LOGLINE
A trio of pre-teen misfits must rally their small town Southern community to save their local ice rink from closing in the summer of 2002.
SYNOPSIS
Summer 2002: When a local rinky dink ice rink is on the brink of closing, a trio of pre-teen ice skating misfit girls are forced to cross enemy lines and bring their small town Southern community together to save their beloved home base... while learning what it means to grow up.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
With DEAR MICHELLE, we want to capture the look and feel of one last summer on the cusp of teenage-dom — a time of wonder and innocence and loss of innocence. The key word to describe our production will be: Energy. There will be energy in the cinematography, soundtrack, and performances — all motivated by the characters and the story, as we see and experience the world from our young leads’ points of view. DEAR MICHELLE will be an entertaining, girl-power sports comedy like a BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM on ice, with the joy and authenticity of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and heart of ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET.
The cinematography, production design, wardrobe, hair and make-up will all be instrumental in capturing the essence of the early 2000’s. We want to bring to life a world that's relatable to many, but one which we haven’t seen before on screen. The Hollywood version always gives us ice princesses and Olympic skaters. But we could never relate to them. Most of us are punk-ass rebels with knives on our feet, throwing ourselves up in the air and hoping for the best. This is the spirit and energy we want to capture. It'll be fresh, funny, dynamic and exuberant. We'll celebrate youth and sisterhood with a pop-punk soundtrack.
We’re making this film for fathers and daughters, mothers and daughters, but also anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider. When our girls and their disparate crew of fellow underdogs take a stand for their little community rink, facing off against the corporate Goliath Iceplex and a system that’s stacked against them, they show us that there’s power in folks of different backgrounds working together.
KEY CREW
Caroline Guo - Writer/Director
Like any good Chinese-American daughter, Caroline promised her parents she’d be a doctor or lawyer. Only to become a diehard film nerd. She wrote and directed the short film FIRECRACKER, now streaming worldwide on Netflix and funded by the Netflix & NALIP Women of Color Short Film Incubator. She’s a Finalist for the Women in Film Directing Fellowship, TIFF Gold House Pitch Showcase, STARZ #TakeTheLead Writers’ Intensive, The Black List & WIF Feature Lab and Film London Production Finance Market. She filmed her award-winning short THE TEST in Beijing, China, was featured in Criterion Collection and previously worked in TV Development. She mentors for the Writers Guild Initiative and works at LA Kings Ice in Burbank. Caroline loves telling stories with humor and heart to find the glimpses of humanity within us.
Christopher Au - Producer
Christopher Au is a San Francisco-based filmmaker. He won an Emmy as a commercial producer with Fox Sports Net before moving into feature films and television. Chris wrote, directed and produced the Wall Street dramedy series BULGE BRACKET on Amazon Prime. His feature film producing credits include the neo-noir thriller DRIVE ALL NIGHT, which premiered at Cinequest and was acquired by Mutiny Pictures, and the documentary feature HOME IS A HOTEL, which won the Audience Award and Jury Prize at the San Francisco International Film Festival. As a screenwriter, his scripts have received development grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and have been selected for the STARZ Writers Intensive, the Film Independent Episodic Lab, and the Gotham Week Project Market (IFP), among others. Chris holds film and business degrees from Yale and NYU.
Georgia Lee - Executive Producer
Georgia Lee is an award-winning writer and filmmaker. She’s currently working on Amazon’s upcoming fantasy series GOD OF WAR. Georgia recently was the Showrunner and Creator of Netflix’s PARTNER TRACK. Previously, she wrote on the CW’s THE 100, Amazon’s award-winning series THE EXPANSE and CARNIVAL ROW. Georgia graduated from Harvard with a BA in Biochemistry and worked for management consultancy McKinsey & Company. She then went on to earn an MBA from Harvard Business School. She wrote & directed a short film that caught the attention of Martin Scorsese, leading to a job as his on-set apprentice on GANGS OF NEW YORK. Georgia then wrote & directed her first feature RED DOORS, which won numerous awards on the film festival circuit including the Tribeca Film Festival.
Allie Schultz - Cinematographer
Allie is a cinematographer and Texas native based in Los Angeles. She grew up working on the family cattle ranch, but put her boots up to attend Savannah College of Art and Design, where she earned a BFA in Film and Television. After working in the camera department on THE WALKING DEAD, she attended the American Film Institute Conservatory and received a MFA in their globally recognized cinematography program. Allie works in all formats, with a focus on narrative and commercials. Her films have gone on to screen at major festivals, including SXSW, Tribeca, and EnergaCAMERIMAGE. She is a 2022 International Cinematographers Guild Emerging Cinematographer Award recipient, which is the only award show in the industry that specifically celebrates the work of up-and-coming cinematographers.
Tanya Giang - Casting Director
Tanya Giang has over a decade of experience in scripted film and television casting. Recent credits include THE BROTHERS SUN (Netflix), ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING (Hulu), Doug Liman’s film LOCKED DOWN (HBO Max), RIVERDALE (The CW), and indie drama A GREAT DIVIDE (Gravitas) starring Ken Jeong.
Jordan Cowan - Skating Director of Photography
After finishing his competitive career as a Team USA ice dancer, Jordan turned back to his first passion, filmmaking, and became known as *the* figure skating camera operator for his work on live televised sports, skating documentaries, and feature films such as Matthew Vaughn's ARGYLLE. Jordan also runs his own social media brand, 'On Ice Perspectives', which has over 2.5 million combined followers on social media.
ACCOLADES
The The Gotham Film & Media Institute fosters the development, production and promotion of hundreds of feature and documentary films a year. Learn more about us or become a member
