Parachute

After three years of living in America on her own, Chinese teenager Wendy Zhang is struggling. Her teachers don't care about her, her host family doesn't understand her, and her own parents are too far away to help. Then Mei-Ling arrives.

  • Katherine Tolentino
    Director
  • Katherine Tolentino
    Writer
  • Katherine Tolentino
    Producer
  • James Duarte
    Producer
    Flite Mode (TFI: Our Local is Global)
  • Meredith Chin
    Producer
    Duty Free
  • Nicky Zou
    Key Cast
    "Wendy"
    White Rabbit, Midnight Girl, Wind Flower
  • Zoe Lau
    Key Cast
    "Mei-Ling"
    Guilt, Homicide City, In New York
  • Bettina Devin
    Key Cast
    "Helen"
    Rent, Late Show with Stephen Colbert
  • Ross Turner
    Key Cast
    "Robert"
    13 Reasons Why, Chance
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Asian American
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 2, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.33
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • Palm Springs International Shortfest
    Palm Springs, CA
    United States
    June 16, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Cinequest Film & VR Festival
    Silicon Valley, CA
    United States
    March 4, 2020
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • New Filmmakers Los Angeles
    Los Angeles
    United States
    August 22, 2020
    Los Angeles Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Sarasota Film Festival
    Sarasota, FL
    United States
    April 2, 2020
    East Coast Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    Official Selection
  • National Board of Review
    New York
    United States
    Student Film Grant (Nominated)
  • Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment: Made in NY
    New York
    United States
    Feirstein Creative Fund Grant (Won)
Director Biography - Katherine Tolentino

Katherine Tolentino is a mixed race (Chinese-Salvadoran) filmmaker from Silicon Valley. Her goal as a filmmaker is to bring disparate communities together through an understanding of our shared humanity.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Parachute is loosely inspired by a grisly true story, in which a group of Chinese “parachute kids” living in LA brutally attacked their fellow classmate in 2015. (See some related articles in "News & Reviews")

I'm interested in how the pressures of solo migration, of leaving family and community behind in pursuit of a brighter economic future, does harmful damage to one's psyche.

Wendy's story is not just relevant to the "parachute kid" phenomenon - for me, this film is about isolation and loneliness in a globalized world... something that we can all relate to.