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Synopsis
Mi-Mi Shu-Shu is a grounded social-impact drama about grief and love. When a devastating accident upends the life of a single mother and her child, she is thrust into a bureaucratic maze of explanations, apologies, and deflections. What initially appears to be a freak incident slowly reveals a deeper, systemic failure: the dismantling of safe school transportation for thousands of students, particularly those attending selective and magnet schools. As the mother navigates community meetings, her personal mourning collides with a larger civic silence. She begins to uncover how policy decisions—made far from the neighborhoods they affect—have left children commuting long distances without adequate protection, oversight, or accountability. Reluctantly at first, then with growing resolve, she becomes an advocate—not because she wants to be one, but because no one else is speaking loudly enough. Her fight is not fueled by outrage alone, but by memory: of a child’s voice, routines, small rituals, and the fragile trust parents place in public systems meant to protect the most vulnerable. Intimate and restrained, Mi-Mi Shu-Shu explores how ordinary people are pushed into extraordinary resistance, and how grief, when given direction, can become a form of love that refuses erasure.
Director's Statment
This was such an important project to be a part of from the start. Marissa and I wanted to make sure the voices of the parents and students would be heard. It was a tremendous honor working with an incredible cast and crew who felt so passionate about making this film a reality. We hope to share this film with as many parents, students, filmmakers and enthusiasts as possible.
Key Crew
Andrew Littlefield (Director) I was born in Lansdale Pennsylvania, a small town outside of Philadelphia in 1980. Growing up my mother would read me the classic fairy tales of The Grimm Brothers and my mind would come alive with images of a magical world. Not only was I impacted by the stories she told, but also by her profound approach on storytelling. When I entered middle school, I started to get into poetry and began writing my own work through high school. Along with stories and poetry, I also showed an interest in movies and filmmaking. I was always fascinated with the creation of making images on film from stories. With my enthusiasm for writing and filmmaking, I attended the University of Pittsburgh as a film studies/writing student in 1998. Through the University I studied the philosophy of filmmaking and English Literature. I also attended Pittsburgh Filmmakers, which is a film school connected with the University. I learned all aspects of film and video from 8mm film to editing on Final Cut Pro. For my final film project from Pittsburgh Filmmakers, I converted a short story I wrote in high school into a screenplay and directed, entitled “Deadline”. It’s a classic film noir premise with a great femme fatale character. I graduated with a degree in Film Studies and English Literature and a certificate from film school. After college, I moved to Indianapolis and worked on a documentary as a camera operator. I began writing my story “Thesis” and continued to work on other various film projects. In 2006, I moved to Chicago to expand my horizon and infiltrate myself in a bigger and better artistic city. I began writing a short screenplay entitled “Monday Morning”, an extra ordinary story of love and the little things we take for granted in relationships. I directed and produced the film in 2007 and it was completed in the spring of 2008. It premiered at Chicago International Reel Shorts Festival in September of 2008. It was also shown at The Naperville International Film Festival. It is available to watch on my IMDB page, as well as, Vimeo. In the summer of 2008 I directed and produced a documentary on the Avon Walk for breast cancer in Chicago titled "Why We Walk". The dvd is available to order on amazon, as well as, VOD. In 2009 I wrote, directed, and produced by first feature length film titled "The One True Thing'. The story of a man trying to rediscover his love for writing while on a weekend getaway with his close college friends. The film will be available on amazon in the Spring 2013. In the summer of 2011 I wrote, directed, and produced a short film titled "Perhaps". The story of a stand up comedy over the course
of one night and the realization he finds with a special person he meets at the bar. The film will be available on amazon in the Fall 2013. As I continue to write stories here in Chicago, the fairy tales from my childhood continue to influence my inspirational approach to storytelling while applying human emotions that exist everyday in the lives of many.
Marissa Lichwick (Screenwriter) is a Korean American filmmaker, actress, and writer
whose work explores identity, desire, and resilience through daring, character-driven storytelling.
Adopted from South Korea at the age of seven and raised in a large, diverse family in upstate
New York. Marissa brings a unique perspective to the screen—one shaped by displacement,
belonging, and the search for truth. Her feature film Searching for Yoo secured distribution on major platforms including Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Hoopla, while her social impact short Mi-Mi Shu-Shu has been showcased at festivals such as Facets Theatre, Sweet Void Cinema, and Snake Alley Festival of Films. Marissa is currently developing multiple new works, including the historical drama Jasper Road, the psychological thriller Death and Life (produced through UCLA’s Film Production Summer Institute), and Fangirl, an erotic psychological short film that doubles as a proof-of-concept for a feature. A recipient of the University of Chicago Faculty Fellowship, Marissa recently attended UCLA’s Summer Institute in Film Production, where she produced two original shorts and collaborated with industry mentors from Disney, Amazon, Universal and other Studio Heads. She also teaches Public Speaking, Acting, and Theatre at City Colleges of Chicago, where she is designing a new film curriculum focused on the evolving representation of East Asian female protagonists in cinema and television. Her work has been recognized by the New York Movie Awards and the Portland Filmmakers Awards, and she continues to develop projects that challenge conventions. As an actress she has worked off-broadway and regionally including the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Guthrie, Denver Center and many more. She has worked on Network Television (Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago Justice) and appeared in many independent films. She holds a MFA in Acting from the University of Washington in Acting and Film Production from the Summer Institute at UCLA.
Behind the Scenes
- Runtime14:34
Stream the curated UCLAxFilmFest 2026 Official Selections here!
Synopsis
Mi-Mi Shu-Shu is a grounded social-impact drama about grief and love. When a devastating accident upends the life of a single mother and her child, she is thrust into a bureaucratic maze of explanations, apologies, and deflections. What initially appears to be a freak incident slowly reveals a deeper, systemic failure: the dismantling of safe school transportation for thousands of students, particularly those attending selective and magnet schools. As the mother navigates community meetings, her personal mourning collides with a larger civic silence. She begins to uncover how policy decisions—made far from the neighborhoods they affect—have left children commuting long distances without adequate protection, oversight, or accountability. Reluctantly at first, then with growing resolve, she becomes an advocate—not because she wants to be one, but because no one else is speaking loudly enough. Her fight is not fueled by outrage alone, but by memory: of a child’s voice, routines, small rituals, and the fragile trust parents place in public systems meant to protect the most vulnerable. Intimate and restrained, Mi-Mi Shu-Shu explores how ordinary people are pushed into extraordinary resistance, and how grief, when given direction, can become a form of love that refuses erasure.
Director's Statment
This was such an important project to be a part of from the start. Marissa and I wanted to make sure the voices of the parents and students would be heard. It was a tremendous honor working with an incredible cast and crew who felt so passionate about making this film a reality. We hope to share this film with as many parents, students, filmmakers and enthusiasts as possible.
Key Crew
Andrew Littlefield (Director) I was born in Lansdale Pennsylvania, a small town outside of Philadelphia in 1980. Growing up my mother would read me the classic fairy tales of The Grimm Brothers and my mind would come alive with images of a magical world. Not only was I impacted by the stories she told, but also by her profound approach on storytelling. When I entered middle school, I started to get into poetry and began writing my own work through high school. Along with stories and poetry, I also showed an interest in movies and filmmaking. I was always fascinated with the creation of making images on film from stories. With my enthusiasm for writing and filmmaking, I attended the University of Pittsburgh as a film studies/writing student in 1998. Through the University I studied the philosophy of filmmaking and English Literature. I also attended Pittsburgh Filmmakers, which is a film school connected with the University. I learned all aspects of film and video from 8mm film to editing on Final Cut Pro. For my final film project from Pittsburgh Filmmakers, I converted a short story I wrote in high school into a screenplay and directed, entitled “Deadline”. It’s a classic film noir premise with a great femme fatale character. I graduated with a degree in Film Studies and English Literature and a certificate from film school. After college, I moved to Indianapolis and worked on a documentary as a camera operator. I began writing my story “Thesis” and continued to work on other various film projects. In 2006, I moved to Chicago to expand my horizon and infiltrate myself in a bigger and better artistic city. I began writing a short screenplay entitled “Monday Morning”, an extra ordinary story of love and the little things we take for granted in relationships. I directed and produced the film in 2007 and it was completed in the spring of 2008. It premiered at Chicago International Reel Shorts Festival in September of 2008. It was also shown at The Naperville International Film Festival. It is available to watch on my IMDB page, as well as, Vimeo. In the summer of 2008 I directed and produced a documentary on the Avon Walk for breast cancer in Chicago titled "Why We Walk". The dvd is available to order on amazon, as well as, VOD. In 2009 I wrote, directed, and produced by first feature length film titled "The One True Thing'. The story of a man trying to rediscover his love for writing while on a weekend getaway with his close college friends. The film will be available on amazon in the Spring 2013. In the summer of 2011 I wrote, directed, and produced a short film titled "Perhaps". The story of a stand up comedy over the course
of one night and the realization he finds with a special person he meets at the bar. The film will be available on amazon in the Fall 2013. As I continue to write stories here in Chicago, the fairy tales from my childhood continue to influence my inspirational approach to storytelling while applying human emotions that exist everyday in the lives of many.
Marissa Lichwick (Screenwriter) is a Korean American filmmaker, actress, and writer
whose work explores identity, desire, and resilience through daring, character-driven storytelling.
Adopted from South Korea at the age of seven and raised in a large, diverse family in upstate
New York. Marissa brings a unique perspective to the screen—one shaped by displacement,
belonging, and the search for truth. Her feature film Searching for Yoo secured distribution on major platforms including Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Hoopla, while her social impact short Mi-Mi Shu-Shu has been showcased at festivals such as Facets Theatre, Sweet Void Cinema, and Snake Alley Festival of Films. Marissa is currently developing multiple new works, including the historical drama Jasper Road, the psychological thriller Death and Life (produced through UCLA’s Film Production Summer Institute), and Fangirl, an erotic psychological short film that doubles as a proof-of-concept for a feature. A recipient of the University of Chicago Faculty Fellowship, Marissa recently attended UCLA’s Summer Institute in Film Production, where she produced two original shorts and collaborated with industry mentors from Disney, Amazon, Universal and other Studio Heads. She also teaches Public Speaking, Acting, and Theatre at City Colleges of Chicago, where she is designing a new film curriculum focused on the evolving representation of East Asian female protagonists in cinema and television. Her work has been recognized by the New York Movie Awards and the Portland Filmmakers Awards, and she continues to develop projects that challenge conventions. As an actress she has worked off-broadway and regionally including the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Guthrie, Denver Center and many more. She has worked on Network Television (Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago Justice) and appeared in many independent films. She holds a MFA in Acting from the University of Washington in Acting and Film Production from the Summer Institute at UCLA.
Behind the Scenes
- Runtime14:34
