All I Ever Wanted
Rom-com obsessed teen Christine has always longed for the picture-perfect romance... but she’s soon confronted with the fact that her ideal prince charming might actually be a princess charming instead.
Interview with Producer Selena Leoni
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I was a producer fellow at Film Independent Project Involve 2022 and All I Ever Wanted was one of the projects developed through the program. As a queer woman, I was immediately drawn to this story when I first read its logline during the early development stage. So when the time came to select our projects, All I Ever Wanted undoubtedly became my top choice!
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
All I Ever Wanted is a sweet nontraditional coming-of-age rom-com that will undoubtedly leave you with a smile by the end of the film.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
We were all teenagers once, and we can all relate to the mixed feeling of confusion and excitement as we figure out who we are. No matter who we are, we all experience the ups and downs of first love as we explore our sexuality. This film examines these topics through the eyes of a Vietnamese American teenager as she realizes that her ideal prince charming might actually be a princess charming instead.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script went through several rounds of re-writing during our 3-month development process, where our writer Van would have weekly meetings with the whole Project Involve team. The overall storyline didn't change much during this process, but we spent a lot of time polishing the script in every details we could so that it was ready for production.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We have received so much positive feedback since we began our festival run last year. People who have watched the film often tell us that they really appreciate us telling this story as it wasn't common until recently to see queer rom-com, not to mention a coming-of-age queer rom-com that celebrates love, friendship, and family.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I'm delighted with all the positive feedback we received throughout our festival run and that people embrace the film with so much positive energy.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope that by having our film on the website, it can reach more people and ultimately, we hope to distribute our film.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Sales agents, buyers, distributors, and journalists
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope that this short will inspire people to be true to themselves. And that when it comes to love (or any other thing in life), don’t be afraid to follow your heart and take the time you need. At the end of the day, everyone has their own process and timeline, and we shouldn’t be compelled to follow in others’ footsteps.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Who was your first love?
Would you like to add anything else?
Our website: https://www.allieverwantedfilm.com/
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am currently working on finishing my 2nd feature film Young Kings with the plan to start festival submissions later this spring. Additionally, I am developing two feature ideas and producing a couple of shorts that will be in the festival circuit later this year. I look forward to sharing these projects with all of you soon!
Interview: January 2023
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
All I Ever Wanted
Rom-com obsessed teen Christine has always longed for the picture-perfect romance... but she’s soon confronted with the fact that her ideal prince charming might actually be a princess charming instead.
Length: 15:00
Director: Erin Lau
Producer: Selena Leoni & Fiona Hardingham and Calvin Lam
Writer: Van B. Nguyen
About the writer, director and producer:
Just as her family served Hawaiʻi through their talents, Native Hawaiian filmmaker ERIN LAU wanted to elevate her community through storytelling. Lau was selected as a Sundance Native Lab fellow for her Chapman University MFA thesis, The Moon and the Night. The award-winning film went on to screen in over 30 festivals, including being short-listed for the 2018 Student BAFTA awards and licensed by the Criterion Channel. Since graduation, Lau has signed with the United Talent Agency (UTA) and continued her growth through fellowships with the Sundance Indigenous Institute, Film Independent’s Project Involve, Unlock Her Potential, and Powderkeg’s Break The Room. Lau now works as a Producer-Director for Jubilee Media, creating digital content that has garnered over 130 million views, and developed empathy-forward videos for brands including Google, Netflix and Always.
VAN B. NGUYEN is a Texas-native, Vietnamese-American writer/director who built a career in production as an assistant director. Her short films have screened at several film festivals, and her pilot, Casualties, was selected as one of the top 20 unproduced pilots by female writers for the WeForShe 2019 WriteHer List. Van was also a 2020 Film Independent Episodic Lab fellow, and most recently selected as a fellow for 2021’s Film Independent Project Involve. She wrote an action feature, Blackout, which stars Josh Duhamel, Abbie Cornish, and Nick Nolte. Van will soon join the writing staff of CBS’ Blue Bloods.
Growing up between Italy’s quiet countryside and the outsized cities of China gave transnational producer SELENA LEONI unique viewpoints of the world. Selena's love for art and technology led her to the City University of Hong Kong, where she earned her BAS in New Media in 2015. In Hong Kong, she developed several multimedia projects focused on social inclusion. In 2018, Selena attended UCLA’s Producers Program and earned an MFA Degree. She is a Producer fellow in the Film Independent’s Project Involve 2021 and has several film and television projects in development. Her recent credits include Wayfarer Studios’ feature film Smile or Hug and Bryant Griffin’s feature debut Young Kings.
FIONA HARDINGHAM is a UK-born, LA-based producer, most recently she worked as a Series Associate Producer on My Love a Netflix documentary series with Boardwalk Pictures. Other experience includes BFI NETWORK funded, Tribeca Film Institute Pond5 Program supported Our Sister, which premiered at BFI’s London Film Festival and won the British Short Film competition at Leeds International Film Festival 2020; and pilot presentation Distemper supported by the Alfred P Sloan Foundation, based on the true story of pathologist Dr. Louise Pearce in the early 1900s. Hardingham’s company Adapted Pictures focuses on generating impactful stories that promote empathy and social change.
Key cast: Cathy Bui (Christine), Maria Zhang (Jennifer), Connor McRaith (Peter), Long Nguyen (Dad), Elyse Dinh (Mom)
Looking for: distributors, sales agents, film festival directors, buyers and journalists
Instagram: @selena_moon_cat
Hashtags used: #AllIEverWanted
Website: www.allieverwantedfilm.com
Other: IMDb
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Children's Film Festival Seattle, February 3 -12, 2023
Mardi Gras Film Festival - Asia-Pacific Queer Film Festival Alliance (APQFFA) short film awards, 15 Feb–2 Mar, 2023
McMinnville Short Film Festival, February 23rd-26th