During our first few years of high school, Roger and I increasingly saw the impacts of poor mental health on our generation. Mental health is still treated as a taboo topic, creating a stigma that discourages people from talking about the struggles they are going through. This is something we worry about, and feel strongly that something has to change. Because of this we wrote “Bonsai”, our first feature film script.

“Bonsai” is the story of a senior in high school who is struggling with anxiety and depression and is secretly yearning for someone to notice. It shows how some people can hide their struggle a lot better than others, and how checking up on a friend can make a huge difference. It's not written by adults who maybe don't fully understand or appreciate the issues we are facing, but instead written by actual teens going through these challenges.

By making such a personal project, the film feels raw and real. We believe it can encourage people, even in a smaller scale setting like our friends and family, to start really talking openly about mental health. By seeing a film made by teenagers, We think it reaches other people more effectively. As Filmmakers, we have a huge responsibility to inspire and enact change in our communities, and we think that cinema provides a powerful platform to do so.