Extremely Unique Dynamic

As first-time filmmakers who have been professional actors the past 10+ years, we’ve seen tremendous growth in Asian-American and queer representation; however, we’ve rarely seen two Asian-American men leading a film, especially one featuring a gay and straight best friend. Under this unique lens, we wanted to tackle certain taboo conversations head-on, featuring regular dudes – not just stereotypical character types or super ripped leading men. Thus, Heroic Impact was formed to mark our filmmaking debuts. 

We set out to make a genre-bending film that resonated with us, playing heightened versions of ourselves in a meta-movie to discuss tough conversations. In real life, Harrison (like his character) is grappling with the realities of moving to Canada and leaving his best friend behind and Ivan (like his character) is dealing with opening up about his sexuality. We wanted this film to be as truthful as possible, which often lead to extremely personal and vulnerable situations depicted on screen, but by leaning into the meta-ness of the story, we were able to openly discuss these topics. 

There have also been numerous films about creating films (i.e. The Disaster Artist, The Fabelmans, etc.), but there has yet to be a movie about people making a movie… about people making a movie... about people making a movie. Our goal in making this film was to celebrate the joy of indie filmmaking by fostering a collaborative and inclusive production, and we hope that same sentiment spills over into our characters and their meta film(s) as well.

While on the surface this may seem like a pure comedy, it’s a comedy with a lot of heart; we explore sensitive matters truthfully with the intent of leaving a touching, lasting impact on all audiences. We hope that we rekindle our audiences’ sense of childlike wonder and inspire people to go out and make art. And most importantly, we hope audiences can relate to these characters and realize that while this dynamic may seem extremely unique, there are many of these stories out there that are just waiting to be told.