Tala
Chicago, Illinois | Film Short
Drama, Comedy
Tala really doesn't want to live through unprecedented times — that's so real. It was already hard enough to survive her traumatic past, and now the world she envisioned a future for herself in doesn't exist anymore. So, she decided to die. But then she lived. What now?
28 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$955
Goal: $5,000 for production
Tala really doesn't want to live through unprecedented times — that's so real. It was already hard enough to survive her traumatic past, and now the world she envisioned a future for herself in doesn't exist anymore. So, she decided to die. But then she lived. What now?
Participating In
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Tala is a proof-of-concept short film for a limited series which is already in development. Keep in mind that we must achieve at least 80% of our goal by July 2nd in order to keep any funds raised. Of course, the amount we're raising for production is just enough to get us through to wrap, but in the event that we surpass our fundraising goal, we'll be able to better compensate our cast and crew, secure nicer locations and costumes, and rent more gear to make production go more smoothly. Once production has wrapped, we'll also need funding for post-production, music, festival fees, distribution and so on.
On top of making a financial contribution, you can also follow @tala444real on Instagram and TikTok, follow the campaign here on Seed&Spark and share the campaign with any film fanatics and wealthy benefactors you might know. You can also jam out to the Tala playlist on Spotify!
Thank you all so much for your support. Now, on to the good stuff.
Tala is a 20-something Asian American internet star who survives a suicide attempt. Now what? With the help of her best friend Julian, Tala now has to pick up the pieces of a life she didn't want to live anymore. The film starts when Julian picks Tala up after she's released from the hospital, and in the ensuing 36 hours Tala has to deal with an evil ex-boyfriend who's written a humiliating fictional short story that's clearly about her, a super sweet ex-girlfriend who it's always so awkward to run into, disembodied voices she hears when she's alone, and some teen girls who follow her on TikTok, all against the backdrop of an entire world gone mad. Is Tala really crazy and maladjusted, or is she having a reasonable response to unreasonable circumstances? It's like if Hamlet were a messy bisexual Filipina with thousands of followers on social media who spirals into madness as a result of a traumatic past, dating a pretentious asshole, and the rise of far-right extremism. You know, someone we can all relate to.
Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Tala, the anti-heroine
Tala is the star of this not-so-tragic tragedy. Loud, impulsive, complex, and a mess—or maybe just always caught up in one.
Julian, the best friend
Tala's longtime ride or die. They met at college and he's the only one who's stood by Tala through everything. He's a classically trained musician and composer with problems of his own, but that's never stopped him from coming to Tala's rescue.
Drew, the ex-girlfriend
A sweet girl who was always too good for Tala anyway.
Harry, the ex-boyfriend
A British writer living in America who coincidentally publishes an ill-disguised short story inspired by Tala the day after her attempt. Or, rather, the version of Tala that only exists in his mind.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). In my mind, the final scene between Tala, Julian and Harry in the lobby of a concert hall looks something like this. You can help make it happen with a contribution for securing a gorgeous shooting location and costumes like this!
The world seems to ask more questions than it answers lately, and it's hitting young people the hardest considering our lives are already full of questions even in the best of times. When I sat down to write this story, intending to write a short film I could produce within the following year instead of the feature-length stories I had written before, I was at a loss. So, I decided to write out what was weighing on my heart and mind the most—to be, or not to be? Why continue when it's already been so hard and it's only getting harder? Ironically, it's an immense idea for a short film. I can't promise that Tala will definitively answer any of these huge, existential questions that artists have been asking for centuries, but it will invite the audience to embrace these questions alongside its star. And along the way we just might realize there is still some beautiful marrow to be sucked out of the bones of this world. As Tala's best friend Julian says in the film, it's even sillier to assume the worst than it is to assume the best.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, one of my biggest writing inspirations
Tala will be filmed in Chicago, Illinois and we plan to make good use of all the beautiful outdoor scenery Chicago has to offer—not just the lush green spaces and the shores of Lake Michigan, but the architecture and the people too, the real lifeblood of any great city. Specifically, there's a small plaza in Gold Coast that I very badly want to shoot in, which means we'll need a permit, so if you'd like to fund the acquisition of said permit please let us know!
Mariano Plaza in Chicago, Illinois. A sentimental spot for me.
We've established that Tala takes an honest look at a frenzied world, but it's not all doom and gloom. Yes, it starts with a woman leaving the hospital after a failed suicide attempt and features screen-addicted teenagers and the far-right, but it's a story of survival and hope, not devastation. So, there are some heavy themes that cast a serious tone over the story, but it's just as much a comedy as it is a drama. Really, it's impossible not to find gallows humor in a film about individual extinction against the backdrop of the threat of collective extinction.
This fundraiser is part of the AAPI Renaissance Rally presented by Seed&Spark and Gold House, an organization pushing Asian and Pacific Islander voices to the front. By helping get this fundraiser to its goal, you're bringing us one step closer to pitching our project to access funding and mentorship from Gold House. This film is also a proof of concept for an episodic miniseries which is already in development. When you invest in this film, you invest not just in Tala's whole story, but in the future of television and cinema created by and for queer, Asian, female audiences.
Céline Sciamma and Bong Joon-Ho, an image that's always on my vision board
Do you have something special to offer the film? Maybe access to a restaurant or a music venue we can use to film? Own a catering business that can help feed our team? Hit me up at [email protected] or message me on Instagram @malaladita!
And once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. Love, Abby and Tala.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Equipment rental
Costs $1,500
We want a professional, cinematic look for the film, and that requires some nice equipment
Pay the cast and crew
Costs $2,000
Our cast and crew deserve to be compensated for their time
Securing locations
Costs $500
Hopefully we can do most of this for free, but we will probably need some permits, space rentals, all that jazz
Share this update!
About This Team
Abby Malala, Writer, Director and Actress
Photo by Liz Brown @estorie
Abby Malala is the writer, director, and star of Tala. She's a Filipino American first-born daughter of a working class, immigrant family and she has a lot to say. From the time she was in film school she has always loved wild, surreal, melodramatic queer and Asian cinema, everything from John Waters to James Ivory, from Kenneth Anger to Barbara Hammer, from Ang Lee to Wong Kar Wai. In making Tala, she wants to combine her love of cinema with her love of pop culture phenomena like Phoebe Waller-Bridge's "Fleabag," Michaela Coel's "I May Destroy You" and Lena Dunham's "Girls."
Gregory Guillen, Director of Photography
Abby will be teaming up with Gregory Guillen, a Filipino American director of photography based in Chicago. He values making films centering AAPI and all marginalized peoples. Telling these stories connects him to his culture and community.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Tala is a proof-of-concept short film for a limited series which is already in development. Keep in mind that we must achieve at least 80% of our goal by July 2nd in order to keep any funds raised. Of course, the amount we're raising for production is just enough to get us through to wrap, but in the event that we surpass our fundraising goal, we'll be able to better compensate our cast and crew, secure nicer locations and costumes, and rent more gear to make production go more smoothly. Once production has wrapped, we'll also need funding for post-production, music, festival fees, distribution and so on.
On top of making a financial contribution, you can also follow @tala444real on Instagram and TikTok, follow the campaign here on Seed&Spark and share the campaign with any film fanatics and wealthy benefactors you might know. You can also jam out to the Tala playlist on Spotify!
Thank you all so much for your support. Now, on to the good stuff.
Tala is a 20-something Asian American internet star who survives a suicide attempt. Now what? With the help of her best friend Julian, Tala now has to pick up the pieces of a life she didn't want to live anymore. The film starts when Julian picks Tala up after she's released from the hospital, and in the ensuing 36 hours Tala has to deal with an evil ex-boyfriend who's written a humiliating fictional short story that's clearly about her, a super sweet ex-girlfriend who it's always so awkward to run into, disembodied voices she hears when she's alone, and some teen girls who follow her on TikTok, all against the backdrop of an entire world gone mad. Is Tala really crazy and maladjusted, or is she having a reasonable response to unreasonable circumstances? It's like if Hamlet were a messy bisexual Filipina with thousands of followers on social media who spirals into madness as a result of a traumatic past, dating a pretentious asshole, and the rise of far-right extremism. You know, someone we can all relate to.
Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Tala, the anti-heroine
Tala is the star of this not-so-tragic tragedy. Loud, impulsive, complex, and a mess—or maybe just always caught up in one.
Julian, the best friend
Tala's longtime ride or die. They met at college and he's the only one who's stood by Tala through everything. He's a classically trained musician and composer with problems of his own, but that's never stopped him from coming to Tala's rescue.
Drew, the ex-girlfriend
A sweet girl who was always too good for Tala anyway.
Harry, the ex-boyfriend
A British writer living in America who coincidentally publishes an ill-disguised short story inspired by Tala the day after her attempt. Or, rather, the version of Tala that only exists in his mind.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). In my mind, the final scene between Tala, Julian and Harry in the lobby of a concert hall looks something like this. You can help make it happen with a contribution for securing a gorgeous shooting location and costumes like this!
The world seems to ask more questions than it answers lately, and it's hitting young people the hardest considering our lives are already full of questions even in the best of times. When I sat down to write this story, intending to write a short film I could produce within the following year instead of the feature-length stories I had written before, I was at a loss. So, I decided to write out what was weighing on my heart and mind the most—to be, or not to be? Why continue when it's already been so hard and it's only getting harder? Ironically, it's an immense idea for a short film. I can't promise that Tala will definitively answer any of these huge, existential questions that artists have been asking for centuries, but it will invite the audience to embrace these questions alongside its star. And along the way we just might realize there is still some beautiful marrow to be sucked out of the bones of this world. As Tala's best friend Julian says in the film, it's even sillier to assume the worst than it is to assume the best.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, one of my biggest writing inspirations
Tala will be filmed in Chicago, Illinois and we plan to make good use of all the beautiful outdoor scenery Chicago has to offer—not just the lush green spaces and the shores of Lake Michigan, but the architecture and the people too, the real lifeblood of any great city. Specifically, there's a small plaza in Gold Coast that I very badly want to shoot in, which means we'll need a permit, so if you'd like to fund the acquisition of said permit please let us know!
Mariano Plaza in Chicago, Illinois. A sentimental spot for me.
We've established that Tala takes an honest look at a frenzied world, but it's not all doom and gloom. Yes, it starts with a woman leaving the hospital after a failed suicide attempt and features screen-addicted teenagers and the far-right, but it's a story of survival and hope, not devastation. So, there are some heavy themes that cast a serious tone over the story, but it's just as much a comedy as it is a drama. Really, it's impossible not to find gallows humor in a film about individual extinction against the backdrop of the threat of collective extinction.
This fundraiser is part of the AAPI Renaissance Rally presented by Seed&Spark and Gold House, an organization pushing Asian and Pacific Islander voices to the front. By helping get this fundraiser to its goal, you're bringing us one step closer to pitching our project to access funding and mentorship from Gold House. This film is also a proof of concept for an episodic miniseries which is already in development. When you invest in this film, you invest not just in Tala's whole story, but in the future of television and cinema created by and for queer, Asian, female audiences.
Céline Sciamma and Bong Joon-Ho, an image that's always on my vision board
Do you have something special to offer the film? Maybe access to a restaurant or a music venue we can use to film? Own a catering business that can help feed our team? Hit me up at [email protected] or message me on Instagram @malaladita!
And once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. Love, Abby and Tala.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Equipment rental
Costs $1,500
We want a professional, cinematic look for the film, and that requires some nice equipment
Pay the cast and crew
Costs $2,000
Our cast and crew deserve to be compensated for their time
Securing locations
Costs $500
Hopefully we can do most of this for free, but we will probably need some permits, space rentals, all that jazz
Share this update!
About This Team
Abby Malala, Writer, Director and Actress
Photo by Liz Brown @estorie
Abby Malala is the writer, director, and star of Tala. She's a Filipino American first-born daughter of a working class, immigrant family and she has a lot to say. From the time she was in film school she has always loved wild, surreal, melodramatic queer and Asian cinema, everything from John Waters to James Ivory, from Kenneth Anger to Barbara Hammer, from Ang Lee to Wong Kar Wai. In making Tala, she wants to combine her love of cinema with her love of pop culture phenomena like Phoebe Waller-Bridge's "Fleabag," Michaela Coel's "I May Destroy You" and Lena Dunham's "Girls."
Gregory Guillen, Director of Photography
Abby will be teaming up with Gregory Guillen, a Filipino American director of photography based in Chicago. He values making films centering AAPI and all marginalized peoples. Telling these stories connects him to his culture and community.