2018 NYC Web Fest - Ciao Downtown
A reformed NYC nightlife party girl Feng-Feng Yeh and her crew of sexy friends arouse the world of wellness by eroticizing healthy recipes. Cooking becomes racy and tasty, keeping the body and mind in top shape against the demands of modern living.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Feng-Feng Yeh
Congratulations! Why did you make your webseries?
Thank you! I started Ciao Downtown because I want to educate people about the power of healthy eating (and healthy living) and its effect on our quality of life by making cooking at home sexy and fun.
In 2013, I had a women's health issue that required a minor surgery. Rejecting my doctor’s recommendation to take a prescription that I knew was merely a Band Aid fix, I treated myself holistically through diet and supplementation. I learned that about 70% of chronic diseases are preventable through the right balance of exercise, sleep, and diet. I was amazed to find a new way of cooking and eating that helped ease my symptoms and optimize my health while still tasting delicious. It was life changing and the best thing I had ever done for myself. I immediately wanted to share this knowledge and experience with my friends and family so that they too could reclaim their power to lead healthier happier lives.
The message had already started getting out in various circles; however, I found the identity of the wellness community to be monotone. I agreed with their practices for healing; however, they seemed to cater to a very specific voice that I did not entirely identify with. I wanted to make healthy eating something easy and fun to do instead of something that seemed restrictive and exclusive.
So I came up with Ciao Downtown. A subversive cooking show that teaches you complete healthy recipes along with some nerdy information about nutrition, sex jokes, fashion, and some sexy people from NYC culture. You might not want to watch with your parents or kids, but you definitely will want to watch it regardless if your goals are to eat or cook healthfully.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this webseries?
This show is for adults who want to be entertained. You should watch this web series if you like food, sex, and jokes. If you don't like any of those things then I don't know what you are doing with your life
How do personal and universal themes work in your webseries?
The main mission of Ciao Downtown is to educate and encourage people to eat and cook healthily. This is achieved by combining food, cooking, humor, and sexual expression. Food and cooking go hand-in-hand and are pretty universal themes, but when you marry them with comedy and sexual expression it turns into a whole other animal that is Ciao Downtown.
I love food as a medium because it is something everyone has to deal with on a daily basis. It is what brings us together. It is a basic human need but we all have a different experience with it. Cooking is an act of love. It is an act of love if you are cooking for yourself or for others. It can be a form of therapy or meditation and if you are intentionally making food to nourish and heal your body then even more so.
I believe comedy is a medicine and essential in healthy living. As RuPaul says, "Don't take life TOO seriously." Who are we if we can't laugh or laugh at ourselves? Sex is another huge driving force in our lives and I think that we are still awakening as a culture to what sexual freedom means. I find it surprising that it is still taboo in an age where adult sites like pornhub make up 3 of the top ten visited sites on the internet. I want to bring sex positivity in to the light here to break down slut shaming and sexual repression.
All of these key themes are really addressing our health. Our heath is our greatest luxury and we are making choices every day to either maintain, improve, or deviate from that luxury.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Since I am starting to shoot season two and am still trying to grow the audience for season one I would have to say that I am still trying to find exactly what my viewers are responding to so a lot of it is trial and error. For season two I find my methodology to be more intentional going forward with stronger collaborations within casting and conceptualizing. Expect more wows for sure!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
For the most part, I have been so blessed to have great feedback from friends, family, and strangers. I get a lot of repetitive feedback from various sources: "I've never seen anything like this before" is my favorite and I am always surprised to hear "Your production looks great!" But my favorites are when people tell me that they really love it and want to make the dishes. Some actually do make them successfully and secretly I hope they feel not only accomplished but sexy too.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
They say there is always room for growth. It makes me nervous because the positive and critical feedback makes me want to really bring season two to a new level of funny with a new level of personalities, storylines, and performances. Keeping what is working, and bringing an element of surprise is what keeps an audience engaged. I think I have underestimated people's attention spans and ability to be lazy so I am aiming to engaging the audience quicker.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
In the long game, I am trying to broaden my audience so that eventually Ciao Downtown can become more of a bigger umbrella for health/lifestyle/culture related information with multiple shows and related events. Meeting the right people who can help me bring this to fruition is a major goal. Rome was not built in a day nor was it built by one.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this webseries’s message?
All of the above. I am looking to collaborate and spread the message. I need all the help I can get.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this webseries to have?
If it inspires one person to cook something healthy or choose to eat something healthy for a day, everyday then I would be happy.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this fwebseries?
How does industrialized food affect your health?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am working on Season Two and developing an interview series that will work in conjunction with the episodes along with merchandise and events/live performances so that the audiences can have a more tangible and personal experience with the brand.
Interview: October 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Ciao Downtown
A reformed NYC nightlife party girl Feng-Feng Yeh and her crew of sexy friends arouse the world of wellness by eroticizing healthy recipes. Cooking becomes racy and tasty, keeping the body and mind in top shape against the demands of modern living.
Director: Feng-Feng Yeh
Producer: Feng-Feng Yeh
Writer: Feng-Feng Yeh
Key cast: Malik Alain, Andrè Porter, Jacob Bagwell, Victor Rodrigues
Looking for: producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Facebook: Ciao Downtown
Twitter: @ciao_downtown
Instagram: @ciaodowntown
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFKW61JqkngUMFQzjMQ-3FQ
Funders: Self funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? On www.ciaodowntown.com, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFKW61JqkngUMFQzjMQ-3FQ and on Instagram IGTV: @ciaodowntown