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Logline

The struggle of two codependent brothers deciding what to eat for dinner becomes a metaphor for larger life decisions when they stay the weekend in the vibrant chaos of LA’s Koreatown with the youngest’s willful girlfriend.

Synopsis

Jake and his older brother Cam are ready to move back to a small town, away from the rising rent and progressive values of suburban Los Angeles. The only snag – Jake still has a girlfriend, and she thinks he’s moving in with her. Frustrated by Jake’s codependency on his brother, Kaitlyn demands a romantic dinner alone.

Jake arrives at Kaitlyn’s new Koreatown apartment six hours late – with Cam – and they’ve already eaten. One evening turns into an entire weekend as Kaitlyn and Cam vie for control over Jake’s future, forcing everyone to confront their individual trauma and establish their own identities. One relationship ends, the other grows, and an unexpected one reveals itself.

What’s For Dinner? is a character-driven, off-beat comedy that shows what happens when you let others make choices for you and aren’t willing to step outside your comfort zone.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Brent Howard – Writer/Director/Editor
Brent is an award-winning editor and filmmaker. He won a 2023 Clio and has seen his works screened at the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts Int’l Film Festival, Beyond Fest, Fantasia Fest, and has received a Vimeo Staff Pick. His story-first approach creates a unique and low-fi experience for the audience. This project marks his first feature film after having directed a dozen shorts and music videos, and edited hundreds of commercials.

Heather Brawley – Producer
Heather holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Redlands and has spent fifteen years at Archstone Entertainment (worldwide sales and distribution company) in sales, acquisitions, and delivery roles, working on hundreds of films. In the last seven years, she has produced multiple short films and web series with over 50 festival selections and several awards; while working with the production team at Archstone where she is currently the VP of Marketing and Operations. Experience working on projects with a wide variety of budgets allows Heather to scale and execute a successful production from development to delivery.

Hanah Chang – Cultural Consultant/Actor
Hanah is a Korean-American actor and writer based in Denver and Chicago. She graduated from DePaul University and thereafter explored various fields before focusing on acting and filmmaking. As an actor, she is most known for playing the lead in Don’t Worry About It, streaming on Omeleto. Most recently she raised $15k for a short in which she wrote, directed, and starred in, I Wish I Were Pretty, currently in post-production. Her appearance in Netflix’s Sing On! influenced a family friend to pursue his own career in film, and has reinforced her mission in increasing media representation for Asian-Americans.

Erin Rizzo – Co-Producer
Originally from Virginia, Erin moved to Los Angeles to pursue documentary filmmaking. Her current residency is at Trailer Park Group where she produces works including behind-the-scenes documentaries for Apple TV+’s Napoleon, Dickenson, The Morning Show; Warner Bros Discovery’s IT 2, Shazam 2, Aquaman; and Netflix’s Bridgerton and the recently released live-action series Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Yah’el Dooley – Sound Designer/Mixer
Yah’el is a re-recording mixer and sound designer. With over a decade of experience in audio post-production, he has sound designed and mixed award-winning films, video games, animated TV series, and commercials. He’s currently the resident audio mixer at the award-winning ad agency, Trailer Park Group, where he works on various television, radio, and feature film content. His most recent works include Something In The Dirt, a feature film that premiered at Sundance, and Still Working 9 to 5, a documentary film that premiered at SXSW.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.