USC Graduate Thesis Challenges Norms of Gender Inequality

Now Seeking Community Support via Indiegogo, The Mantis Club is a satirical horror/comedy about Gender Equality

Yalian Li is a production student at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and she has recently launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise funds and support for the production of her graduate thesis film project. The film is titled The Mantis Club, and it has already made some significant achievements. After being selected as a second-rounder at the 2022 Sundance Episodic Lab, it is now running in the final round of the competition. Moreover, the film has also been awarded the prestigious Fox Fellowship Grant from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. 

“In a world where females devour males during sex, Zack, a seventeen-year-old virgin, is asked on his first date.” Said Yalian Li, while introducing the storyline of her film to the Indiegogo community. She went on to describe how Zack is warned by other males about the dangers women in the Mantis world pose, but how he still desires romantic love enough to risk the potential consequences, mirroring the way women are often victimized in our regular world. Yalian believes the story’s gender-flipped world will enable audiences to see how sexism appears when roles are flipped between males and females. To help support her vision, Yalian is welcoming everyone to generously support her crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.

The Indiegogo Campaign is located at:

www.indiegogo.com/projects/mantis-club-a-usc-m-f-a-graduate-thesis-film and backers from around the world can become part of this project by pledging their support. The goal of this Indiegogo campaign is to raise $10,000, all of which will go toward production of the film. Furthermore, the filmmaker is offering several great perks and titles as a reward for the backers, with more details available on the Indiegogo campaign page.

About This Project

Yalian Li is a graduate student at the USC School of Cinematic Arts with a long list of awards and achievements in filmmaking from a very young age. She has also worked under two Chinese blockbuster directors, Zhang Yibai and Ning Hao. Mantis Club is her upcoming project, and her graduate thesis film regarding gender equality. The filmmaker is currently crowdfunding this project on Indiegogo, and she is welcoming generous community support and backing.

Contact:

Contact Person: Daniel Sheahan

Company: USC School of Cinematic Arts

Address: 1342 W. 35th St.

City: Los Angeles

State: California

Country: United States

Phone: (916) 584-1265

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mantis-club-a-usc-m-f-a-graduate-thesis-film