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Legend of Black Lotus, an epic fantasy martial-arts project written in the spirit of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Gladiator, will begin filming this summer. Set in a fantasy kingdom in ancient China, the story serves as a re-imagining of the classic Mulan fairytale.

“It's about a child who is born because of the supernatural powers of an enchanted forest, and with the specific purpose of reuniting a divided kingdom,” says Angelo Bell, the genius behind Legend of Black Lotus and veteran independent film maker who has written, directed and/or produced 14 films since 2002.

“Legend of Black Lotus came from a story by my good friend, Nicole Sessions. Nicole is an actress and worked on two of my previous films. She had an idea for a script, and we met over lunch to discuss it. I had no idea her story would be so grand...so epic! I gave her notes, and we drafted a 10-page treatment. Then it was up to me to write the script. It took two years before I had a chance to start, but when I did, the experience was a writer's dream.”
The project will begin in July with a short film that will be used to show potential investors the look and feel of the proposed $4 million feature film. First, however, Bell must raise $9,500 to make the short film. For this, he is utilizing fan funding, also known as crowdfunding, a way for fans to support films they care about early in the production process.

Fans may donate to the project in denominations as low as $1 and, in turn, receive a variety of perks, which include anything from a “Special Thanks” in the film and acknowledgment in an online “Thank you” by the cast (in exchange for any donation greater than $1) to an All-Access Pass during production, 2-Day Private Script Consultation with writer/director including lunch and dinner; and a visit to Disneyland with up to four kids and Bell & his family (in exchange for donations over $2,500.)

Asians and Asian Americans may be particularly interested in supporting Legend of Black Lotus because it shuns typical Hollywood stereotypes.

“Over ninety percent of the on-screen cast will be of Asian descent,” says Bell. “In my research it was hard to find another American-made film with similar demographics, other than The Joy Luck Club. I'm still in the process of casting, but I have already hired two young girls to play the role of sisters in the film. It's interesting that I imagined finding child actors would be extremely difficult, but it was simpler than I thought. Julia Kubo and Jade Doheny have been hired to play the roles of Daiyu and Mingzhu. Clint Jung and Victor Chi have been hired to play feuding emperors. Anne Lee Mako joins the cast as the Spirit Wife and voice of the magic forest. Other actors are yet to come.”

Movie goers of Asian descent may also find the visual concepts of the project appealing.

“It's important to note that Legend of Black Lotus is the short film I'm producing to illustrate the look and feel of the feature film version, which will be grander in every way. In the short film, we're using a hybrid costuming process incorporating the best of Chinese, Japanese and medieval England wardrobes. This wardrobe fusion includes cheongsams, kimonos, embroidered cloaks and capes,” says Bell. “For fight sequences I'm focusing on two styles, Wing Chun and Wushu. Wing Chun is an up-close fighting technique, while Wushu is cinematically elegant. There is a dance in the film, and it will adhere to traditional Chinese Ribbon Dance choreography. Ultimately, I hope to shoot the feature film in Hong Kong or China.”

Bell is also anxious to launch this project because of the rich history it will share with others like it within the genre.

“The impact of Asian cinema has always influenced Hollywood. I grew up in New York, and, as a child, I traveled to Times Square to see Shaw Bro's films. Some of Clint Eastwood's best work is based on American interpretation of Asian Classics. One of my favorite films, The Magnificent Seven, is the American adaptation of Akiro Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Martin Scorcese directed the award-winning film, The Departed, but even it was based on the brilliant work in the Hong Kong series, Infernal Affairs.”

With an impressive list of credits already to his name, fans can rest assured that Bell will complete his latest and most ambitious project with equal success.

“Two films I produced won ‘Best-in-Fest’ awards. My short film, Renounced, won ‘Best-Director’ and also made it's way to the top 100 finalists for Steven Spielberg's reality show, On The Lot. My feature, Broken Hearts Club, starring Maya Gilbert, played at film festivals worldwide, aired on AMGTV and will be televised in Europe and Africa this year. I'm currently in post-production for Resurrection of Serious Rogers, a neo-noir action thriller starring Cooper Harris,” says Bell.

“When fans support a film they also support the director, and my previous works illustrate how committed I am to storytelling. I hope fans of the film visit the campaign at http://www.indiegogo.com/blacklotus and show their support.”