Before anything else — watch the teaser. If you find yourself wanting more when it ends... that's exactly why we're here.

"This is our culture — the ritual leaders, the handicraft, the music, the language, the connection to soul and spirit. Our culture is endangered. We wonder how to preserve the indigenous tradition of our people, to make sure the culture lives on for future generations." — Amema "Mimi" Saeju, Lisu Cultural Heritage Center

These are not the words of someone looking back in grief. They are the words of someone actively, fiercely building toward a future. And they are the reason this film exists — one of the very few documentaries ever made about the Lisu people of Thailand.

We need $10,000 to complete this film.

Without this support, we cannot move forward — and this story will remain unfinished.

I'm Amy Max, a documentary filmmaker from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Eight years ago, when studying in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I became friends with Amema "Mimi" Saeju — one of the most inspiring and inspired people I've ever met. Our relationship became the seed of something truly beautiful — and the reason I have spent the past 12 weeks in Thailand, in the middle of production on Movement in Stillness.

The Lisu are a highland Indigenous community with a presence across Southeast Asia and China — approximately one million people worldwide call themselves Lisu today. The name itself carries meaning: in their own language, Lisu translates roughly as "people who seek knowledge of life." In Thailand, where this film is rooted, the community numbers around 50,000.

This is not a story about disappearance. It is a story about continuity, care, and cultural presence. What we have found here is vibrant, living, and actively tended, through ritual, handicraft, music, language, and connection.

Mimi herself is not just a subject of this film. She is its co-creator — serving as co-producer, cultural guide, translator, and the relational bridge for our filmmaking team. In 2016 she founded the Lisu Cultural Heritage Center, a living hub for cultural revival, intergenerational knowledge, and community empowerment — work that earned her recognition from former US President Barack Obama. With her collaboration, we have been offered something rare.

In February, we traveled to Mimi's village high in the mountains of far northern Thailand, to celebrate Lisu New Year. What we found there — the color, the ceremony, the joy - exceeded anything we could have imagined. We have since returned four times and have been filming in Chiang Mai as well.

Over the past 12 weeks, we have been welcomed into intimate moments of ceremony, music, storytelling, and everyday life that we could not have anticipated. What we have captured so far is extraordinary — and the story is still revealing itself. There is more to follow, and we intend to follow it.

Movement in Stillness has been three years in the making. We are now in a critical second phase of production — following the story where it's asking to go, deepening the layers, and assembling the full film. This is the stage where momentum matters most, and where your support directly determines what is possible.

Will you help us?

This is not supplemental funding. Without it, we cannot continue production, and this story will remain unfinished.

$10,000 will fund:

This isn't just a film about a community. It's a film made with community — shaped by relationships, reciprocity, and trust. Every contribution brings it closer to the screen and strengthens the lasting impact it can have. Movement in Stillness documents what becomes possible when we create space for culture, connection, and collective curiosity.

If this story moves you, we invite you to be part of finishing it.

Please share this campaign with your friends and family and thank you for your support in whatever form it takes.