LOST BOYS PITCH DECK

Feature film written/directed by Josh Leong, produced by Sundance & Berlinale-winning A51 Pictures.
Currently seeking financing. To REQUEST THE SCREENPLAY, please contact: joshleongstudios@gmail.com

2022 Semifinalist, Sundance Development Track
2021 Semifinalist, Sundance Creative Producing Lab
2022 Selected Writer, Bad Robot x The Black List Partnership
2021 Selected Writer, MACRO x The Black List Feature Screenplay Incubator
2021 Selected Writer, WarnerMedia Writer Pipeline
2021 Selected Writer, FREE THE WORK Pipeline Initiative

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THE TODAY SHOW

Director Josh Leong talks about the story behind the short and feature.

LOGLINE:

When international adoption is banned in 2018, an Ethiopian orphan boy is forced to find a new home before graduating his orphanage. Faced with a brutal life on the streets, he must choose between his younger brother and the enticing world of gang life.

Think SHORT TERM 12 meets CITY OF GOD.

SYNOPSIS:

Addis Ababa, 2018. ABEL (17) and his brother, KIYA (14), are about to be adopted from their orphanage. But their adopting mother never shows up – arrested on charges of human trafficking. With their dreams of a new life shattered, Abel finds himself two weeks from graduating their orphanage on his 18th birthday and tasked with finding a new place to live. 

Hoping to clamp down on child abuse, the government announces a sweeping ban on international adoption. This prompts a wave of foreign parents to meet and adopt children before the legal deadline. Kiya is desperate for his brother to attend adoption meetings, but given their age, Abel has grown disillusioned by their chances. Instead, he focuses on finding work. Abel hopes to afford rent to stay off the brutal streets, but it’s hard for orphans to find jobs. He’s considered bad luck. 

One day, Abel encounters a street child named CHAPI (16). A cunning partnership forms, and Abel is quickly introduced to the fearless world of street crime: a life of freedom, reckless youthfulness, and easy money. Joining a local band of street children, Abel finds a close-knit family – the only thing he’s ever wanted his whole life. But the world he’s discovered isn’t perfect. It’s marred by twisted loyalties and self-preservation, ultimately forcing Abel to choose between his fearless gang family and the brother he’s left behind.

DIRECTOR:

Josh Leong is a Webby Award®-winning writer, director, and producer from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Awarded by President Obama, Josh won a Scholastic American Visions Award and the One to Watch Award at the 2020 Asian American International Film Festival. Currently, he’s a selected writer with the MACRO x The Blacklist Feature Screenplay Incubator, semifinalist at the DGA Commercial Directors Diversity Program, and spotlight director with NBCUniversal’s Scene in Color Film Series, presented by Target. He was most recently awarded a blind script deal with NBCUniversal and acclaimed film producer, Will Packer. Having screened at six Academy Award®-qualifying festivals and in 11 countries across the world, Josh also directed the THE OTHER SIDE in Ethiopia, now streaming on Peacock. On his first visit to Addis Ababa in 2018, Josh met with both street children and diplomats, including Ethiopian Ambassador, Fitsum Arega. His latest film, CHICKEN, will premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. www.joshleongstudios.com

PRODUCERS:

A51 Pictures was founded by the Sundance and Berlinale award-winning producer/director duo Mehret Mandefro and Zeresenay Berhane Mehari to produce content for the film and television market in Ethiopia and abroad. A51 Pictures recently produced SWEETNESS IN THE BELLY, which premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, and DIFRET, the first film to win the Audience Awards at both Sundance Film Festival and Berlinale. DIFRET was also Ethiopia’s submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 87th Academy Awards. A51 Pictures has built a strong reputation for taking on difficult subject matter with skill and artistry when presenting Ethiopian stories to the global market. www.a51films.com