Independent filmmaker Joey Min and his team at Art School Dropouts are two completed feature films into their roster after debuting in 2019 with Yes, Auntie!, followed by last year’s release of his lo-fi Rec Room collaborative virtual fantasy, Player Agency. There’s more to come on this end, as ASDO otherwise maintain its upkeep, nowadays developing their tentatively-titled third feature film, Nanny Nena’s.
“Honestly, it just felt like the right one for where we are right now,” said ASDO cohort, actress and producer Stephanie Pham in a statement to FCSyndicate. Pham also elucidated that the team had lots of ideas over the years, some of which moved forward while others remain shelved, underscoring the project as a fitting start for the group’s next chapter in its ongoing growth; I’m told that Min is still polishing the script on Nanny Nena’s, which ASDO has been putting pen to paper on since 2021.
“After everything we’ve experienced over the last few years, we kept coming back to ideas around family, tradition, and connection, especially in a time where things feel more disconnected than ever after the pandemic. This project lets us bring all of that together in a way that still feels fun and true to the kind of films we love making,” said Pham.
To add, Min and Pham are steering the project as a starring vehicle for actress, and martial artist Angela Jordan (ajkick101), who has also been a recurring talent with ASDO for close to a decade. Some of Jordan’s notable appearances with the group can be seen in shorts like “Gunslinger Mary,” “Broken,” and Yes, Auntie!, the latter which gave Min his company’s feature debut, and had its red carpet premiere in January 2019 at the Museum Of The Moving Image. A few of Jordan’s additional credits in stunts partly include Jon Truei’s “The 44th Chamber Of Shaolin,” Josh Leong’s award-winning shortfilm drama, “The Other Side,” which premiered on NBCUniversal’s Peacock in 2022, and doubling actress Levy Tran in director/star Michael Jai White’s Samuel Goldwyn Films release, Trouble Man.
“Angela is the lead of the film and really the center of everything that happens. She’s someone who gets pulled into a situation that starts small and slowly becomes something much bigger than she expected. She represents the Filipino-American and through her experiences we learn more about family, food, and culture,” Pham says of Jordan’s role.
A few of Pham’s own stints over at ASDO can be seen in their 2016 “Legend Of Korra” fan tribute, as well as in “Lady,” one of the group’s other experimental turns at darker, grittier content featuring a lightning-fast one-on-one with Jordan back in 2018. Tonally, Nanny Nena’s Day will ascribe to its preferred ubiquitous action and comedy delivery per the label’s usual brand, with Min putting his own inspired touch of Hong Kong action style a la Jackie Chan which followers and fans of ASDO know and love, while proliferating Jordan as a viable lead.
“With this film, the goal is really to show her in a leading role in a full feature. It’s a chance to push her as an actress where most people only see her doing more stunts and action,” added Pham.
The movie is also a one-up for the team in whole following Trouble Man, on which Jordan and Pham served as fight choreographers under Min’s supervision. The residual effect of their collaboration has seen White and his partner, actress Gillian White, appear in a few of Min’s shortfilms as well, in addition to another hopeful prospective film production involving White after Trouble Man, during the course of the team’s efforts to build and maintain its longevity and creative potency.
“Because of Mike, he gave us the confidence in our method of action filmmaking,” said Pham, adding, “We started realizing something simple: the way we’ve been making films already works. We just needed to trust it at a bigger scale. And more than anything, we are extremely grateful not just in the work, but in the people who’ve supported us, gave us opportunities and continued to believe in what we’re doing.”
Pham further expressed the importance of some of the core lessons she and Min have learned over the years, including learning to trust their experience, and sharing their journey, the latter which is something they do almost regularly on YouTube, as well as with followers via Discord and more exclusively with Patreon supporters. That trust remains exemplary as well with the production of Player Agency, Min’s second feature film which was produced mostly in virtual reality with the group’s Discord and Rec Room Builder communities.
“In the past, we thought it was important for us to carry most of the load so everyone could just enjoy the process. But over time, we realized people actually want to be part of that process. When we let people in, communicate more, and build alongside them, we end up making something even better,” said Pham. “And that’s what this next phase of Art School Dropouts is really about. We really hope people consider getting involved once we launch the kickstarter in July. We have a ton of perks ready to go and can’t wait to start filming!”
Casting and crew details remain pending as Nanny Nena’s (WT) continues with development, and crowdfunding plans which are set to kick off on July 10. In an effort to better gauge their audience and hopeful donors, ASDO is encouraging fans to fill out this form for Day 1 Access ahead of crowdfunding launch.
Read more about Art School Dropouts at their official website, and visit AJKick101.com for more info about her work.