After a brain tumor diagnosis derails her fast paced life, a first generation Taiwanese American filmmaker is pulled back into the orbit of her estranged family.
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Paying cast and crew on average costs on the low end $250/day. We have at least 10 cast members for one day of shooting.
Art in this project is super heavy. We have to build a set + do an entire claymation sequence which requires building a home studio for our stop motion animator (Kellie Penna) in Austin, Texas.
In the script, we are shooting the entire day at a black box studio. This comes with rental fees + Equipment
Catering & Crafty for 1 day and 15-20 people
Editing Coloring, Sound Design & Master, Music Composition, Final Mix
Media & Hard Drives X 2 (Back up Drive & Actual Drive)
Initial seed funding (for Day 1 of filming) - $225 (this helped us get food & snacks!)
$50 - Travis Bible
$25 - Lydia Santos
$100 - Diana and Darrell Mitchell
$50 - Logan Alfred
Here is what we have raised thus far for Part 2 (via direct donations): $2,950
$50 - Tallie Nourollah
$50 - David Allan Barrera
$30 - Melanie Z Weinstein
$100 - Albert Ntiri
$200 - Anne Yueh
$500 - Dusty Gibson
$500 - Dean Christensen
$400 - Michael Cioni
$50 - Laura Bancroft
$50 - Gaurav Suri
$200 - Blake Garrett
$100 - Miko Lim
$10 - Penny LeLeux
$50 - Dan Wilson
$50 - John Wildman
$500 - Michael Shum
$100 - Hung Chen
$10 - Thomas Goze
Via IndieGoGo ($720 as of Sept 7)
Eva Contis
Marco Restrepo
Karl Wenthold
Suma Nagmote
Corey Landis
Taylor Smith
Anonymous
Fine Frenzy Films
Kurt Katherine
Joshua Ford
Violeta Voykinska
Tiffany Day
Marian Grone
GRAND TOTAL since Sept 4 launch: $3670 out of $10K = $6330 to go!
At 41, Christine has built her life around work. A fiercely independent filmmaker who has spent years chasing deadlines and creative opportunities, she has little time for rest and even less time for her estranged family. When she begins experiencing strange episodes that temporarily freeze the left side of her body, she dismisses them as stress or dehydration. But after the incidents become more frequent, culminating in a public episode at a red carpet event, she reluctantly seeks medical help.
An MRI reveals a shocking diagnosis: a brain tumor requiring immediate surgery.
As Christine navigates a whirlwind of doctor visits, uncertainty, and a life-altering operation, she finds an unexpected companion in "Tumi," the personified voice of her tumor. Through darkly comedic conversations with the unwelcome passenger living inside her head, Christine confronts her fears, questions her relentless pursuit of productivity, and begins examining the relationships she has neglected along the way.
The diagnosis becomes a catalyst that reunites her fractured family. Her parents and brother rush to Los Angeles to help care for her, forcing everyone into close quarters after years of emotional distance and unresolved tensions. What begins as an uncomfortable obligation gradually evolves into an opportunity for healing and rediscovery.
Meanwhile, Christine's chosen family, an eclectic community of friends from the film industry, rallies around her with humor and unwavering support. Together they sneak her away for beach trips, ice cream runs, and small acts of rebellion that remind her life is meant to be lived, not merely worked through.
Blending documentary footage with narrative storytelling, Tumi & Me is a heartfelt and humorous exploration of illness, identity, womanhood, and family. At its core, it is a story about a woman whose life is forced to slow down, only to discover that the relationships she spent years putting on hold were the very things that made life meaningful in the first place.
My dream of getting this proof-of-concept short GREENLIT did (over $5k). ❤️ But, we technically are still 1170 short of hitting our 10K goal. So please donate! This campaigning will end sooner and you won’t have to hear this same messaging again for a while like a broken record.
Today, the thing I’m waiting for is a pretty big one: my video appointment that should determine the next phase of my cancer treatment.
My deep-down hope is that radiation did such an incredible job on the remaining 10% of Tumi that my doctor says, “You know what? Never mind about chemo.”
Tumi & Me the proof of concept short is a quarterfinalist for The Script Fund, which would provide us a $1000 grant. Fingers crossed. But again, you know me, I have never been one to sit idly and hope things happen for me. So, I am proud to announce that the crowdfunding campaign FINALLY has a launch date. It is coming out tomorrow on September 4th after much back and forth.
It’s hard to fully put into words what it feels like to reach this moment. There is so much relief, pride, gratitude, and emotion wrapped up in those three little letters: DONE.
Sitting in the waiting room about to finish Week 5 of 6 of radiation. One more week to go. 💙
And honestly? I’m in great spirits.
Besides the hair loss and occasionally finding myself crawling into bed a little earlier, things have been pretty smooth. I’ve been spending most of my time working out to maintain my muscle mass, hanging out with people I love, writing, creating, and continuing to push Get Reelisms forward.
This week also included a little desert adventure.
Four weeks of brain cancer radiation are officially complete. From navigating hair loss and finding the right wig to creating Tumi & Me, growing Get Reelisms, and working toward getting my driver’s license back, I’m learning to focus on what I can control—and keep moving forward.
When I first arrived, I was completely lost because Tallie Wigs had just expanded into a bigger location right next door. I called the number and the owner herself, Tallie, picked up. She came and found me, brought me over to the right place, and immediately made me feel at home.
Overall, I’m still feeling surprisingly good. The headaches have started to make more regular appearances, but my energy has remained high, and for that I’m incredibly grateful.
The hardest part of this week hasn’t been the treatments themselves. It’s been watching my hair slowly thin.
Last night, after watching a movie with a friend and having what was otherwise a good day, I was getting ready for bed when I noticed a lot more hair than usual in the sink. I looked up at myself in the mirror and, for the first time, it really registered: radiation is making me lose my hair.
I cried.
More than anything, I've been struggling with the feeling of being stuck—of standing still. I hate feeling stagnant. Every day, I'm taking steps that should move the needle, but it's exhausting when those steps don't seem to produce anything tangible. I imagine it's similar to what actors experience after auditioning over and over without landing a role.
Christine W Chen - Writer/Director/Producer
Christine Chen, an Academy qualified director and co-author of "Get Reelisms," discovered her passion for storytelling through film in 1993 when she first experimented with an early VHS camcorder. This initial fascination evolved into a lifelong dedication to writing and directing. Christine's short films have gained prominence at prestigious festivals like Hollyshorts, New Orleans Film Festival, and Fantasia Film Festival. Her recent feminist adventure thriller feature, "Erzulie," enjoyed a limited theatrical release in May 2022 and is available on VOD since June 14, 2022. In addition to directing, Christine works as a producer and 1st AD.
Mailyne Briggs - Producer
Mailyne K. Briggs (she/her), is a Philippines-born, Canadian-raised filmmaker with over 12+ years of diverse media experience under her media production company Kilam Media Inc. Adept at handling roles in producing, directing, writing, and cinematography, Mailyne's work encompasses multicam remote productions, commercials, music videos, documentaries, and narratives. Her work has been featured on CBC, Fashion One, and various film festivals across North America and across the web. Mailyne is also a mother, and advocates for the environment, mental health and diverse industry representation.
