01
Interior first
The war is heard, not shown. Every budget decision serves the interior of one person rather than the spectacle around her.
The project
About us
An in-development film project on the devastating effects of war — and the stubborn power of hope and imagination.
Who we are
An in-development film project, established 2023
“I Thought You Were Real” is an in-development film project that explores the devastating effects of war and the power of hope and imagination. Our project was established in 2023 with the goal of creating a thought-provoking and impactful film that resonates with audiences worldwide.
Our team is composed of experienced professionals who are passionate about cinematic storytelling and dedicated to bringing this powerful story to life. Our main team members are from Hong Kong, bringing their unique perspectives and experiences to the project, and now working between Hong Kong and Berlin.
Currently, we are seeking corporate partnerships and fundraising opportunities to support the development of our vision. Our objective is to secure the necessary funding to complete the film. Our team is focused on producing a high-quality film that is both unique and compelling, and we believe our collaboration between Hong Kong and European filmmakers will lead to a cinematic experience that is truly one-of-a-kind.
We welcome the opportunity to share updates with you as our project progresses. Stay tuned for more information on our corporate partnerships, fundraising efforts, and other exciting developments. Our team is dedicated to creating a cinematic experience that challenges and inspires audiences worldwide, and we invite you to join us on this journey.
2023
Established
0
Core crew
Principles
Four things we decided before we decided anything else
02
No borrowed grief
We work from documented, published reporting and from consultation — never from invented testimony attributed to real survivors.
03
Small and accountable
A crew small enough that every person knows the script and can stop the shoot if the material demands it.
04
Show the working
Development is published as it happens, in the Journal — including the decisions we later reversed.
Where we are
Development timeline
The project moves in stages that are deliberately small. Each one produces something that can be shown to a financier, a festival, or a collaborator.
Development complete68%
Short film financed84%
Feature financing27%
2023 · Q1
Project established
First treatment written in Berlin. Myth Signs joins as producing partner.
2023 · June
Eye Catcher Global
Project presented at Eye Catcher Global 2023, 14–18 June. First co-production conversations.
2024–2025
Script development
Four drafts, two research trips, and a consultation process with displaced Ukrainian women living in Germany.
2026
Short film in production
A fourteen-minute adaptation shoots as proof of concept, financed partly through the Kickstarter campaign.
2027
Feature target
Principal photography on the feature, contingent on closing the remaining financing gap.
Questions
Things people ask us
No. It is a scripted drama. The research behind it is documentary in method — published
reporting, court records and first-hand consultation — but every character is invented,
and no real person's testimony is reproduced as dialogue.
The script names no country. The invasion, the town and the army are unnamed by design,
so that the film reads as the interior experience of one woman rather than a
reconstruction of a specific municipality.
Development runs out of Berlin, where the director is based. Production services,
accounting and post are handled through Hong Kong. Locations for the short are in
central Europe.
Yes. We work with corporate partners, in-kind suppliers and individual associate
producers. The Support page sets out the four routes and
what each one carries in terms of credit and reporting.
We do — it is how the development is funded. See Services
for the five things our crew does for other productions and organisations.
Next
Read the story before you decide
The synopsis is four paragraphs long and it does not soften anything.