Lynn Chen is making her directorial debut with “I Will Make You Mine.” A Kickstarter began Wednesday.
Chen, who is best known for starring in the 2004 romantic comedy “Saving Face,” as well as narrating the “Crazy Rich Asians” audiobook, also wrote the script.
Her film will be the third and final installment in the “Surrogate Valentine” comedy trilogy, which began in 2011 under director Dave Boyle. “Surrogate Valentine,” shot in black and white, explores the friendships and romantic relationships of Goh Nakamura, an indie musician; in “Daylight Savings,” the follow-up, Goh pursues a rebound after a break-up.
Both films debuted at SXSW and have won awards in film festivals nationwide, including the Grand Jury Prize at the San Diego Asian Film Festival.
“I Will Make You Mine” is set six years after “Surrogate” and “share the perspectives of the three women (Chen, Ayako Fujitani and Yea-Ming Chen) that are romantically linked to Goh as they maneuver into their 40s and face major life changes.”
“I’ve always been curious about what ended up happening to all of these characters I loved getting to know,” Chen said in a statement. “I feel it’s important to finally offer the female perspective — to go deeper into the lives of these women and see how they think and operate when they’re not around Goh.”
Tamlyn Tomita, Joy Osmanski, Mike Faiola, Christy Meyers, Ayami Riley Tomine and Jeff Meacham have also joined the cast. The project will bring back Goh in a smaller role, as well as Bill Otto, original director of photography, and Boyle, as producer.
On her Kickstarter page, Chen pointed to the need to put more Asian American women on screen as fully formed characters. “This movie puts several [Asian American women] front and center, each unique and complex, without apology or excuse for their race or gender or why they belong in the limelight,” she wrote. “Watching them breathe and live on screen, each telling their own love story, is something I believe we can all relate to.”
Visit Kickstarter to support the film, follow at @IWMYMfilm and go to iwillmakeyoumine.com for more information.
