TAKE OUT GIRL
INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS
DIRECTED BY HISONNI JOHNSON
WRITTEN BY HISONNI JOHNSON AND HEDY WONG
STARRING HEDY WONG, SKI CARR, LYNNA YEE, J. TEDDY GARCES, LORIN LY, DIJON TALTON
Synopsis
Tera Wong delivers Chinese food for her mother’s struggling restaurant located in a territory referred to as the “Low Bottoms” in south central Los Angeles. And everyone around her, including her unpredictable brother (Saren), are financially trapped in this crime and violence-ridden neighborhood.
That is until Tera takes a job from a local drug lord, moving “product” inside her takeout food containers. With the cash rolling in, Tera intends to move the family restaurant to the suburbs and go clean. But after a series of tragic events, the dream that Tera built on a foundation of lies, may just crumble.
FILMMAKERS STATEMENT
Five years ago, Hedy Wong and I began our Take Out Girl odyssey by boiling down our story to a central thematic idea, and that idea is that “Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of all children.” After this realization, it was like we blinked, and suddenly, we were sitting here crafting this director’s statement. All of the time, effort, pain, and gain of making the movie blurs together like a filmmaking highlight reel. What stands out are the people of all races and social upbringing that connect and relate to this cinematic love letter to our mothers.
While developing Take Out Girl, Hedy and I focused on our commonalities. We concentrated on our familial bonds, poverty, and the lack of upward economic mobility, leading to criminality in minority communities. We put everything we had into crafting a universally relatable story without sacrificing the color of its roots, which is why we’ve maintained the Asian-American voice, experience, and authenticity. In turbulent political times such as now, Take Out Girl manages to demystify the narrative of “the other” and the divisive myth of “the model minority,” which the media has historically utilized to pit minorities against one another. We hope that Take Out Girl makes a positive contribution to America’s social climate by provoking healthy conversations regarding this country’s varying cultural fabrics and our shared struggles. We truly believe that diversity is a source for strength, not division.
Bio
HISONNI JOHNSON (DIRECTOR, CO-WRITER)
Hisonni is a Writer, Director, Actor, Cinematographer and Creator. He earned a full academic scholarship to the prestigious University School of Milwaukee, a nationally renowned college preparatory high school. He further distinguished himself by receiving the Presidential Gold Seal for academics and athletics. Mustafa studied acting at the University of Wisconsin in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, but his talent and ambitions did not remain solely in front of the lens.
Hisonni studied with acclaimed Chicago photographer David VanderVeen. An impressive portfolio of commercials resulted, along with an affinity for still photography, video and film. He has worked professionally in nearly every crew position there is in both television and film. As a result, his skills as a writer, director and cinematographer have quickly earned him numerous awards and accolades. In the past year, alone, Hisonni has received nearly 100 accolades for his two original television pilots, “Fight Night Legacy” and “Olympia”, including a 2013 Streamy Award Nomination and the Grand Prize at the LAWEBFEST.
His most recent pilot, “Grayson: Earth One – his own take on the origins of the DC Comic hero, Nightwing – has received great reviews from the likes of Marvels’ Stan Lee, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, The Collider, IGN and countless others.
HEDY WONG (CO-WRITER, “TERA WONG”)
Hedy was born and raised in the Bay Area, Northern California. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting and had since then booked national commercial campaigns such as Dove and Best Buy.
She also appeared in music videos alongside Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Tyga, A$AP Rocky, and Tory Lanez. In her spare time, she enjoys writing and creating music