Hello, my name is Luca Pham, and I am the Director of the short film Nighthawks.

I’m currently a senior pursuing a BAS in Filmmaking at Olympic College, raising funds for my capstone project. I hope to gain your support in helping make this story the best it can be — a culmination of everything I’ve learned and a project that truly represents my voice as a filmmaker.

Logline

After meeting on a late-night train, two strangers drift through the sleeping city, chasing a feeling they know won’t last.

Synopsis

Two strangers meet by chance on a midnight train and share a moment neither of them thinks will last. Drawn together by curiosity and the quiet pull of the city at night, Birdie and Hopper spend the hours before dawn wandering under a simple rule — no names, no photos, just the moment. When morning comes and Hopper has to leave, the night fades, but something between them stays — a small reminder that even brief connections can leave a mark.

Director’s Statement

After this story became an idea and before it was developed into a script, I met someone on a train traveling from Chicago to Grand Rapids on my way to visit my family. What we talked about, I don’t remember, and her name, I never learned. I’ll likely never meet her again, and if I do, I won’t be able to tell it’s her. Yet, that brief interaction I had, like Birdie’s interaction with Hopper, has stayed with me still. There’s beauty to be found within the temporary. Within the blurriness of memory, where you’re no longer grasping senses but feelings and emotions, because that’s all that’s left when the memories are gone: the feeling of that moment. Those feelings, sifted away by time, became the heart of Nighthawks.

At its core, Nighthawks is about connection, and as social creatures, that’s all we really want in life: to be seen, to be heard, and to be felt. It’s an ode to all the forgotten late-night memories I’ve had with my friends and family, reflected on screen through Birdie and Hopper. It’s a story that asks you to recontextualize your memories as artworks within themselves and to appreciate the feelings they give you, even if they hurt, because that hurt is real and there’s beauty in reality.

Being a rather simple narrative, yet rich in visual details, the potential for creative expression allows for something stylistically powerful and memorable. Heavily inspired by formalistic films such as Chungking Express and La Jetée, Nighthawks will play into its themes of fading memories and dreams. As a reflection of the two characters' personalities, Birdie, who is stagnant, and Hopper, who is always in motion, the film will play with still frames and shutter speed, creating a sensation of the film degrading right before the viewers' eyes, evoking a feeling of nostalgia and longing.

Birdie and Hopper are two sides of the same coin that come together and harmonize within the blanket of night. Birdie is lonely and isolated on her own, mirrored by the various reflections and water puddles found in the city. Hopper is someone who finds themselves feeling lonely within crowds, a dying light, symbolized by the various streetlights, cigarette cherries, and headlights of the city. The light captured within the reflections parallels what they mean to each other.

Representing an almost fantasy scenario, it's important to me that this story is believable. The performances have to be realistic, raw, and emotionally charged with feelings of melancholy, joy, and longing. The viewer has to laugh when they laugh and ache when they ache. It's important to me that when the credits roll and the screen cuts to black, the viewer is still sitting there, holding onto the feeling of the story in their chest. The film itself should serve as a memory that we long to return to, much like Birdie’s longing for Hopper’s presence.

As a filmmaker, I'm always striving to challenge myself and the norm — to explore and experiment with what is possible and what is not. For this story, I ask myself and the viewer to break convention and consider the idea: “What if they never meet again?”

Why I Need Your Support

Your support will help cover essential production costs, including:

How You Can Help

Donate — Any amount makes a difference!

Share — Spread this campaign with friends, family, classmates, coworkers, etc.

Closing Note

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about Nighthawks. This project serves as a monument to all that I've learned so far and a stepping stone into the greater world of filmmaking. With your support, I can turn my dream into a reality.