Dear ESL Teachers, Students, Schools, faculties, and all,

My name is Liam Billingham. I’m a filmmaker in pre-production on my short narrative film FUTURE PERFECT, which is about the ESL system in the U.S.

I’ve been teaching ESL for nearly 7 years now. I taught for 2 years in Prague and in small communities in the Czech Republic before making my way to New York, where I became a classroom teacher in an ESL school in Manhattan. Now I teach in homes, coffee shops, occasional bars, and wherever my students ask to meet me.

I found, and continue to find, the experience of being an ESL teacher rewarding and frustrating. At times it’s a downright struggle. But my relationship with my students is the thing that has kept me engaged and kept me caring.

These relationships have inspired me to create FUTURE PERFECT, which I am making as my Master thesis film for the Media Communications Arts program at the City College of New York. As you all know, ESL schools are singular, unique places, and the goal of this film is to explore them from the perspective of a student struggling to make the connections linguistically and culturally to find a home here. It is being made based on my several years of experience within the ESL system, as well as the experience of those whom I have met. Our lead actor has studied in ESL schools in China, and has extensive experience with the day-to-day realities of learning English and complications of studying in the US.

The film is currently in pre-production seeking funding. We hope you will consider supporting us in any way you can. Our goal is $10,000 in 32 days, which is the bare minimum we need to get the film started, and if we don’t reach that goal, we don’t get any funding.

If you can’t support us financially, you can do something else that is just as helpful; that is, tell your friends. Get the word out. Post on Facebook, twitter, and tell your ESL friends, students, and schools.

This is a unique film on a unique topic. We hope you will help us make it. Thank you very much.

Please follow the link below to find out more:
http://kck.st/P4tM30

Yours sincerely,
Liam Billingham
Filmmaker/ESL Teacher.