Dear Potential Investors,

I have been reading proposals and scripts for over 12 years now as Managing Director of From the Heart Productions, Inc.  We give grants to filmmakers.  I have also produced over 100 cable shows and am the author of a successful film industry book.

I met Yu at a seminar I gave in Chicago and was immediately taken with her gentle nature.  She is an excellent student, and when we asked her to “pitch” her project we were all pleased to hear of the funds she has raised to date for her film, “Ai Yamahiro.”

Yu asked me to read her script and I agreed to do this as a favor.  Little did I know that I would enjoy it immensely.  I will say unequivocally that this is the best script I have read in all my years in Hollywood.  Yu has an excellent sense of humor and knows what American audiences like.  Her script has the most important elements needed for a successful film.  It is full of family and it is full of heart.  People will leave this movie “feeling good.”  This is what Spielberg looks for in his scripts, this is what all the major studios want and seldom find in scripts.

This simple script covers many nationalities in the US.  The majority of Americans do love to see how the Japanese take so many photographs, and this part of the film endears the viewers to the Japanese and shows us their integral family life and how it is created through the extended family of friends and neighbors.  This film will have the Americans, the gay audience, the Asian audience, and anyone who wants to get into the university of their choice; together these constitute a large percentage of the viewing public.

This script is a “Bend it like Beckham” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” for Japanese, only better. I believe these two are the films whose box office grosses you can use as comparison for this script.  Both of these films were low budget and relied heavily on word-of-mouth to bring in audiences.  I was taken by my granddaughter to see both of these films.  That means that the demographics are enormous: they will cover viewers from all ages, and you will find entire families going to this movie.

Between domestic film rights, domestic cable, pay-per-view, DVD and Video sales—and then add in foreign distribution, especially the Japanese market—I think you will have a very profitable investment with this film.

Yu is also a talented director.  We viewed her directing film, “Silver Boxes” twice in our class, and all were impressed with her abilities.

I believe this woman is an enormous talent, and anyone who funds her will not only be rewarded with a financial return but also will feel great pride in the product she will produce.

Sincerely,
Carole Dean, President
From the Heart Productions, Roy W. Dean Film Grants