Expired April 30, 2021 6:59 AM
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Lily Topples the World follows 20-year-old sensation Lily Hevesh – the world’s most acclaimed domino toppler and the only girl in her field – as she rises as an artist, role model, and young woman. Filmed for over 3 years across countless cities and featuring appearances by Jimmy Fallon, Katy Perry, Will Smith, YouTuber Casey Neistat, and a steady stream of Gen-Z creators, Lily Topples the World is a coming-of-age story cloaked within a unique portrait of an artist, a story of how passion and artistry can make dreams come true, and an unlikely American tale of a quiet Chinese adoptee who transforms into a global artistic force with over 1 billion YouTube views. (APRIL 29)

 

Director’s Statement: Jeremy Workman

Sometime in 2017, I became transfixed by domino toppling videos. There seemed to be a thriving community of incredibly talented Gen-Z artists who had formed a unique community on YouTube creating mind-blowing domino toppling art. When I dug a little deeper, I began noticing that all roads seemed to lead to this one teenage girl with an oddly-named YouTube channel called “Hevesh5.”

 

The Hevesh5 channel had the most beautiful domino art, the most impressive videos, and by far the most YouTube views. I quickly discovered that it was the channel of a young Asian-American teenager named Lily Hevesh. She had nearly 2 million subscribers, and her domino videos had been seen almost a billion times in nearly every country on the planet. It was clear that Lily was the best of the best and without peer. It also was clear that she was the only girl doing this stuff.

 

As I stepped further into Lily’s work, I learned new details about this unique young woman. I discovered that she had been abandoned as a baby in China, adopted by an American family, and was the only Asian-American growing up in a small town in New Hampshire. I began to see a deeper story about a quiet girl who spoke with her art, a young woman who found confidence and self-assuredness through her craft, and an unlikely global artist who was mastering new platforms to bring her art to 21st-century audiences.


Film Pairing Suggestion:

Make it special! Louise Pare, volunteer, will pair this film with Pointy Samosas with mint chutney and tamarind sauce, and a chai from Taj of Ashland.

 

  • Year
    2021
  • Runtime
    90 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    United States
  • Premiere
    Oregon
  • Director
    Jeremy Workman
  • Producer
    Jeremy Workman, Robert J. Lyons
  • Executive Producer
    Kelly Marie Tran
  • Cinematographer
    Jeremy Workman, Michael Lisnet
  • Editor
    Jeremy Workman
  • Music
    Carly Comando