New York. While he has a background as a guitarist and audio engineer, he currently spends most of his time producing high-tempo club music characterized by nature-reflecting timbres and organic grooves. Jack also experiments with ambient music and scoring, utilizing his deep knowledge in the fields of sound design and synthesis. His sound palettes reflect a dark and atmospheric quality, which will conjure the unsettling tension throughout Seppuku in the Park.
Julia Kruger (Co-Producer) is a New York City based producer, currently working at United Talent Agency. Her previous roles include interning at Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, MAX Originals, and American Empirical Pictures. She is a graduate of Northwestern University majoring in Radio/Television/Film with a minor in Creative Writing and a Certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications. Julia could not be more excited to be part of the team and is looking forward to seeing this project come to life!
Eva Hwang (Co-Producer) is a producer from Brooklyn, NY with a passion for personal, marginalized stories. Her independent short films include LITTLE CHICKEN, which premiered at LA Shorts, and EXIT STRATEGY, which was recognized at Stanford’s Poetry into Film Festival. Alongside producing, she has worked as writers’ support staff for Apple TV, SK Global, and Westward Productions.
Amy Liu (Co-Producer) is based in New York and has a background in finance and management, with prior experience in development at New Republic Pictures. Born and raised in small town Louisiana, she is passionate about coming-of-age stories exploring the intersections of racial, cultural, and personal identities. She also co-founded the supper club collective, You’re Welcome, where you can find her playing with flavor combinations and developing new recipes.
Avery Oh (Title Designer, Graphic Designer), a multidisciplinary artist and designer, currently works as a print designer for a major fashion retailer in NYC. Though she primarily focuses on textiles and fine art in her own work and practice, she loves being surrounded by creatives and finding new forms of media to dabble in.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Andrew Lee is a New York actor who dreams of reaching acclaimed artistic heights. However, for the last seven years he’s been pigeonholed as “Samurai Shinji” – the tacky brand mascot from a series of insurance commercials. While these commercials have started to air less frequently, Andrew’s desire to break free from this Asian caricature and pivot toward the big screen has morphed into an unhealthy obsession. This infatuation has only expanded the rift between him and his girlfriend, Elle, whose sympathy for Andrew’s exhausting fixation has wavered.
Nevertheless, after his agent books him an audition for a highly anticipated film, Andrew believes his career is finally course correcting. Therefore, when he discovers that his familiar character prevented him from ever having a real shot at the role – or, for that matter, any role – he spirals. Amidst this unraveling, Andrew confronts his psyche and contemplates surrendering his ambitions once and for all…while undergoing a shroom-induced ego death.
We are thrilled to share that Brian Park will be playing lead role of "Andrew Lee"
Mood board for Andrew’s Crown Heights apartment
I’ve always been most inspired by stories outside the margins – experimental premises and unconventional characters that evoke a shared human experience through their specificity. Seppuku in the Park embodies this approach, while cultivating my mission to amplify Asian American narratives beyond dramatic identity-centered struggles. It’s a film populated with AAPI characters whose ethnicities naturally inform their lives, but whose desires and conflicts also reside outside of these bounds…a film I craved during my formative years that didn’t exist.
Mood board of photos and trinkets from Nikko’s formative years
For the past year, I’ve been drawn to this journey of a fictional commercial actor, entangled by his own ambition and blocked off from his ultimate dream in life. At its core, it’s a story about having a passion that informs your entire existence and the obsession that can consume you while attempting to turn this dream into reality.
Seppuku in the Park is inspired by my own anxieties. Especially, the restlessness of working in an industry where it sometimes feels like there’s a quota on the amount and types of AAPI stories that actually get made. Self-doubt and imposter syndrome also arise, leading me to question if I even possess the authority to expand the scope of Asian American characters when I’m “only” half Japanese. Acting is an art form fully intertwined with appearance, so Andrew’s aspirations channel this inner strife and exemplify how Asian American artists inherently have less of a road map to guide them. I’m not only making this film for myself, but for every Asian American kid that grew up without a definitive path to follow. Thankfully, I’m surrounded by the most incredible team, and with your generous support we will be able to turn these anxious inclinations into a twisted, funny, and ethereal film.
Combining the dark comedy of Beef and The Curse with the psychological tension of Under the Skin, Seppuku in the Park presents a heightened portrayal of the internalized pressure that comes with pursuing your passion. Through this genre-blending lens, our film reveals how this stress accumulates in the strained relationships, cramped apartments, coveted job interviews, and psychedelic excursions that fill this journey – as well as the everyday chaos of New York City.
I love films like Birdman and Being John Malkovich that apply a similar fusion of styles, but we have yet to see a neurotic, dwindling artist on screen who also happens to be Asian American. An artist who strives to avoid being tied down by their racial identity, but is simultaneously bound by it. Ultimately, by magnifying my own anxieties with morbid humor and surreal suspense, I hope to satirically personify the reality of working in any creative industry as a person of color.
Tonal references for how the film will look and feel
During undergrad at UCLA, I began interning in the film and television industry, and I immediately fell in love with the process of bringing stories to life. After graduating, I moved to New York and gained incredible insight into development and production through working at United Talent Agency, A24, and Annapurna Pictures. Most recently, I have been expanding my storytelling skills in the writers’ room for Crutch (CBS), Overcompensating (A24), and When in Rio (Amazon MGM Studios) as Writers’ Assistant. These nurturing experiences have taught me so much about filmmaking, and they inspired me to take this leap and bring one of my own stories to life, with a team of friends who I trust and admire.
Nikko and Annie on the set of AWIT NATIN
Last year, I produced the short film Awit Natin, alongside our producer, Annie Cui. Working on this film, and a handful of other independent productions in New York, revealed so many valuable lessons that have already shaped the development of Seppuku in the Park. Our team of producers – Tiffany Hue, Annie Cui, and Alex Treisman – have also worked on a combined dozens of projects, and their experience has been crucial for elevating Seppuku in the Park to the highest caliber. Films that Tiffany has produced, like As With Dogs and El Carrito, have been programmed and awarded at SXSW, NYLFF, AFI Fest, Palm Springs Shorts Fest, Indy Shorts, and Seattle International Film Festival. There is truly nobody I would rather have in my corner than this immensely talented team.
Seed & Spark requires us to raise at least 80% of our goal for this project to be funded. If we don’t hit this goal within 45 days, then we won’t receive any funds.
Your support will enable us to fully realize our vision and help us take care of the cast and crew bringing this story to life. While we are confident in our independent, run-and-gun skillset, it’s also important that we prioritize fair compensation, ethical work hours, and a safe and uplifting environment for the team that will be joining us on this adventure. Your pledge toward our $25,000 goal will help cover:
- Hiring an experienced local crew
- Hiring a local cast for production and rehearsals
- Securing locations in New York City
- Equipment rentals
- Post-production and festival distribution
- Craft Services
- Legal fees
While reaching our goal of $25,000 will allow us to start production, the following stretch goals would facilitate even more resources and push this film to its best possible version:
- $27,000 – We will be able to expand our casting resources for supporting roles, and be able to invest in a space for rehearsals.
- $30,000 – We will be able to work more closely with a choreographer and stunt coordinator in order to perfect the dance sequence and fight scene that serve as the climax for our film.
Development (May 2024 – August 2024): This concept sparked from memories of the commercial mascots I grew up watching, who all seemed to fade out of the spotlight over the years. After writing the first draft of the script, I reached out to my friends to start sculpting this story into a full production. We then fleshed out the immersive tone through multiple rewrites, mood boards, and even early demos of the score.
Pre-production (September 2024 – April 2025): From the start, we knew we needed a skilled comedic voice to help lead this project. We immediately gravitated toward Brian Park, and we are so lucky he saw the same potential in this story that we do. Collaborating with our Director of Photography, Cece Chan, has also been an absolute dream. We are so stoked to be assembling such talented cast and crew members from the New York area. Our team is also in talks with local businesses to find ways to support our community in New York, whether it be through shooting locations, catering, or promotional events. We care about uprooting this film in community, so we aim to collaborate with AAPI creatives and organizations as an AAPI led team.
Production (April 2025): We are set to begin principal photography in April 2025 in New York.
Post-production + Distribution (April 2025 – October 2025): And then, comes the exciting part! Our team will be sitting down with our post-production crew to edit, color, sound mix, and lock our final picture. We will also be constructing the eerie, hypnotic score with our composer Jack Barrera, which will help conjure the unsettling tension throughout the film.
From there, we will focus our festival run on sourcing distribution, so we can share Seppuku in the Park with the world. By targeting high-profile festivals like Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and Toronto Film Festival, we are hoping to ignite conversations that can facilitate international distribution. We will also be submitting to New York and AAPI centered festivals so that we can share the film with our communities that made this project possible. And of course, Seppuku in the Park will eventually have an online release, so that all of our supporters can watch the culmination of this shared journey.
With any production, there are obstacles that need to be overcome. For Seppuku in the Park, a majority of these challenges include the financial overhead of: securing locations that extract the disarray of living in New York, renting equipment to effectively capture the underlying anxieties of our characters, and taking care of our dedicated cast and crew. During development and pre-production, we have minimized these risks by building a thorough budget breakdown and timeline for our film and also preparing contingency plans.
While our team possesses extensive filmmaking experience, we also share a deep trust in one another through years of friendship. Tiffany, Annie, Alex, and I all went to college together at UCLA, and I became friends with each of them through a common love for film. Our composer, Jack Barrera, and I have been best friends since we were freshman roommates, and his early work on the unnerving score has already proven that we are constantly in-tune creatively. This will be my first time collaborating with Brian and Cece, but I can already tell that we share the same sensibilities, and I’m excited for their talents to boost this film to new heights. Beyond this trust and wide breadth of experience, this is an extremely ambitious and intuitive team, so I am confident that we will be able to tackle any obstacle we face.
The most difficult hurdle to clear will be hitting our fundraising goal to ensure that we have the resources needed to bring this story to life with the proper care. Although not reaching our goal would be a difficult setback, I am determined to bring this story to the screen, even if that means having to do strategic rewrites in order to adapt. With all of our efforts put together, I truly believe nothing is impossible for our team. In order to demonstrate our commitment, we will be sharing updates through every stage of production with our patrons and followers.
We are so lucky to have a compassionate network helping us create this film, but in order to hit our goal, we will need to reach people outside of our immediate circle. Please help us spread the word by sharing our campaign on social media, sending it to friends and family, casually bringing it up to your cinephile situationship, renting a skywriting plane, anything that helps our film come across new faces!
Please feel free to copy and paste the following message when sharing:
“Help @nikkowisner and a team of Asian American filmmakers make their surreal, dark comedy film, Seppuku in the Park, shooting in New York this spring. Support their journey on @seedandspark: seedandspark.com/fund/seppuku-in-the-park”
Even if you are not able to support us monetarily, there are other ways to help us reach our goal! Please give us a follow us on Seed & Spark! Once we have 500 followers, we unlock access to festival waivers and other resources offered by the Seed & Spark team.
You can also follow us on Instagram @seppukuinthepark to get updates, behind-the-scenes content, insight from our cast and crew, and sneak peeks!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our film! Even if you can’t contribute today, I hope our team has inspired you to spread the word and follow us on this journey. If you ever want to learn more about our film or are just down to chat, feel free to email me at [email protected], whether it be about filmmaking, insurance commercials, or your favorite soup recipe!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast and Crew Wages
Costs $15,750
Our incredible cast and crew will be working hard to bring this project to life, so we need to ensure they are fairly compensated.
Equipment Rentals
Costs $4,500
In order to achieve a cohesive cinematic look and tone in our film, we will need to rent professional lighting, lenses, and sound equipment.
Locations
Costs $2,150
To fully evoke the tension set in Andrew's apartment and the chaos of New York City, we will need to book authentic locations in NY.
Post Production and Festival Submission
Costs $1,250
During post production we will be enhancing every detail of our film. We'll also submit to festivals to share our story with the world.
Craft Services
Costs $800
We need to ensure that our hardworking cast and crew are well fed and taken care of during production.
Legal Fees
Costs $550
To create a safe and uplifting environment on set, we will need to purchase insurance and other precautions for production.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Nikko Wisner (Writer, Director, Producer) is a Japanese American writer, director, and producer based in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up biracial in the suburbia of Southern California, he imbues surrealism and dark comedy into stories that reconstruct contemporary Asian American experiences. After graduating from UCLA, Nikko gained prolific insight in development and production through working at United Talent Agency, A24, and Annapurna Pictures. He was also awarded as a 2024 fellow of the WGAE Support Staff Program and as a semifinalist for the 2025 Disney Writing Program. The last short film Nikko produced, AWIT NATIN, is currently being submitted to film festivals across the globe. Most recently, Nikko has expanded his storytelling skills while being in the writers room for CRUTCH (CBS), OVERCOMPENSATING (A24), and WHEN IN RIO (Amazon) as Writers’ Assistant. When he’s not writing, you can find Nikko at an indie rock show, exploring the Catskills, or watching anime.
Brian Park (Executive Producer, "Andrew") is a Brooklyn-based comedian, actor, and writer whose work has been featured in The New Yorker, Vulture, CNN, and NPR. His standup has earned him spots at New York's most renowned comedy clubs, leading to his selection as a featured performer at NBC's Breakout Festival. Through his incisive social commentary, Brian has carved out a distinct voice on social media with his pointed satire of creative directors, menswear enthusiasts, therapy culture, cinephiles and anything else that falls under the umbrella of the 'bicoastal elite lifestyle'. His signature videos have amassed over 45 million views and 100k followers across platforms, along with a growing list of brand clients who embrace his playful roasts. Brian is also the co-host of Middlebrow, a cultural commentary podcast launched in late 2024 that has already been recognized as a 'Best New Podcast' by Apple and Spotify. The show blends comedic insights with sharp analysis of contemporary culture.
Tiffany Hue (Producer) is an award-winning producer whose work focuses on international stories that expose injustices against gender, race, and class. In 2022, she produced the Spanish-language film AS WITH DOGS, which will premiere at NYLFF in 2024. Tiffany also produced EL CARRITO (streaming on Max) about street vendors in Queens. The film was programmed at SXSW & AFI Fest, and won the Audience Award at Palm Springs Shorts Fest and Jury Prizes at Indy Shorts & Seattle International Film Festival.
Annie Cui (Producer) grew up in Davis, CA and is now based in Brooklyn. She’s produced various marketing campaigns for TV shows, such as Emily in Paris, Never Have I Ever, Outer Banks, and American Horror Stories. She’s also one of the producers for the short film, AWIT NATIN. You'll often find her at a cafe with a croissant and a cortado. Maybe crocheting too.
Alex Treisman (Producer) is an associate producer at Kevin Burke Productions based in Brooklyn. She is currently producing SCENE CITY, a documentary about a group of outcasts whose lives and art intersected in New York City during the 90s. She is also editing an oral history of the renowned author Jean Stein. In addition to producing, she has a background in location scouting for companies such as Netflix, Apple TV, and Hulu.
Cece Chan (Director of Photography) is a New York–based cinematographer born and raised in Hong Kong. She graduated from Tisch School of the Arts in 2020 with a BFA in Film and Television. She is a 2023-2024 ASC Vision Mentee. Her work has screened at academy award qualifying screen festivals such as Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and New Hampshire Film Festival, and in 2023 she was awarded Best Cinematography at the National Film Fest for Talented Youth. She was also the recipient of the Néstor Almendros Award for Cinematography in 2022 and 2024. She is a third culture kid raised by Chinese immigrant parents, and she connects most deeply with stories with unique cultural perspectives. Working primarily in the narrative world, she has shot in Lebanon, Colombia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Canada, and Japan. Sean Baker recently shared a music video she shot (“Sole Obsession”) on X.
Jack Barrera (Composer) is a producer and DJ based in Brooklyn, New York. While he has a background as a guitarist and audio engineer, he currently spends most of his time producing high-tempo club music characterized by nature-reflecting timbres and organic grooves. Jack also experiments with ambient music and scoring, utilizing his deep knowledge in the fields of sound design and synthesis. His sound palettes reflect a dark and atmospheric quality, which will conjure the unsettling tension throughout Seppuku in the Park.
Julia Kruger (Co-Producer) is a New York City based producer, currently working at United Talent Agency. Her previous roles include interning at Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, MAX Originals, and American Empirical Pictures. She is a graduate of Northwestern University majoring in Radio/Television/Film with a minor in Creative Writing and a Certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications. Julia could not be more excited to be part of the team and is looking forward to seeing this project come to life!
Eva Hwang (Co-Producer) is a producer from Brooklyn, NY with a passion for personal, marginalized stories. Her independent short films include LITTLE CHICKEN, which premiered at LA Shorts, and EXIT STRATEGY, which was recognized at Stanford’s Poetry into Film Festival. Alongside producing, she has worked as writers’ support staff for Apple TV, SK Global, and Westward Productions.
Amy Liu (Co-Producer) is based in New York and has a background in finance and management, with prior experience in development at New Republic Pictures. Born and raised in small town Louisiana, she is passionate about coming-of-age stories exploring the intersections of racial, cultural, and personal identities. She also co-founded the supper club collective, You’re Welcome, where you can find her playing with flavor combinations and developing new recipes.
Avery Oh (Title Designer, Graphic Designer), a multidisciplinary artist and designer, currently works as a print designer for a major fashion retailer in NYC. Though she primarily focuses on textiles and fine art in her own work and practice, she loves being surrounded by creatives and finding new forms of media to dabble in.