How do we measure our self-worth?



SOMETHING ABOUT THE TIDE is a coming-of-age dramedy for those of us over 30 (or 40!) that asks the question, how do we measure our self-worth? The story follows a Type A addict in recovery who desperately seeks her dying mother’s approval, but the only way to earn it is by bringing home her newfound picture-perfect half-brother who is everything she should have been. Tonally, it’s as if the dry, self-deprecating humor of SIDEWAYS was written for a female protagonist then combined with the complex family dynamics of THE FAREWELL.

The story challenges the "model minority" myth as well as mental health and addiction stigma. It was written by, about, and for Asian Americans, millennials, moms and single parents, addicts (both in and out of recovery), the queer community, transcultual/transnational adoptees, immigrants and their childrn, those of us who have struggled with mental illness, and anyone who has ever felt like they aren't good enough.

JEN is a Type-A recovering addict celebrating ten years of sobriety. She juggles three jobs while single-parenting her 9-year-old son HIRO and caregiving for her mother FUMIKO who is in palliative care for cancer. When Fumiko’s condition suddenly deteriorates, she confesses that she had a previous baby whom she gave up for adoption named MASARU. Bereft by this loss, Fumiko asks Jen to find him so they can reunite before she passes. Masaru is the picture of perfection—an award-winning investigative journalist in town on a book tour and an out-and-proud gay advocate. Jen’s sponsor SHAWNA advises against contacting Masaru, but Jen’s curiosity is insatiable. Torn between fulfilling her mother’s dying wish and the fear of being replaced by her picture-perfect half-brother, Jen struggles to tell Masaru the truth while developing an unexpected friendship with him, sending her down a quiet and insidious spiral toward relapse.

We are proud (dare I say, honored) to have an all Asian American female above-the-line team, including director Desdemona Chiang, who has a pretty grand reputation as a long-time theatre director. Since transitioning to film and television, Des' work has been supported and developed by Sundance, Film Independent, Gotham, WIF, and more. Her first short, MADE IN USA, was produced as part of the AFI DWW+ program, and she recently directed an episode of FIRE COUNTRY for CBS.

Writer/producer Julia Morizawa's produced projects include the improvised no-budget feature JESUSCAT (OR HOW I ACCIDENTALLY JOINED A CULT), the short film SIN & LYLE, and the stage play TWENTY-TWO. Her most recent short film, DRAGONFLY, was awarded Best Animation at the Maryland Int’l Film Festival, Best AAPI-Directed Film at the Phoenix Film Festival, and the Audience Award for Best Animation at DisOrient in 2024

Lead producer Ashley Song is the co-owner of Desert Island Studios in Portland, Oregon and has produced dozens of narrative, documentary, music video, and commercial projects including the feature films BORRUFA and MOTHER OF COLOR.

Producer Joanna Fang came up at Lionsgate where she worked on small independent films like WARRIOR to commercial successes like THE HUNGER GAMES series, to award-winning prestige films like LA LA LAND. She started her own independent production company Rebel Frog Pictures that focuses on micro-budget films made by filmmakers who don’t have access to significant film financing resources.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been one of those people who never feels like I’m good enough, for a lot of reasons I won’t put you through right now; but, for example, my son was born the day Los Angeles went into lockdown. We lasted a few months unemployed, with a newborn and no friends or family allowed to visit before we moved back up to Corvallis, Oregon where I was born and raised. We ended up living with my parents for a year, in the house that I grew up in, in the town I swore I would never return to when I left at the age of 17. I had never felt more like a failure than I did that year. And those feelings of inadequacy motivated me to write SOMETHING ABOUT THE TIDE. As a millennial mother who has struggled with mental illness and addiction and is always second-guessing what I’m doing with my life, my 40-ish years of emotional life experience are the heart of this story.

With SOMETHING ABOUT THE TIDE, my goal is to fulfill a life-long creative pursuit of helping others feel less alone. The story’s primary theme asks the question: How do we measure our self-worth? My hope is that audiences who have searched for an answer to this question all their lives will walk away from this film accepting that not knowing is okay. That those of us who have failed to live up to our own expectations still have a purpose in life, even if we don’t know what it is yet.

When I was a kid, I discovered (by way of a gossipy relative) that I was the product of an unplanned pregnancy. My mother was 25 years old, on the brink of a promising journalism career back in Taiwan, and very uninterested in starting a family. She planned to terminate the pregnancy, and it was only at my grandmother’s relentless reproaching that she changed her mind at the last minute. So for a long time, I had a running narrative in my head that I was unwanted, even though my mother’s behavior indicated nothing of the sort.

My mom and I are actually very close. I know that I am, without a doubt, her favorite person. I also suspect that somewhere deep inside, a tiny piece of her believes her life would have turned out better if I’d never existed. It’s very strange, to feel both deeply cherished and somewhat unessential at the same time. I often joke that my sense of self-worth is linked to my mother’s opinion of me at any given moment, and even my most mundane victories were attempts to prove that she made the right decision with me. (“I found the car keys! Aren’t you glad I exist?”)

So when Julia Morizawa sent me the script for SOMETHING ABOUT THE TIDE, the story gut-punched me in a way that I didn’t expect. The film is a coming-of-age story about Jen, a 30-something woman who spent her whole life wanting to make her mother proud. Except she’s a recovering addict, works three part-time jobs, and is a single mom—none of which looks good on paper. When Jen has the opportunity to fulfill her mother’s dying wish and finally, FINALLY, do something that will earn some respect and affection, she does so at the expense of her own well-being and her grounding in the world. 

The film is a striking and darkly funny portrayal of human fallibility—that even when we prepare for life in every way possible, we are never fully aware of our hidden vulnerabilities. I want to show a version of the recovery experience that isn’t black and white, where the spiraling toward relapse is a subtle and insidious one. I’m eager to focus on an Asian American protagonist dealing with addiction and mental health, topics that are stigmatized and rendered invisible in our communities. Asian Americans are conventionally represented in the media as well-behaved, noble, and industrious, with clearly drawn lines between right and wrong. 



The project has been supported and recognized by the following organizations:



• Tribeca Untold Stories (Top 5 Finalist, 2024) - watch our live pitch on YouTube below (jump to appx. 01:05:15)
• Amplify Portland by Proper Portland Events & Film Office (grant awardee, 2024)
• Moonshot Feature Accelerator (fellow, 2025)
• Plenty of Pie Talent Incubator (fellow, 2025)
• Cinestory Foundation Feature Competition (Top 8 Finalist, Winner of the Hagan Hicks Scholarship for Underrepresented Women's Voices, 2024)
• Academy Nicholl (quarter-finalist, 2024)
• Roadmap Writer's JumpStart Competition (Top 5 Features, 2022)
• Launch Pad Feature Competition (Top 50 Features, 2022)
• Recommended on The Black List (2024)

We have also partnered with several mental health and AAPI non-profits for professional feedback on the project and to help connect with our audience and local filmmaking resources, including:

• National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA)
• National Asian Pacific American Families Allied for Substance Awareness and Harm Reduction (NAPAFASA)
• SAFE Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic)
• Asian American Town

Read more about each organization and their support for the film on our website.

The film's total production and post-production budget is just under $1.1M. We are in the process of locking the majority of the financing through private investors (reach out if you're interested in investing!). However, we are also looking to secure a portion of the budget in soft funding through grants and donations. To date, we have received approximately $30k in soft funding for development thanks to Tribeca Untold Stories, Amplify Portland by the Portland Events & Film Office, and generous donations from friends and family.

Through Seed&Spark, our goal is to raise an additional $5k in development funds to cover line producing fees (script breakdown, scheduling, and a more in-depth budget), legal fees (necessary contracts for investors, paperwork for the film's LLC and chain of title), and location manager fees (to begin a more extensive outreach to shooting locations in PDX).

Tax-deductible donations can be made through our fiscal sponsor, Film Independent, here. Film Independent is a non-profit independent media arts organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of SOMETHING ABOUT THE TIDE are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

If you are interested in potentially becoming an investor, reach out directly to [email protected]. A full business plan, including detailed financial and market information, is available upon request.

MORE WAYS TO HELP:

1. Follow the Seed & Spark campaign

Following this campaign, even if you do not make a financial contribution, will help us become eligible for additional funds and resources from Seed & Spark. Specifically, we are participating in the AAPI Renaissance Rally and need at least 350 followers to qualify as Finalists for additional opportunities provided by Gold House.

2. Follow SOMETHING ABOUT THE TIDE on social media

Follow us on Instagram and watch our pitch video on YouTube! It shows new visitors that it's not just us and our parents supporting this project and helps that sweet YouTube algorithm get our project noticed by more people.

3. Spread the word

Tell your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors about our project. Share our social media posts and campaign page.

FAQs:

If you hit your goal, what happens to the money you make after that?

Any contributions beyond our goal will go toward pre-production and/or production. Reducing the overall cost to investors is a big selling point! The more we can accumulate in donations and grants, the lower the overall risk for investors--which may help us secure further interest.

What happens if you don't reach your goal?

Seed & Spark requires us to reach at least 80% of our goal for our project to be greenlit and for your contributions to be transferred to us. If we reach 80% but not 100%, any necessary development expenses not covered by this campaign will be paid for via personal funds (i.e. credit cards!). If we are unable to reach the 80% mark, you will not be charged and the campaign incentives will not be delivered.

How does the Wishlist work?

The Wishlist is Seed & Spark's way of breaking down our project's budget so you can see exactly where the money we raise will go. This campaign does not specify potential in-kind donations that we would graciously accept. Reach out directly to [email protected] if you would like to discuss other ways of helping such as product placement, locations and props, and services.

Does it cost extra to ship internationally?

Nope. The costs of our campaign incentives include estimated shipping fees.