Heartseeker - A Lovely Short Film
ABOUT THE FILM:
SYNOPSIS: HESTIA, a single woman with a passion for cooking, uses the popular dating app “Heartseeker”, to meet HAROLD, a thriving entrepreneur. The two hit it off, and eventually make their way back to Hestia’s apartment. But unknown to either party, both harbor secrets and ulterior motives that will have deadly consequences for the rest of the night — and one of them isn’t leaving alive.
HEARTSEEKER is a thriller/suspense film that takes place in Los Angeles, with a visual asthetic similar to that of Bryan Fuller's "Hannibal", and David Fincher's "Gone Girl". The film explores the modern dating "Swipe Culture" through a darker lens, while at the same time showing at the lonely people who hide behind the profiles.
THE CAST
GRACE YOO as HESTIA
Hestia is poised and calculating, priding herself on her precision and charm. She is an introvert at heart, savoring her solitude and independence. However, despite this and a jaded view on "love", she sometimes finds herself on Heartseeker, a swipe-based dating app, looking for someone who can satisfy her peculiar tastes.
Follow Grace on Instagram: @graceyloufreebush
KOJI NIIYA as Harold
Harold has it all - good looks, a well-paying job, a nice apartment, and yet for some reason finds himself dissatisfied. He seeks excitement, something to break the routine and monotony he has found himself in.
Harold will be played by KOJI NIIYA
Follow him on Instagram at @kojiniiya_official
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
BRETT KODAMA is an Asian American filmmaker from Los Angeles based in New York City, where he studied Film and Video at The School of Visual Arts. While majored specifically in Film Editing, he had the opportunity to work on many film sets and experience all aspects of filmmaking from Pre-Production through Post-Production. He currently freelances as an editor and cinematographer.
One of his recent films, "One-Two-One-Seven", has screened throughout the country, and internationally at festivals in Canada and Ireland. The film is a short documentary about his grandmother, who as a child, was incarcerated at the Manzanar Relocation Center, an American Concentration Camp built to imprison people of Japanese descent during World War II.
The trailer for can be found here. For those in Southern California, the film will be screening Sunday July 23rd at Manzanar, the camp his grandmother was incarcerated in.
Below is a short visual sample of his work:
MY GOAL / WHY THIS MATTERS:
As an Asian American filmmaker, I feel like it is up to us to create room for ourselves in an industry that refuses to acknowledge our existence. Even outside of the film industry, we are seen as constant foreigners, and this bleeds into the perception of Asian people in media.
I see this film as just one step towards better representation in media/getting our voice out there in the world.
WHERE THE MONEY GOES:
As anyone can guess, making a film can be very expensive! The costs include paying for things such as locations, permits, insurance, transportation, food for actors/crew, storage for equipment, etc. While I have money saved up, there are always unexpected and unforeseen costs that will come into play, in addition to the previously listed items. And these are just costs for production! Post-production is another beast which includes editing, media storage, music, post-audio work, coloring, etc.
As a filmmaker, I want to be able to represent my point-of-view to the best of my abilities, and know that I put everything into this project that I possibly could, without having to be held back due to a lack of funds.
Also it goes without saying that any and all donators will be included in the credits of the final film when it finally is shown, which leads into the final point...
WHEN THIS WILL BE SEEN:
The finished film will be submitted to festivals, which will (hopefully) be screened in front of audiences. These dates will be revealed as updates on this campaign! After the festival circuit it will be put online for the public to see.
Even if you cannot donate financially, you can share it and help spread the word! Every little bit helps from translating this from script to screen!
Thank you for your time and I hope you have a lovely day! - Brett Kodama
