PARACHUTE KIDS
DIRECTOR: S. LEO CHIANG
PARACHUTE KIDS is a first-person essay film exploring my turbulent experience as an unaccompanied minor who moved to the US from Taiwan through an unusual, on-going East Asian immigration practice, examining my family’s peculiar, bittersweet version of the American Dream.
PITCH + TEASER
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SYNOPSIS
I was born in Taiwan. At 15, my parents sent me and my two younger siblings to the US, believing an American education would secure our future. They stayed behind for work, trusting we’d be cared for. But when our uncle moved us out, we found ourselves alone—three teenagers without adults. My mother planned to visit often, but she fell ill and passed away in Taiwan two years later, never seeing us again. My parents made this choice out of love, but none of us knew how it would reshape our lives forever.
Since the 1980s, thousands of families from Taiwan, Korea, and China have sent children abroad alone—parachute kids—escaping military service, grueling education systems, and political instability. Many, like us, faced uncertain consequences. My brother was later diagnosed with schizophrenia, possibly triggered by our experience. My sister and I survived, adapted, even thrived, but our family ties never fully healed.
After 30 years, a pandemic unexpectedly brings me back to Taiwan, confronting my past and fractured family. PARACHUTE KIDS is an intimate exploration in the bittersweet legacy of an immigrant dream.
DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT
I have been developing PARACHUTE KIDS for several years now. I have struggled to
move forward with this very personal project, often feeling uncertain–at times
overwhelmed–with confronting this complex part of my past. The pandemic changed all that. I found myself spending most of the past five years in Taiwan—the longest stay since I left for the US at 15. I am eager to explore this shift in my relationships with my family and my homeland, and I have been able to generate several new storytelling ideas as a result. I have intimate access to my family members and friends, many of whom are ready to share their own memories of events from those years.
With PARACHUTE KIDS, I am telling this story as a transnational person who remains decidedly torn between his American and Taiwanese self. I am telling this story knowing that, if I had children, I would never put them in a situation similar to what I went through. I am telling this story as a son with a deep love for his parents, but hoping to find peace after years of unease. I am telling this story as a storyteller who is ready to come clean with his own.
PROJECT INFO.
| LENGTH (MINUTES): | 90 |
| LANGUAGE: | English, Mandarin, Taiwanese |
| START OF PRODUCTION: | January 2003 |
| EXPECTED DELIVERY: | May 2026 |
| SHOOTING FORMAT: | 4K + iPhone |
| SHOOTING LOCATIONS: | US (SF Bay Area) + Taiwan |
| TOTAL BUDGET: | $695,450. |
| PRODUCTION COMPANY: | Walking Iris Media |
| PRODUCTION COUNTRY: | US + Taiwan |
| CONFIRMED PARTNERS: | Creative Capital, Cal Humanities, Catapult Film Fund, Firelight Greaves, CAAM Documentary Fund, MountainFilm, DMZ Docs |
| BUDGET GAP: | $524,280. |
| CURRENT PROJECT STATUS: | Late Production/Early Post |
PITCH TEAM
S. LEO CHIANG
DIRECTOR
S. LEO CHIANG is based in Taipei & San Francisco. His short documentary, ISLAND IN BETWEEN, received an Oscar nomination in 2024. His previous feature doc, OUR TIME MACHINE, was nominated for an Emmy & a Gotham Award, and won awards at Tribeca and a dozen other international film festivals. He directed two episodes of the Peabody-winning 5-part PBS series, ASIAN AMERICANS. His other films include the Emmy-nominated A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES. Leo co-founded A-Doc, the Asian American Documentary Network, and is a documentary branch member of the Academy.
