In Kingdom of Demons, we saw Grace grapple with grief and otherworldly visions spurred on by the suicide of her lover, Daisy.

The Pacified Rage is a prequel which details Daisy's downward spiral into self-destruction and addiction, leading up to the tragic events of the first film.

After meeting Daisy while working at her hair salon, the two finds themselves swept up in a whirlwind romance. Even though Daisy is apprehensive because she has not engaged in an openly queer relationship before, Grace is more than willing to help her break down her walls and fight her demons. Despite her best efforts, Grace is not aware that Daisy has already began her descent into a crippling alcohol addiction, which quickly seeks to consume her being. Romance quickly melts to tragedy as Daisy becomes unable to hide her increasing dependence on alcohol.

As time goes on and Daisy's decline becomes undeniable, Grace wonders if her love is enough to not only save their relationship buy Daisy's life.

The Handmaiden Directed by Park Chan-wook

Saving Face Directed by Alice Wu

(REASON WHY I'M MAKING THE FILM)

When I wrote Kingdom of Demons the prequel to The Pacified Rage, I had just started therapy. I had a lot of childhood trauma that I had to heal from and living through the pandemic definitely didn’t make my mental health any better. I was interested in exploring mental health and how it was a taboo topic in my family and also families that were similar to mine. I was forced to confront a lot of darkness in my life that I had suppressed all throughout my life until adulthood. I thought about the people that I trusted that let me down and the abuse that I had endured as a child. Confronting the dark realities of my own traumas felt isolating at first but as I started to heal I stopped feeling ashamed and became compelled to tell stories that I felt were authentic to me and healing towards others.

With Kingdom of Demons, I wanted to make a film that made a statement that your inner demons doesn’t have to be this ugly dark thing but it can be regal and enlightened one. When it came to my own mental health issues I often guarded it from the world like a well guarded kingdom. After I completed the film and had several screenings I had people share how they felt empowered to tell their stories of abuse and their struggles of mental health. I also had people come up and tell me how they wanted MORE of the film. Thus, the prequel of The Pacified Rage came into fruition.

The Pacified Rage follows the relationship of Grace and Daisy before Daisy’s tragic death. The short film follows their blossoming relationship and descends into a tumultuous relationship due to Daisy’s addiction to alcohol. I have dealt with the traumatizing effects of alcoholism throughout my childhood and also having my loved ones succumb to alcoholism. Being an alcoholic can wreak havoc onto oneself but also to the people around you. Hearing the stories of my loved ones going through rehab for their addiction inspired my desire to write a story about is dedicated to their strength as human beings. I’ve also had my own issues of using alcohol as a crutch in certain areas of my own life. The film touches on many complex issues such as queerness, mental health, alcoholism, taboos and grief. Making this film would be a way to remind audiences that they are not defined by their past and addictions.

As a second generation Asian American, it is difficult to find comfort in media due to the lack of representation. Growing up, there was no one who looked like me, nor was there anyone who went through similar experiences. Although there is more Asian American artists becoming mainstream and a push in highlighting underrepresented stories, there still is a lack of stories of the Asian American experiences through the lens of trauma and mental health.

When I watched Kingdom of Demons, I fell in love with the approach Stephanie created discussing mental health and grief through a queer Asian American perspective. It is difficult to cultivate that feeling of the trauma and grief of losing a loved one that turns into guilt, yet it was a unique approach to have it be self-reflective by using Daisy as Grace’s sounding board.

As Stephanie pitched the idea of expanding the world of Kingdom of Demons and to create the prequel, A Pacified Rage, I became enamored by the idea to help her explore more of these issues of mental health with Daisy and Grace’s past. It felt right to build on these ideas as it is vital to start exploring and understanding mental health issues from the beginning. It is difficult to find media that tackles these problems but also from an Asian American and queer perspective. I hope that the expansion of the story will bring more people to find their representation on screen and find resonation in the story we tell.

Stephanie Cherng (Writer/Director/Editor)

Stephanie is a filmmaker and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. She has worked with the Tribeca Film Institute where she developed several shorts. In 2015, she was selected to be apart of the Tribeca Film Fellows program as part of the Tribeca Film Institute where she directed and wrote her first narrative short film. As a filmmaker she has been featured on MTV, ABC, and NYC Media.

She was also an episodic writer for the PBS web series, Subcultured. The episode titled, Lessons From Women in Graffiti Who Overcame Adversity examined graffiti culture from it's roots and shed light on female graffiti artists.

In addition to her personal work, she has edited work for NYC Media, River Keeper, Tribeca Film Institute, Delish, J Crew, Showtime Networks, Made well, Betches, PBS, Kyra TV, and AFAR Media.

Her film, Kingdom of Demons has screened in the festival circuit and won the Best Young Director award at the Los Angeles Movie and Music Awards and was the Great Reel Ladies winner at The Great Film Festival. She is currently in pre-production for The Pacified Rage, a prequel to Kingdom of Demons.

Rebecca Wong (Producer)

Rebecca Wong is a filmmaker based in New Jersey who specializes in development and production. She believes the arts have a way of communicating emotions in a powerful manner that touches people’s hearts. Rebecca aspires to highlight underrepresented voices and communities through the art she creates while also connecting with people on a deeper level. Although her love for the arts started when she was young, her career started when her photograph, "Am I to Blame?" (2021) was published in the New York Times. Since then, she has been involved in projects ranging from student films to short form content, photoshoots, studio television shows, music videos, and independent feature and short films. Her love of technical knowledge in filmmaking has driven her to find her passion in producing projects. She has produced scripted student television shows and shorts on The Emerson Channel, and her work has been recognized in various places such as the New Jersey Film Awards and the Barrymore Film Center. Off set, she studies at Emerson College where she garners a well-rounded education for the arts. Her most recent project is Keep (Everything) Safe, a short drama film following the relationship between Chinese father and a Chinese American daughter that she has written and directed which will serve as her thesis for her Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Ava Chen (Associate Producer)

Ava Chen is a creative professional based in Brooklyn, New York. With a strong passion for cinema, they’ve served as a editor at film zine, Depth Cues, and completed Bleecker Street's film distribution mentorship program. Ava is committed to empowering filmmakers and championing projects to elevate diverse voices, particularly from queer and underrepresented communities.

TIMELINE & ALLOCATED COSTS OF THE FILM

FILM SUMMARY

Kimi Handa Brown (DAISY)

Kimi Handa Brown (They/Them) A Multi-Hyphenate Artist from California and with their BFA in Musical Theater from the University of Utah. From screen to print to stage to studio, they spend their time doing many things! Recently, seen on stage in FREEDOM’S LAST STAND with Peculiar Works Project at Target Margin Theater, and in TURNOVER A NEW LEAF at the Tank for Pridefest 2024. Their play MANIC PIXIE NIGHTMARE made its way to the National Women’s Theater Festival where they were nominated for best actor and won Best of Triangle Theater & Dance Cultural voice North Carolina. They performed in The Weathervanes 58th season and won Outstanding supporting Actor at the New Hampshire Theater awards for their performance in the World Premiere of “Primary” by Kelly Strandemo. Most recently intimacy directed BEAU, AS TIME GOES BY, and SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE at Out of the Box Theatrics, SCIENCE PARK at the Gym at Judson, and SEX AND THE ABBEY at The Brick. Their play SHAKESPEAREAN SUPPORT GROUP is streaming on all platforms and MANIC PIXIE NIGHTMARE short film is streaming on YouTube.

Follow them on Instagram: @Kimilawls

Alissa Iris

Alissa Iris (she/they) is a Khmer-American actress and creative from a small farm town in California, now based in Los Angeles. She got her start making home movies with her cousins and shooting DIY “ad campaigns” in her backyard with whatever she could find. She later explored acting through high school drama and college classes at UCI and UCLA. Since then, she’s appeared in commercial work and made her film debut in Kingdom of Demons. Alissa is drawn to offbeat, character-driven stories—especially ones that center queer and Southeast Asian voices.

Follow her on Instagram: @alissa.iris

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