SECRETS OF THE NEON CITY - Help us bring Hong Kong of the 1950s back to life in cinema!

THE FILM

We're Banyan Tree Movies and we're seeking your support for our next feature film, Secrets of the Neon City. This story comes from a deep love of Hong Kong in the 1950s - a world of smoky nightclubs, crowded offices, colonial residences, and glowing neon street signs. So much of our history is slowly fading from living memory, and we need to bring all its hidden stories back to life.

Secrets of the Neon City is a historical drama set in Hong Kong, 1958. Tony Lau, a hardened news reporter, and his ex-wife Bridget Chan, who's a nightclub singer, are brought back together through grief and confusion of the mysterious sudden death of their son. As they follow the clues, they uncover a secret act of courage that forces them to confront the actions made by their beloved late son, their broken marriage, and the love they never fully understood. This story is filled with love and regret, secrets and mystery, tight friendship bonds, and the complicated lives of ordinary people that live beneath the city's neon lights.

Our ambition is simple - to recreate Hong Kong of the past so vividly that audiences around the world can step inside it... and experience it. Your financial support will help us take the next real steps in production: to build authentic sets, bring cast and crew into the spaces, and film an emotional, human story of the 1950s amidst a complexity of mixed culture, politics, and relationships during that period of time. Our indie film production will be shot at our movie studio in Washington State and our goal is to make a film that resonates with worldwide audiences and transcends across borders, cultures and continents.

Your funds will go toward production and post-production costs, letting us bring the story to life inexpensively, while still allowing enough time and resources to produce a high-quality and carefully crafted product.

OUR MOVIE STUDIO & TEAM

Banyan Tree Movies is an independent film studio dedicated to producing thought-provoking, inspiring, and hopeful films that showcase life stories as epic narratives of struggle and victory. We specialize in crafting Asian period dramas that are rooted in the 1930s to 1960s. Secrets of the Neon City will be our studio's 4th feature film - our 5th film overall. Our 4 previous films include The Singularity Protocol, Battlebox, Hong Kong 1942, and Christmas at the Royal Hotel.

Craig McCourry - Award-winning filmmaker, producer, and director whose career spans over 35 years and more than 70 countries. Craig is the founder of Banyan Tree Movies and the movie director of this film.

Grace Yan-Yan Mak - Accomplished film scholar, screenwriter, and film producer, holding a Ph.D. in Chinese Studies with a focus in Hong Kong and Singapore cinema from the early 1900s. Grace is a producer and the screenwriter of this film.

Kathy Wen - Award-winning songwriter and singer with a YouTube following of over 500K. Kathy spent over 15 years of her career in tech, gaming, and consulting, with her previous role as a Google Director. Kathy is a producer and songwriter, as well as the actress who will be playing the role of Bridget Chan in this film.

Principle Cast - We've started casting for all roles and have already received over 1,000 auditions! Ongoing auditions may be submitted on BACKSTAGE.

WHERE YOUR SUPPORT GOES

We already have our own film studio space, but our goal is to raise $100,000 to complete production for the full film feature.

Your support will directly cover:

- 8 Principle cast members, plus local talent for supporting roles

- Full production crew, including camera persons, makeup & wardrobe, etc.

- Travel, lodging, and meals for cast and crew

- Film set construction and other location fees

- Post-production and music production costs

- Film festival submissions and marketing costs to bring our film to audiences worldwide

SUPPORTER REWARDS

If you're able to support us, we want to thank you with rewards! Please see our reward levels below:

$10 — NEON SUPPORTER

- Added to our exclusive newsletter for film progress updates

- Our sincere thanks for helping launch the film

$50 — FRIEND OF THE NEON CITY

- All previous rewards

- Digital collection of production photographs

- Downloadable Secrets of the Neon City poster

$100 — DIGITAL PREMIERE PASS

- All previous rewards

- We'll give you a shout out across all of our social media platforms

- Invitation to an exclusive online advance screening

$200 — SCREEN CREDIT SUPPORTER

- All previous rewards

- Name included in the film’s closing Special Thanks credits

- Signed physical copy of the screenplay

$300 — COLLECTOR PACKAGE

- All previous rewards

- Personalized video thank-you from the filmmakers

- Collector’s physical edition of the film when available (shipping may be charged in addition for supporters outside the USA)

$500 — PEARL CLUB PATRON

- All previous rewards

- Invitation to an exclusive virtual cast-and-filmmaker discussion (post-film release)

- Signed film poster

$1,000 — NEON CITY PATRON

- All previous rewards

- Featured Patron of the film credit

- Private 30-minute 1:1 online conversation with our film director, Craig McCourry

- Special movie merch (shipping may be charged in addition for supporters outside the USA)

- Invitation for 2 to an available premiere or community screening (Travel and accommodation are not included)

$2,500 — ASSOCIATE PATRON

- All previous rewards

- Associate Producer credit on the film

- Invitation to private online production briefing with our film director and producers

- Invitation for 2 to visit the Banyan Tree Movies studio in Battle Ground, WA during a scheduled production (Travel and accommodation are not included)

$5,000 — LEGACY PATRON

- All previous rewards

- On top of Associate Producer credit, special recognition will be given as a Legacy Patron in film credit

- Legacy Patrons will be named in selected promotional materials for the film (credit wording and placement will remain subject to distributor and film festival requirements)

- Your name to appear in the film, for example, on a shop sign or newspaper headline

- Invitation to a private online cast reading of the screenplay or other pre-production cast meeting as we prep for filming

- Invitation to watch a private rough-cut feedback screening

- Framed production still signed by members of the principal cast

If this project speaks to you, we would be truly grateful for your help and encouragement. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us reach our vision to preserve the stories and memories of Hong Kong and move our film one step closer to the big screen. Please support our fundraiser and join us on this journey to bring Secrets of the Neon City to life!

If you're unable to contribute financially, sharing our campaign with your friends, family, and social networks is equally meaningful and deeply appreciated. Thank you so much!

For more information about Banyan Tree Movies, check out our WEBSITE.

For more information on the film, check out our PITCH DECK.

You can also follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and YOUTUBE for more updates!