Black & Asian Unity In Film: Writing/ Directing a Romance Drama to Inspire Change & Achieve Racial Justice

by Lorraine Annette Wheat

 I believe in the power of cinema to create change. That is why I write and direct even though the chances of becoming a successful woman director are slim. To clarify, in 2019, only 15.1% of the top-grossing 200 films were directed by women, according to Women and Hollywood. However, I want to tell stories that change peoples’ lives and inspire them to pursue greatness, just like one story inspired me.

I saw Ava DuVernay’s “Selma.” Her depiction of Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired me so much that I went on a road trip to Alabama to honor the civil rights leader two days later. That same year, I applied to film school before packing my bags and relocating to Los Angeles to study production at the University of Southern California.

While in grad school, I explored stories about humanity, filming a documentary about loneliness before pursuing stories about animal rights and body positivity. All of my stories starred women and people of color. Then in the Spring of 2020, I wrote and directed a sex-positive film titled “Cigarettes and Eggs,” which was about an intelligent and confident teenage daughter telling her overprotective mom that she was ready for her first sexual encounter. “Cigarettes and Eggs” was the first project that Kelly Chen and I completed together. We were both passionate about telling stories starring strong women that loved their bodies, and we hoped to work together again.

Fast forward to Summer 2020, when Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd’s neck, squeezing the last breath out of his body. Black Lives Matter protests erupted all over the United States, inspiring Kelly to call me, livid about Officer Tou Thao’s inaction. She wanted to address the anti-Blackness in the Asian American community, and I wanted to address police brutality. We decided our best bet was to combine our filmmaking talents and tell a story that would use cinema to change hearts and minds.

 I pitched Kelly a romance drama starring an Asian American cop in love with a Black woman that would work together to fight racial injustice in their communities. I thought this: While discussing police brutality is necessary, people would be overwhelmed by the news coverage and COVID-19. People would need hope and solutions, which they would find as they watched our lead characters confront racism while remaining in love.

Kelly loved my pitch and immediately signed on to produce, collaborating with our Associate Producer Erin Jones-Wesley while I would write and direct. Kelly and I knew a Los Angeles production would not be cheap--there’s actor, crew and lawyer fees, insurance, and permits--we would have to fundraise.

I knew all about asking for money because I come from a sales and advertising background. No one would give me money unless I sold that person on my vision. Talk is cheap; people want action, therefore Kelly and I created a tone piece that would capture the key elements of my story, such as the characters, the conflict, and the world. I collaborated with Joshua Jean-Baptiste (“Grown”) on writing the tone piece and tapped Federico Torri (“Driven”) to compose. He’s an Italian composer with a heart as big as the universe that had also composed “Cigarettes and Eggs.” We then headed into production with cinematographers Marc Merhej and Allison A. Waite (“The Dope Years: The Story of Latasha Harlins”), plus a small team of crew members that captured sound, maneuvered lights, and took notes to ensure continuity from shot to shot.

Working on the tone piece while balancing jobs and school was especially hard. Kelly networked to find our colorist Jayden on Instagram at @jadonfilms.color. Then Jay Borgwardt completed sound design while Brian Porter edited. Everyone worked on this story because they knew the importance of seeing movies about people of color successfully achieving racial justice while breaking stereotypes.

Kelly and I finally completed the tone piece on the last day of Women’s History Month, launching “Unspoken Vows” on Indiegogo under our production company Cinema Latte Productions. Kelly and I have grown so much since launching that fundraiser. I learned that I have to personally ask for what I want even if it’s intimidating.  I also learned that people want me to succeed. As of today, I have raised 92 percent of my budget. I am pushing to complete this fundraiser before partnering with like-minded businesses to sponsor the film and come onto the project as producers and financial partners.

Fundraising, writing, and directing “Unspoken Vows” is activism. Every time I reach out to an individual, I have to tell that person my mission: to create solidarity between Blacks and Asians, and inspire conversation around Black Lives Matter and the increased violence against Asian Americans. Many times those conversations are both educational and inspiring.

It is an everyday grind to make change. The Black Lives Matter movement started laying the foundation in 2013, and so when George Floyd happened, a coordinated effort by the organization inspired a movement that would lead to Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict. I am so excited to continue the work of so many people fighting for racial and gender equity by sharing my fundraising campaign for “Unspoken Vows.” I hope you will check it out and join us in spreading this message by donating and/or sharing. I also hope to connect with you on Instagram: @rainewheaties or @cinemalatteproductions.  

Fundraiser: https://igg.me/at/unspokenvows

Website: https://www.cinemalatteproductions.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinemalatteproductions/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cinemalatteproductions

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cinemalatteproductions

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinema_latte