Children of Invention
Encyclopedia
Children of Invention is an American independent feature film written and directed by Tze Chun
. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
, screened at more than 50 film festivals, and won 17 festival awards including 8 Grand Jury or Best Narrative Feature prizes. The film was released theatrically in eight U.S. cities beginning February 2010, on Video-on-Demand in June 2010, and on DVD in August 2010.
suburbs are left to fend for themselves when their mother gets entangled in a pyramid scheme
and disappears. The film is loosely based on Tze Chun's own childhood, as well as his Sundance 2007 short film
, Windowbreaker.
, with several days in Boston for exteriors. The film premiered at Sundance just 10 months after the first draft of the script was completed.
, Los Angeles Times
, The Village Voice
, New York Post
, Variety
, LA Weekly
, USA Today
, Chicago Reader, Film Threat
, and The Boston Globe
. It was named one of the Top 13 Films of 2009 by Hammer to Nail, and one of the best undistributed films of 2009 by several critics including IFC
's Alison Willmore. In 2010, the year of its commercial release, it made several more "best films of the year" lists including the list by Turner Classic Movies' blog. The film also won the following 17 festival awards:
's list of "21 Great Free Thinkers of Indie Film" for their DIY festival/DVD distribution strategy. The film debuted theatrically in Boston on February 26, 2010, and in New York and Los Angeles on March 12, 2010, followed by additional theatrical engagements in other cities. It was released on Video-on-Demand beginning in June 2010, and on DVD on August 10, 2010.
Tze Chun
Tze Chun is an award-winning American film director and writer. He was born in Chicago and raised outside of Boston, and graduated from Milton Academy in 1997...
. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
2009 Sundance Film Festival
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public...
, screened at more than 50 film festivals, and won 17 festival awards including 8 Grand Jury or Best Narrative Feature prizes. The film was released theatrically in eight U.S. cities beginning February 2010, on Video-on-Demand in June 2010, and on DVD in August 2010.
Plot
Two young children living in the BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
suburbs are left to fend for themselves when their mother gets entangled in a pyramid scheme
Pyramid scheme
A pyramid scheme is a non-sustainable business model that involves promising participants payment or services, primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme, rather than supplying any real investment or sale of products or services to the public...
and disappears. The film is loosely based on Tze Chun's own childhood, as well as his Sundance 2007 short film
Short
Short may refer to:* Short circuit, an accidental connection between two nodes of an electrical circuit* Short , stock-trading position* Short film, a cinema format* Short subject, a cinema format used almost interchangeably with short film...
, Windowbreaker.
Production
Though set in Boston, the film was shot primarily in and around New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, with several days in Boston for exteriors. The film premiered at Sundance just 10 months after the first draft of the script was completed.
Reception
The film was very well-received by critics, including The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Chicago Reader, Film Threat
Film Threat
Film Threat is a former print magazine and, now, webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVDs of mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André...
, and The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
. It was named one of the Top 13 Films of 2009 by Hammer to Nail, and one of the best undistributed films of 2009 by several critics including IFC
Independent Film Channel
The Independent Film Channel is an American cable TV network that airs independent film and related programming. IFC programming includes commercially interrupted feature-length films, original documentaries, shorts, animated series, original series, acquired series, and content exclusively for...
's Alison Willmore. In 2010, the year of its commercial release, it made several more "best films of the year" lists including the list by Turner Classic Movies' blog. The film also won the following 17 festival awards:
- Grand Jury Prize, Best Narrative Feature - Independent Film Festival of BostonIndependent Film Festival of BostonThe Independent Film Festival of Boston is a not for profit film festival in Boston, Massachusetts.- History :The Independent Film Festival of Boston was created in 2003 by the non-profit organization the Independent Film Society of Boston. The festival takes place each April in the Boston area's...
- Grand Jury Prize, Best Narrative Feature - Newport International Film FestivalNewport International Film FestivalNewport International Film Festival was an annual film festival in Newport, Rhode Island, established in 1998 .The Newport Film Festival was generally held the first week in June and featured various international films at several local cinemas...
- Grand Jury Prize, Best Narrative Feature - Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film FestivalLos Angeles Asian Pacific Film FestivalThe Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications . It was established in 1983 as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific American and Asian international cinema. The festival fulfills a unique mission in...
- Grand Jury Prize, Best Film - San Diego Asian Film FestivalSan Diego Asian Film FestivalThe San Diego Asian Film Festival is an annual event organized by the San Diego Asian Film Foundation. The festival was first held in 2000 at the University of San Diego by the Asian American Journalists Association of San Diego.-Organization Overview:...
- Best Narrative Feature - San Diego Asian Film FestivalSan Diego Asian Film FestivalThe San Diego Asian Film Festival is an annual event organized by the San Diego Asian Film Foundation. The festival was first held in 2000 at the University of San Diego by the Asian American Journalists Association of San Diego.-Organization Overview:...
- Best Narrative Feature - Ojai-Ventura International Film Festival
- Outstanding International Feature - ReelWorld Film FestivalReelWorld Film FestivalReelWorld Film Festival is a five-day film festival held annually in downtown Toronto. The festival screens "features, shorts, documentaries, animation, music videos from the Aboriginal, Asian, Black, Latino, Middle Eastern, South Asian and other multi-racial communities."-History:ReelWorld was...
- Best of Festival - Roxbury Film FestivalRoxbury Film FestivalThe Roxbury Film Festival is an annual event held in the historic Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. RFF is co-produced by the non-profits ACT Roxbury and The Color of Film Collaborative...
- Special Jury Prize, Best Narrative Feature - Sarasota Film FestivalSarasota Film FestivalThe Sarasota Film Festival has been held annually since 1999 in Sarasota, Florida. The festival is held in April and has become one of the top ten independent festivals in North America...
- Special Jury Award - San Francisco International Asian American Film FestivalSan Francisco International Asian American Film FestivalThe San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival presented every March is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting approximately 130 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, USA...
- Special Jury Prize, Acting Ensemble - Nashville Film FestivalNashville Film FestivalThe Nashville Film Festival , held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2009, Nashville Film Festival received close to 2000 submissions from 86 countries, programmed nearly 260 films and had an attendance...
- Special Jury Prize, New Talent to Watch in Acting - Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film FestivalLos Angeles Asian Pacific Film FestivalThe Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications . It was established in 1983 as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific American and Asian international cinema. The festival fulfills a unique mission in...
- Special Jury Prize, Emotional Storytelling - Indie Memphis Film Festival
- Honorable Mention, Editing - Woodstock Film FestivalWoodstock Film FestivalThe Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival that was begun in 1999. The festival was first conceived as a part of the Woodstock '99 Music and Arts Festival, with movies being screened as part of that event.-History:...
- George C. Lin Emerging Filmmaker Award - DC Asian Pacific American Film FestivalDC Asian Pacific American Film FestivalAsian Pacific American Film, Inc., a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity under 501 of the Internal Revenue Code, produces the annual DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival in the capital of the United States, Washington, DC...
- Puma Emerging Filmmaker Award - Hawaii International Film FestivalHawaii International Film FestivalThe Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...
- Visionary Award - Austin Asian American Film Festival
Distribution
Tze Chun and the film's producer Mynette Louie were named in Ted HopeTed Hope
Ted Hope is an American independent film producer based in New York City.As the American Indie wave hit in the early 90’s, Ted was among the first producers to emerge from the pack, and today remains one of the few consistently delivering vital and exciting new work...
's list of "21 Great Free Thinkers of Indie Film" for their DIY festival/DVD distribution strategy. The film debuted theatrically in Boston on February 26, 2010, and in New York and Los Angeles on March 12, 2010, followed by additional theatrical engagements in other cities. It was released on Video-on-Demand beginning in June 2010, and on DVD on August 10, 2010.