After the death of her mother, a young girl attempts to connect with her father -- with whom she does not share a mother tongue -- while learning to survive in her new reality, one where grief is present.

Based on a true story. A poetic journey through space and time.

This is Kelly’s story. Kelly Kang is a writer and observer working at the intersection of cities, technology, and culture. After growing up in Los Angeles, Seoul, and New York City, she is honored to call Detroit home. Kang has spent the past decade bringing things to life, including, but not limited to: D2C furniture, property management, mobility company accelerator programs, an online community fellowship for community builders, and currently, leading Michigan’s efforts towards an innovation centered future. Amongst all these things, she is chiefly concerned with tending to the epidemic of loneliness and disconnection. Kang is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University. This is her first film.

Averi Israel (she, her) is a writer/director/producer from the eight cities that raised her. She moved to New York to pursue a Film Studies degree from Columbia University, where she graduated as the class recipient of the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts. After school, she moved to South Korea where she worked as an English teacher during the day and designed sets for Seoul Shakespeare Company in the evening. Now back in NYC, her pieces for stage and film consists primarily of historical fiction, seeking to root our contemporary moment in both its foundational past and visionary future. Her work explores themes of race, gender, sexuality, violence, and love in the context of American culture.

Averi’s short “Sequin” (shot by Erin Trout vvv) screened at over 20 film festivals, including at the Museum of the Moving Image and Oscar-qualifying Urbanworld and Outfest. She is a 2022 recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Women’s Fund for Media Music and Theatre, a member of Theatre Producers of Color Cohort III, a 2023 Athena Film Festival Writers Lab participant, and a 2024 Tallgrass Artist Resident. She was also in Kelly’s wedding.

Hailing from the south side of Boston, cinematographer Erin Trout is known for her dynamic camera movement and stylized humanism. Now based in New York, Erin has leveraged her work as a cinema robot technician, wheels operator, and pioneering gimbal technician to land commercial shoots with Maybelline, Adidas, Converse, Allegra, and Nike among others. Playing to her compositional strengths, Erin has expanded her early feature work with intimate character driven short films that allow her to keep pushing boundaries. Erin is a co-founder of Best of Both Tech.

... and a bunch of other crew members who are amazing at what they do!

The Babble of the Brook is a family drama that centers the themes of connection, communication, grief, and memory. The film urges us to ask, “How do each of us endure, even at our lowest, most hopeless point?” The film is a cinematic representation of life beyond loss through the lens of Asian futures, something rarely depicted in cinema. Visually fixed in the realms of fantasy and sci-fi, it also makes space for those not typically represented in the genres.

Everywhere you look, people are carrying both visible and invisible burdens. Life is hard. Sometimes, for whatever reason, it feels too hard. Maybe you know this experience. The Babble of the Brook is a story that provides hope to people in that place, reminding them that Future is always accessible. It also encourages those who are not currently in that place to remember to choose empathy when interacting with others we share the world with.

Independent films with poignant messages only get made because audiences choose to finance them. We cannot do this without you. By partnering with The Babble of the Brook, you can help tell stories that matter, shaping our culture into one we wish to see reflected in reality.

April 2023 - May 2024 – Development 

May 2024 - July 2024 – Pre-production

August 2024 – Three day shoot

August 2024 - December 2024 – Post-production and initial festival submissions

The minimum required financing for The Babble of the Brook is $20,000, which will allow us to create a quality film and guarantee a robust marketing and distribution campaign after the film is completed so that people actually get to see it! Of the $20,000, $18,000 is necessary to complete principal photography. 

We are looking to meet our financing goal through grants ($3,000) and fiscally sponsored crowdfunding ($17,000).

35% Locations (We have four very cool locations to rent and location permits to apply for.)

30% Production (Production design, wardrobe, catering, crew travel, special gear…)

15% Insurance (Gotta keep everyone and everything covered!)

10% Cast (We want to work with great actors.)

10% Post-production and marketing (Film festival fees aren’t cheap…)

The Babble of the Brook is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of The Babble of the Brook must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Questions, let us know at hourbyhourproductions@gmail.com.

Keep in touch @theBABBLEofthebrookfilm!