Short Film Post Production Fundraising

“One Day I’ll Open My Fist” is a short film by Dylan Rizzo, a Chinese American filmmaker, raising post production funds. This highly personal project was shot on 16mm film, on-location around Chinatown and Rockaway beach in March of this year.

The film’s synopsis is: A young Chinese American woman turns to petty theft as an act of frustration against Chinatown’s gentrification. Through her actions and decisions, she is forced to confront her ideas of identity, home, and what it means to belong in a neighborhood that is transforming beneath her feet.

Dylan’s family has centered their life around Chinatown and the Lower East Side since the early 20th century. His grandmother, Dorothy Lu, grew up on Pell street. As a native New Yorker, Dylan has watched the city change rapidly. The displacement of residents and businesses in Chinatown is a complicated emotional reality for him and his family. The neighborhood, like so many others, has long served as an anchor for many New Yorkers. This project aims to give voice to that feeling and even features some of Dylan’s family members as cast and crew. Dylan’s grandfather’s office and apartment are heavily featured in the film. They stand, largely unchanged, as testament to the historical nature of this story.

In a city like New York, neighborhoods are in a constant state of flux. Dylan’s film explores displacement and loss of identity through the eyes of a young woman whose coming of age collides with the transformation of her home.

To find out more about the project and contribute see the link below.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/abynreabe/one-day-ill-open-my-fist/description