project in development

writer/director Reina Higashitani

producers Selena Leoni, Reina Higashitani

consulting producer Gwendolyn Infusino

cinematographer Vittoria Campaner

SEPTEMBER MADNESS

narrative short, concept for a feature

In January of 1977, the body of an Asian girl wearing a jade bracelet was found at the shore near the Golden Gate Bridge. Almost a year later, it was identified as Kit Mun Louie, a recent immigrant, and so called Fresh Off the Boat (FOB). Her incident was one of 44 murders that were committed by Chinese youth in the 1970s. Her body was floating for four months until it was finally found.

Gang stories are often told through a male’s perspective by glorifying their violence and brotherhood. Girls were not directly involved in the crimes, but were always there as friends, sisters, and girlfriends who moved among the boys, between rival gang members, carried their guns, and even assaulted other girls out of disputes. The story that we see and the story that we can speak for is about ordinary teenage girls who  grew up with a sense of alienation between cultures and tried to find a place to belong.

Based on true events, SEPTEMBER MADNESS is a project in development about Asian girls who were involved in the Chinese youth gang war in 1970’s Chinatown, San Francisco. The short follows Lucy, a Chinese-American tomboy who runs away from home and is joined by Kit, a gang leader’s girlfriend to search for a place to stay the night. As they navigate through the streets of Chinatown, they also search for a place to belong.

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