TITLE: The House on Sovereign Street
TYPE: Narrative Feature Film
DIRECTOR/WRITER: Bing Liu (Minding The Gap)
PRODUCERS: Jason Berman, Angela Lee, Diane Quon
CASTING DIRECTORS: Jessica Kelly (Euphoria) & Damian Bao (Port Authority)
SHOOT DATES: June/July 2022
SHOOT LOCATION: Rockford, Illinois.
CONTRACT: SAG Basic Theatrical Agreement
TALENT RATE: $1,056/day. Flight and lodging will be provided for talent who are based outside Illinois.
SYNOPSIS:
A Chinese American skateboard videographer tries to save his mother and brother from an abusive stepfather while navigating friendship and romance.
ABOUT THE WRITER/DIRECTOR:
Writer/Director Bing Liu is a filmmaker best known for the Academy Award- and Emmy- nominated documentary Minding the Gap, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win a Peabody Award. He directed three storylines on America To Me, a 10-hour series that examines racial inequities in the U.S. education system. He recently finished his second feature documentary, following two young men and their mentors transforming lives in two of Chicago’s neighborhoods most affected by gun violence.
FROM THE CASTING DIRECTORS OF “EUPHORIA” & “PORT AUTHORITY”
*** CASTING IS OPEN TO PROFESSIONAL ACTORS (SAG AND NON-UNION), NEW ACTORS, AND NON ACTORS FOR ALL ROLES. YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE PRIOR ACTING EXPERIENCES TO APPLY. TALENT FROM ANYWHERE IN THE USA & CANADA ARE WELCOME TO SUBMIT. ***
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:
BAO (Male, Chinese, Age 16-22) / LEAD ROLE – Angsty Chinese American 17-year-old teenager with slight build. He is an unlikely hero and the go-to skateboard videographer in his rustbelt Midwest town. A keen observer who loves capturing the beauty around him with his video camera. He has a goofy side that’s childish and playful and a capacity for rage and violence that is surprising. MUST HAVE SOME SKATEBOARDING EXPERIENCE. BONUS IF YOU ALSO HAVE SOME PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY EXPERIENCES.
HUA XIAO (Female, Chinese, Age 35-50) / SUPPORTING ROLE – Bao’s mom. She is an impulsive Chinese woman born in China who moved to the US in her late 20s. She is sensitive and playful in a childish way and loves to sing and dance when she’s alone. Fights like hell to make the best of her situation; she’s not a quitter. Must be able to speak accented English and fluent Mandarin.
DJ (Male, Half Chinese, Age 8-10) / SUPPORTING ROLE – Bao’s 9-year-old half brother. Guarded half Asian, half White boy who looks up to his older brother. DJ believes a family should have two parents despite the cost. He’s developed unconscious tactics to survive his father’s unpredictable violence: invisibility, deference and self-sacrifice.
WILL (Male, Indigenous, Age 17-25) / SUPPORTING ROLE – Restless Indigenous American 18-year-old teenager. A natural ring-leader and instigator who lives for getting his friends together to have fun. A gifted smack talk artist who loves to get physical–wrestling, pushing, putting his body on the line. He often acts as a big brother: giving advice and making people feel a part of the group. Deeply loyal and dependable as a friend. SKATEBOARDING SKILLS REQUIRED.
EMILY (Female, Asian, Age 16-22) / SUPPORTING ROLE – Sociable Southeast Asian teenager who can make friends with anyone and talk about anything–except for the traumatic experiences with her father when she was a child. At age 17, she’s used to getting attention and draws a sense of self-worth from it. But scratch beneath the surface and you learn she’s afraid that if she lets people see her true self she’d be rejected.
AI GUO (Male, Chinese, Age 38-55) – Grounded Chinese man who is currently in a practical second marriage. He shows love by material means when he can afford it and when he can’t, through advice giving. He is a comforting father to Bao albeit only to the extent that it doesn’t compromise his devotion to his new family. Must be able to speak accented English and fluent Mandarin.
AGE 5 BAO (Male, Chinese, Age 4-6) – Innocent Chinese 5-year-old boy who is most happy living in an imagined world he creates. A sneaky voyeur who likes to notice things that feel secretive. Must speak Mandarin.
AGE 9 BAO (Male, Chinese, Age 8-10) – Guarded Chinese 9-year-old boy who’s experienced a lot of change for his age. A curious soul who enjoys noticing how adults behave. An artist in the making. Must speak Mandarin.
NINJA (Female, Age 16-22) – Mixed race female teen skater who wants to be one of the boys. Huge PRANKSTER. SKATEBOARDING SKILLS REQUIRED.
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT: April 8, 2022
PLEASE CLICK HERE OR THE SUBMIT BUTTON BELOW TO BE DIRECTED TO THE FILM’S CAST IT PAGE TO DOWNLOAD SELF TAPE INSTRUCTIONS AND TO SUBMIT FOR THE ROLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO AUDITION FOR.
PLEASE NOTE DAMIAN BAO CASTING IS MANAGING SUBMISSIONS FROM UNREPRESENTED TALENT AND NON ACTORS. IF YOUR AGENT OR MANAGER HAVE ALREADY SUBMITTED YOU FOR THE PROJECT VIA TRADITIONAL MEANS, THEN YOU DO NOT NEED TO APPLY ON THIS WEBSITE UNLESS YOU FEEL WE OVERLOOKED YOU.
CONTACT CAST IT FOR TECH ISSUES WITH THE CAST IT WEBSITE. PLEASE ONLY EMAIL US AT “FILM@DAMIANBAO.ORG” IF YOU HAVE AN URGENT ISSUE WITH SUBMITTING. DUE TO THE MASSIVE NUMBER OF EMAILS WE RECEIVE DAILY, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REPLY TO ALL EMAIL INQUIRIES.
IF YOU DO NOT FIT ANY OF THE ROLE DESCRIPTIONS ABOVE, PLEASE FOLLOW @DAMIANBAO ON INSTAGRAM TO GET NOTIFIED WHEN MORE ROLES OPEN UP AND ABOUT FUTURE CASTING OPPORTUNITIES.
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