To this end, she is offering interested investors a sponsorship programme starting from RM50,000, with a 5% revenue-sharing model and exclusive benefits, including “associate producer” credits and a three-month marketing campaign.
Speaking with FMT Lifestyle, Lee described the film as a labour of love mostly because the story revolves around a group of people close to her heart.
“The people starting families, who are worried about issues of work, or marriage. Their stories also need to be told too,” Lee said, adding that these stories resonate more with her than horror or action plots.
This love of the domestic side of life inspired her to create “My Parent’s Midlife Crisis”, her first feature film.
The film’s three main characters are 13-year-old Velonica (Cheryl Foong), and her conservative parents: dutiful dad David (Douglas Lim) and restless mum Sandra (Jojo Goh).
The real story kicks in when the relative predictability of this family is disrupted when Sandra takes up cycling after inheriting her late brother’s bicycle. Pumped when she unexpectedly wins a cycling race, she devotes more time to her new hobby, completely upending the family dynamic.
Will Sandra’s new passion bring the family closer, or tear them apart?
“As a mother of two, we don’t always have the chance to do what we like. Our family is always a priority. Whenever we want to do something new, there’s usually resistance. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have dreams, or passions we still want to seek,” Lee said about the inspiration behind her film.
“You tell your children to have big dreams, and go all out for them. But how can you say that when you don’t have dreams of your own?”
The 109-minute film, in English and Cantonese, explores the clash between pursuing one’s passions versus upholding such classic Asian values like familial duty and self-sacrifice.
Lee said she was inspired to make the film after graduating from the Busan Asian Film School in 2022, where her pitch for the drama earned her a Special Mention Award.
She also received a pitching award at the Asian Broadcasting Academy (Busan Content Market).
Upon returning to Malaysia, she earned several grants to finance the film, including a FINAS DKD grant and an ARRI International Support Grant for first-time directors.
In making the film, Lee said she was lucky to land a talented cast: there was just one major problem – Goh hated cycling, and could barely ride a bicycle.
Fortunately, the actress powered through her role, nailing all her cycling scenes.
“When I look for roles, I enjoy those with characters who are fully human, with different sides and flaws to them. There are so many things to explore with them. So I was excited when I read the role of Sandra, and looked forward to bringing her to life,” Goh said.
Luck was also with Lee after she unexpectedly discovered young Foong, who initially auditioned to play one of the extras in the film. Foong impressed the team so much, however, that she was selected to play the lead.
“This is the first time I’m acting in a film, so I’m very grateful for Lee and her team for taking me on. It’s been wonderful to be part of this film, which tells a very realistic and relatable story,” Foong, 16, said.
Lee has been working hard for over three years to get her film completed, with production primarily funded by FINAS and ARRI, with support from Passionate World.
The film recently completed its first audience test screening at TGV One Utama, and received positive feedback from viewers.
“I hope the audience enjoys the journey that we will go on together. I also hope they enjoy this story about breaking from the norm, and ultimately finding yourself,” Lee concluded.
Now all that’s left is raising the RM300,000 so this drama can come to fruition.
For more information on ‘My Parent’s Midlife Crisis’, contact Philip Yip at 010-915 7296 or email [email protected]. Follow Yip on Facebook and Instagram.