The House on Sovereign Street Casting Call

TITLE: The House on Sovereign Street
TYPE: Narrative Feature Film
DIRECTOR/WRITER: Bing Liu (Minding The Gap)
PRODUCERS: Jason Berman, Angela Lee, Diane Quon
CASTING DIRECTORS: Jessica Kelly (Euphoria) & Damian Bao (Port Authority)
SHOOT DATES: June/July 2022
SHOOT LOCATION: Rockford, Illinois.
CONTRACT: SAG Basic Theatrical Agreement
TALENT RATE: $1,056/day. Flight and lodging will be provided for talent who are based outside Illinois.

SYNOPSIS:
A Chinese American skateboard videographer tries to save his mother and brother from an abusive stepfather while navigating friendship and romance.

ABOUT THE WRITER/DIRECTOR:
Writer/Director Bing Liu is a filmmaker best known for the Academy Award- and Emmy- nominated documentary Minding the Gap, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win a Peabody Award. He directed three storylines on America To Me, a 10-hour series that examines racial inequities in the U.S. education system. He recently finished his second feature documentary, following two young men and their mentors transforming lives in two of Chicago’s neighborhoods most affected by gun violence.

FROM THE CASTING DIRECTORS OF “EUPHORIA” & “PORT AUTHORITY”

*CASTING IS OPEN TO PROFESSIONAL ACTORS (SAG AND NON-UNION), NEW ACTORS, AND NON ACTORS FOR ALL ROLES. YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE PRIOR ACTING EXPERIENCES TO APPLY. TALENT FROM ANYWHERE IN THE USA & CANADA ARE WELCOME TO SUBMIT.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:

BAO (Male, Chinese, Age 16-22) / LEAD ROLE – Angsty Chinese American 17-year-old teenager with slight build. He is an unlikely hero and the go-to skateboard videographer in his rustbelt Midwest town. A keen observer who loves capturing the beauty around him with his video camera. He has a goofy side that’s childish and playful and a capacity for rage and violence that is surprising. MUST HAVE SOME SKATEBOARDING EXPERIENCE. BONUS IF YOU ALSO HAVE SOME PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY EXPERIENCES.

HUA XIAO (Female, Chinese, Age 35-50) / SUPPORTING ROLE – Bao’s mom. She is an impulsive Chinese woman born in China who moved to the US in her late 20s. She is sensitive and playful in a childish way and loves to sing and dance when she’s alone. Fights like hell to make the best of her situation; she’s not a quitter. Must be able to speak accented English and fluent Mandarin.

EMILY (Female, Asian, Age 16-22) / SUPPORTING ROLE – Sociable Southeast Asian teenager who can make friends with anyone and talk about anything–except for the traumatic experiences with her father when she was a child. At age 17, she’s used to getting attention and draws a sense of self-worth from it. But scratch beneath the surface and you learn she’s afraid that if she lets people see her true self she’d be rejected.

AI GUO (Male, Chinese, Age 38-55) – Grounded Chinese man who is currently in a practical second marriage. He shows love by material means when he can afford it and when he can’t, through advice giving. He is a comforting father to Bao albeit only to the extent that it doesn’t compromise his devotion to his new family. Must be able to speak accented English and fluent Mandarin.