BOARDING
A little girl wanders through her childhood home, where each room reveals surreal fragments of buried memories, blurring the line between dreams and reality.
THE CREW
THE PITCH
Set in the sweltering summer of 1999, Boarding follows Amber, a precocious little girl wandering through her family’s boarding house, where each room transforms into a vivid, dreamlike metaphor for memories she cannot yet face. What begins as a child’s mischievous afternoon, taunting tenants and exploring empty halls, slowly unravels into a surreal excavation of repressed trauma. As walls shift and time folds in on itself, Amber’s playful world becomes a living dollhouse of fractured memories, each door revealing fragments of joy, fear, and longing... except the one that holds the memory she’s been avoiding. Guided by her therapist in the present day, she confronts the source of her sorrow. Through the lens of childlike surrealism, Boarding reimagines the process of healing from neglect and isolation, offering a tender, unsettling portrait of a mind rearranged to forget, and a woman’s effort to piece it all back together.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
It wasn’t until my mid-thirties that the memories came flooding back, like a faucet left running. A year of therapy turned my mind into an archaeological dig, where I began recovering fragments of a childhood I thought I’d buried. My mom, a hard-working immigrant, rented out the extra rooms in our house to tenants. A colorful, rotating cast of strangers who would later become recurring characters in my head. The scent of jasmine, cigarette smoke, the sound of cicadas- ordinary things became landmines, capable of emotionally derailing me without warning. For a long time, I believed I could just box it all up and hide it away in the attic of my mind. Boarding is what happened when I finally unpacked that attic. Writing this screenplay was a way to revisit the house I built in my head, and the little girl still living in it. As I wrote, I began having vivid, surreal dreams. Fragmented journeys through my childhood home, where emotions took on a physical form. This film is for the little girl who made dry bologna sandwiches on long, solitary nights, waiting for her mom to come home from work. It's for the kids who thought growing up would be an escape.
Why is this film important?
Boarding explores the quiet, often invisible impact of childhood neglect and emotional abandonment, especially as it affects young women of color. It speaks to those who grew up navigating dysfunction behind closed doors, forced to mature too quickly while struggling to understand their identity in spaces that dismissed their emotional needs. I wrote Boarding for those who were told they were “too much”- too sensitive, too emotional, too dramatic. The story is grounded in my own journey through trauma, therapy, and the nonlinear process of healing. Through a childlike lens, the film strips away shame and moral framing to reimagine healing as a creative, even surreal act of survival. By approaching these truths in an abstract, intimate way, Boarding hopes to spark conversation around mental health, intergenerational trauma, and the resilience of children who had to raise themselves. Our community engagement plan centers on collaboration, reflection, and access. We aim to partner with organizations supporting BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth, survivors of childhood trauma and sexual violence, and those navigating mental health recovery. Potential partners include: The Trevor Project – crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth The Loveland Foundation – therapy access for Black women and girls RAINN – the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization Sad Girls Club – a mental health space for young women of color Therapy for Black Girls – making mental health care more accessible Crisis Text Line or Kids Help Phone (Canada) – free, confidential support We also hope to collaborate with mental health advocates like Dr. Mariel Buqué and Elyse Fox, who use storytelling and social media to destigmatize mental health in marginalized communities. Community screenings will include moderated discussions with therapists, advocates, or survivors to explore the emotional themes of the film. We also plan to offer creative writing workshops focused on personal narrative and emotional storytelling as a therapeutic outlet for youth and community members. Though Boarding is deeply personal, it is meant to resonate widely- as a mirror for anyone still trying to name their pain. My hope is that it doesn’t just start conversations, but helps people feel seen, validated, and empowered to begin healing.
How can you help?
Check out our fundraiser on Indiegogo and help bring our short film Boarding to the big screen!
We're raising funds to cover production costs and bring this independent movie to life. Every contribution—big or small—helps us get one step closer to making Boarding a reality. Join us on Indiegogo and be part of the filmmaking journey!