在生活稳定和追逐梦想之间，你会做什么样的选择？

她毅然选择离开了科技行业，留在剧场，一个经济、身份和前景对于初代移民来说都不甚明朗的行业，通过戏剧和社群创建了一个新的归属。

我们正在制作一部关于追寻梦想意义的纪录片——“Offscript”。但我们需要你的帮助才能让这部纪录片成为现实。

Which would you choose between stability and following your dreams?

Stuck in the industry notorious for binding financial income with legal status through the means of work visa, she made the radical choice to break free from tech, and build a new life through the theater community.

We are making a film “OffScript” to remember what it truly means and what it will cost to follow your dream in today’s society. We need your help to make this documentary a reality.

这部纪录片讲述了什么？

2023年，全球科技行业仍然火热的形势下，大量不同专业背景的中国留学生与在美华人都出于经济与身份的考量选择了“转码”。本片的被拍摄者却在此时选择从科技公司辞职，全职进入戏剧行业，这一前景不明朗的冷门职业。这一选择不仅关乎职业发展，也涉及身份认同、创作动机和现实生存的挑战。

我们将以一个华人女性导演为切入点，讲述她如何在“转码”热潮中，选择留在剧场、选择不稳定、选择发声。影片探讨的不仅是一个人如何面对选择，更是一个时代里：我们如何定义成功？如何保留热爱？如何在不属于我们的系统中建立归属？ 对身处夹缝中的创作者、移民者、追梦者来说，这不仅是她的故事，也是我们的故事。

这部纪录片将结合访谈、观察式纪录、个人自拍素材，构建立体叙事。通过拍摄，我们不仅呈现她的职业选择，也借此讨论身份、艺术、现实的交汇点。

What is this Documentary About?

In the continued boom of the global tech industry, 2023 saw an overwhelming number of Chinese international students and diaspora professionals in the U.S. choose to “转码” (transition into tech) as a pathway to financial stability and immigration security. This documentary follows a young Chinese woman who made the opposite decision: she left her tech job to pursue theater full-time—an uncertain, underfunded, and often invisible path.

In choosing theatre, she learns to live with uncertainty, to ask for support, and to lead not by burning herself out, but by building shared vision and mutual care. Her growth offers a rare portrait of what it means for a woman of color to claim creative space without institutional backing or social safety nets.

This film weaves together interviews, observational footage, and self-shot video diaries to build a layered and intimate portrait of an immigrant woman navigating the intersection of art, identity, and survival. And it explores the emotional and material cost of choosing art over certainty, and examines how one navigates survival, identity, and authorship in a system that offers few guarantees. Through her story, we interrogate what “success” means in the immigrant imagination, and how one sustains creative agency while living under economic precarity.

我们为什么要拍摄这部纪录片？

这个故事不只是关于一个人，而是关于更多的年轻创作者和移民对于成功的看法。它讲述了人们如何通过艺术进行反抗，坚持不懈地表达自我。它讲述了选择创作，选择不确定的人们所要付出的不同寻常的努力。它挑战了成功、安全和生存的主流叙事。它也讲述了我们。

Why Does This Story Matter?

This story is not just about one person—it's about many young creatives and immigrants questioning what success looks like. It’s a portrait of resistance, in the quiet, persistent act of staying true to one’s voice. It’s about live through art and the hidden cost of choosing creativity over certainty. It challenges dominant narratives of success, security, and survival. It's about us, too.

为什么我们适合制作这部纪录片？

我们不仅仅是故事的记录者，更是这个故事的一部分。作为在美国从事艺术相关工作的华人女性，我们与她有着相似的经历与困境：面对不稳定的职业路径、文化身份的游移、签证与经济的压力，以及在系统之外寻找归属与表达的渴望。

我们曾与本片的拍摄对象合作多个戏剧项目，深度参与了西雅图华人戏剧公司“戏有云”的运营和创作。在这个被科技行业主导、节奏冷峻的城市中，她的勇敢、果决与创造力，为我们以及更多人创造了一个情感真实、彼此支持的空间。她的存在，让我们在迷茫中看见另一种可能 —— 作为华人女性移民，我们不必只选择安全路径，也可以为自己点一盏灯。

本片的联合创作者是Renzi和Tianxing。Renzi有着丰富的纪录片创作经验，也曾深度参与多个“戏有云”戏剧项目，她能够从影像的维度把握故事的复杂性与层次。Tianxing从事戏剧行业多年，曾在疫情期间经历创作的低谷与怀疑，这段经历使她对本片所探讨的主题有着深切的共鸣与理解。此外，Rongdi作为制片人，曾参与“戏有云”和其他西雅图本地艺术社团的多个戏剧和短片的项目制作，他将为本片的拍摄和制作提供全面的支持。

我们以创作者、朋友和同行的多重身份进入这个故事，既拥有贴近的情感，也有讲述的清晰视角。我们相信，只有理解她生活的日常，才能真正呈现她选择的重量。正因如此，我们是最适合讲述这个故事的团队。

Why Are We the Right Team to Make This Film?

We are not just observers of her story—we are part of it. As Chinese women working in the arts in the U.S., we share many of the same challenges she faces: navigating unstable career paths, cultural displacement, visa and financial precarity, and the ongoing search for creative belonging.

We have collaborated with her on multiple theater projects over the years, and as part of Yun Theatre, a Chinese Immigrant bilingual theater collective based in Seattle, we have witnessed firsthand how her leadership, courage, and clarity have created spaces of warmth and meaning in a city otherwise defined by tech and transience. Her presence gave us, and many others, a renewed sense of purpose and connection.

Her story reflects a version of ourselves: women trying to make space for expression within systems not built for us. Her choices have inspired us to reimagine what it means to be an immigrant, a woman, and an artist in America.

Renzi, director, is an experienced filmmaker with a strong background in documentary production and has also worked closely with Yun Theater, allowing her to approach this story with cinematic sensitivity. Tianxing, co-director, has worked in the theater industry for years, and struggled with creative uncertainty during the pandemic, a journey that deepens her connection to the themes of this film. Rongdi, producer, has participated in a few productions of Yun Theatre and other short film projects by local organizations in Seattle. He will provide full support for the filming and production of this documentary.

Together, we bring both emotional proximity and critical distance to this project. We are uniquely positioned to tell this story with the care, nuance, and lived understanding it deserves.

创作者履历 Creator Bios

李壬子 是一位常驻西雅图的独立电影人及声音设计师，拥有美国萨凡纳艺术与设计学院电影与声音设计双硕士学位，现任教于西雅图电影学院。她擅长以画面与声音讲述小人物的故事，以细腻的女性视角捕捉社会变迁中的情感涟漪。她将声音视为情感与叙事之间的桥梁，擅长在不同媒介中构建具有空间感与心理张力的声响世界。她的作品多聚焦于身份认同、家庭关系与女性经验，致力于用温柔却坚定的方式描绘个体在社会结构中的挣扎与坚守。她执导的短片《George’s Chick》入围多个国际电影节并获奖，编剧作品《佛堂》收录于《之间》戏剧集，并于2023年在西雅图公演。作为本片的导演，她将延续一贯的创作风格，通过敏锐的声音与画面捕捉，记录一位移民艺术家在城市流动中寻找自我与坚持创作信念的旅程。

Renzi Li is a Seattle-based independent filmmaker and sound designer. She holds dual MFAs in Film and Sound Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design and currently teaches at the Seattle Film Institute. Her work gives voice to those on the margins, capturing nuanced emotions amid social change through a distinct female perspective. She sees sound as a bridge between emotion and narrative, skillfully crafting immersive sonic landscapes across different media. Often exploring themes of identity, family, and the female experience, her work portrays individual struggles with quiet strength. Her short film George’s Chick was selected by and awarded at multiple international film festivals. Her playwriting work The Buddha Hall was featured in the In Between play collection and staged in Seattle in 2023. As the director of this documentary, Renzi brings her signature approach to storytelling, using image and sound to trace an immigrant artist’s search for self and creative perseverance in a world of constant motion and uncertainty.

闫天行 是一位横跨多个领域的艺术家，同时也是戏剧公司“戏有云”的常驻艺术家。她专注于舞台、银幕与视觉叙事。她拥有加州大学戴维斯分校舞台服装设计硕士学位。她的艺术实践融合了多个不同领域，擅长通过戏剧表现、电影语言以及个人生命经验，创造出沉浸式的视觉世界。她的作品涵盖戏剧、电影与时尚，并在众多城市和平台上演。近期作品包括《Cornelia’s Visitors》、《Eurydice》、《Passage》、《Vietgone》、《June is the First Fall》、《年轻人社死档案室》、《In Between》与《Caught》。作为纪录片的联合导演，天行将把她丰富的协作叙事经验，以及作为移民艺术家的独特视角带入影片创作，致力于捕捉自我、创作与坚持在不确定的语境下交织而成的细腻瞬间。

Tianxing Yan is a multidisciplinary artist and resident artist at Yun Theatre, working across stage, screen, and visual storytelling. She holds an MFA in Costume Design from the University of California, Davis, where she deepened her exploration of narrative through design. Tianxing’s practice draws inspiration from multiple disciplines, blending theatricality, cinematic language, and lived experience to create immersive visual worlds. Her work spans theater, film, and fashion, with projects presented across diverse cities and platforms. Recent credits include Cornelia’s Visitors, Eurydice, Passage, Vietgone, June is the First Fall, 年轻人社死档案室, In Between, and Caught. As co-director of Off Script, Tianxing brings her background in collaborative storytelling and her lived experience as an immigrant artist to the documentary form. Her work seeks to capture the subtle intersections between identity, creativity, and resilience in uncertain landscapes.

黄戎迪 是西雅图戏剧公司“戏有云”的成员，也是独立中文书店“之间”的主理人之一。他在西雅图地区有丰富的文化活动组织经验，擅长跨团体协作和资源整合，致力于打造属于离散社群的表达空间。曾参与制作和组织戏剧演出《Passage》、《June is the First Fall》、《年轻人社死档案室》、《In Between》，组织和策划电影放映《椒麻堂会》、《宇宙探索编辑部》。他作为软件工程师在西雅图科技行业工作多年，对这个故事有一份独特的情感联结。作为本片的制片人，他将竭尽全力保证影片的顺利拍摄，并致力于让更多人看到这个关于热爱和梦想的故事。

Rongdi Huang is a member of Yun Theatre, the co-founder of In Between, an independent Chinese bookstore in Seattle. He has extensive experience organizing cultural events in the Seattle area and specializes in cross-organizational collaboration and resource coordination. He is dedicated to creating spaces for diasporic communities to express themselves. He has participated in the production and organization of theatrical works such as Passage, June is the First Fall, Young People Social Death Archives, and In Between. He also curated film screenings of A New Old Play and Journey to the West. Having worked for many years as a software engineer in Seattle’s tech industry, Rongdi holds a unique emotional connection to this story. As the producer of this documentary, he is committed to supporting the successful production of the film, and to helping share this story of passion and dreams with the broader audiences.

朱灏，出生于广东深圳，现居西雅图，是自由撰稿人、独立研究者与影像工作者，即将从华盛顿大学电影研究与新闻学双专业毕业。她关注个人叙事、城乡流动与性别议题，致力于通过影像、写作与社区活动，探索跨文化语境下的叙事实践。曾以美术设计、道具助理与制片助理身份参与短片、戏剧及纪录片项目，亦曾经参与电影节与中国纪录片发行工作，积累了项目统筹与国际交流经验。现于多家非营利组织协助社群活动策划。本片中担任执行制片人，统筹影像制作与社群推广，希望能够通过这支影片与主创团队一同成长，将影片背后的社群声音传递至更广阔的公共空间。

Hao Zhu was born in Shenzhen, Guangdong, and is currently based in Seattle. She is a freelance writer, independent researcher, and media creator, soon to graduate from the University of Washington with a double major in Film Studies and Journalism. Her work focuses on personal narratives, urban-rural migration, and gender issues. Through film, writing, and community engagement, she explores narrative practices in cross-cultural contexts. She has contributed to short films, theater, and documentary projects in roles such as art designer, props assistant, and production assistant. She has also been involved in film festivals and the distribution of Chinese documentaries, gaining experience in project coordination and international exchange. Currently, she supports community engagements at several nonprofit organizations. As the executive producer of “Offscript”, she will oversee the production and focus on community outreach, with the hope of growing alongside the creative team and amplifying the voices behind the film into broader public spaces.

我们为什么需要你的帮助？

我们是一个资源和人手都较为有限的小独立拍摄团队。众所周知，独立电影拍摄和纪录片制作需要一定成本，且盈利较为困难，加上我们目前没有机构及行业支持或者外部启动资金，因此我们需要完全依靠社群的支持来让这部纪录片成为现实。本次筹款的目标是帮助我们完成该项目的第一阶段，一部长约15分钟的纪录短片。

由于主人公目前在纽约生活和工作，摄制团队需要前往纽约进行拍摄。我们计划在20天内记录她的生活，你的每一份支持都将直接用于拍摄期间的必要成本。

你的支持将如何帮助我们：

设备 & 拍摄费用（$800）– 你的支持将帮助我们租赁摄像机、录音设备和灯光，以确保创作者以最风格化的方式呈现故事。

机票（$600）– 你的支持将帮助两位主创从西雅图飞往纽约进行拍摄。

住宿（$1,740）– 你的支持将帮助我们在纽约拍摄期间支付团队的租房费用。

餐饮（$2,000）– 电影拍摄是一个高强度的过程，需要长时间工作。你的支持将确保我们的团队在拍摄期间能够保持精力充沛，全身心投入创作。

纽约市内交通（$240）– 你的支持将用于两位主创在纽约拍摄期间的日常通勤，记录主人公在这座城市里的生活和工作。

后期制作（$200） – 这些资金将用于剪辑、声音设计及专业后期制作软件，以确保我们能将原始素材打磨成一部完整的纪录片。

电影节提交 & 宣传推广（$500）– 你的支持将帮助我们将纪录片提交到电影节，让更多观众可以看到这个故事，传播给更广泛的社群。

️ （拓展目标）本地放映 & 营销推广（$1,000）– 如果我们筹集的资金超出初始目标，我们希望举办一些线下放映活动，邀请支持者、创作者和社区成员一起观赏并交流。这笔资金将用于场地租赁、宣传物料和活动组织，让这部纪录片真正触达观众，发挥其影响力。

⭐ 初始目标：$6,000

⭐ 拓展目标：$7,000

我们还计划制作一部纪录长片！你的额外支持将直接投入未来的制作预算，让这个故事能够以更完整的方式呈现。

Why We Need Your Help

We are a small independent filmmaking team with limited resource and staff. Independent filmmaking and documentary production cost a lot with little aspect for profit. In addition, we currently do not have any institutional and industrial support or external start-up funds, so we are relying on community support to make this documentary come to life. This fundraising aims to help us finish the first phase of this project, a 15 minutes short documentary. Given the protagonist is currently living and working in New York City, the film team will need to travel to NYC for the film. We plan to film her life in 20 days, and every dollar of this crowdfund will go directly toward covering all the essential costs during our filming there.

Here’s how your support will make a difference:

Equipment & Filming Expenses ($800) – Your support will help us cover camera rentals, sound equipment, and lighting to ensure we capture the journey with the care and depth it deserves.

Flights ($600) – Your support will cover the flight tickets from Seattle to New York for the two creators in order to film the story.

Accommodation ($1,740) – Your support will help cover housing for the team during the shoot in New York

Meals ($2,000) – Filmmaking is an intense process that requires long hours on location. This ensures our small team can stay nourished and focused throughout production.

Travel & Logistics ($240) – Your support will cover the two creators’ daily transit in New York while following the protagonist’s life and work in the city.

Post-Production ($200) – These funds will help cover software including sound design and professional editing to shape the raw footage into a documentary.

Festival Submissions & Outreach ($500) – This story deserves to be seen. Your contributions will help us submit the documentary to film festivals, share it with wider audiences, and ensure its impact reaches beyond our immediate community.

️ (Stretch Goal) Local Screening & Marketing ($1000) – If we exceed our initial goal, we would love to host a local screening to bring together our supporters, fellow creatives, and the community. This would cover venue rental, promotional materials, and logistics to ensure we can share this film in an intimate, impactful setting.

⭐ Initial Goal $6,000

⭐ Stretch Goal $7,000

We are planning to make a feature length documentary too! Any extra support from you will go directly into our future budget, in order to fully present the story in a more complete way.

你的支持至关重要

作为独立电影制作团队，我们的创作将在还没有任何资金保障的情况下进行，仅仅凭着对于这个故事的热爱与信念，带着对于生活选择的思考与疑问，希望讲述那些挑战主流叙事的声音。

你的支持不仅仅是一笔捐款——它是对被忽视声音的放大，是对现有体系的挑战，也是帮助独立电影在商业体系之外生存的一种方式。

如果你相信故事的力量，相信创造性的抵抗，相信多元声音的价值，请加入我们，让这部纪录片成为现实！

♥️ 捐款支持：即使是$10也能带来改变！每一份贡献，无论大小，都会让我们的拍摄更进一步。额外的$1甚至能帮助我们朝着长篇纪录片的目标迈进！

分享：如果无法捐款，转发这次众筹也是对我们最有力的支持！

关注我们：

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offscript.documentary/

每一笔捐款、每一次分享，都让这部纪录片离现实更进一步。如果你无法捐款，帮助我们把这个故事传播出去，对于我们来说同样意义非凡！

让我们一起完成这部纪录片！

Your Support Matters

As independent filmmakers, we are navigating this journey without financial safety nets. We are not backed by a production company or major grants—we are simply passionate creatives determined to tell a story that challenges dominant narratives about success and belonging.

Your support is not just a donation—it’s a way to amplify underrepresented voices, to challenge the status quo, and to help an independent film exist in a system that often overlooks stories like this.

If you believe in the power of storytelling, in the importance of creative resistance, and in the value of making space for narratives that challenge convention, we invite you to be part of this journey with us.

♥️ Donate: Even $10 helps! Every contribution, big or small, brings us closer to filming. An extra $1 would help us to make this a feature length documentary next!

Share: If you can’t donate, sharing this campaign with your network is just as valuable!

Follow Our Journey: Stay updated on our progress through our IG page:

https://www.instagram.com/offscript.documentary

Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us closer to making this film a reality. If you can’t donate, sharing this campaign with your network is just as valuable to us.

We can make this documentary happen together.