What happens when a group of college friends with a shared love for fantasy, video games, and storytelling finally get the chance to bring their dream project to life? You get The Monkey Prince and the Flower Maiden, a high-concept, action-packed short film crafted from years of friendship, collaboration, and a deep-rooted passion for Asian American representation in genre storytelling.
At Dorkaholics, we believe there’s a dork in everyone, and in this special interview, I sat down with director Sarah Kim and actors Yoshi Sudarso and Peter Sudarso to explore how their shared creative vision took shape over the course of years, starting from college theater days to full-blown fantasy filmmaking.
A Long-Awaited Reunion
The collaboration between Sarah, Yoshi, and Peter wasn’t a new one, it was a reunion of sorts. As Sarah recalls, she’s known Yoshi since college, where she was the first director to cast him as a lead. That connection remained strong through the years, and when the idea for The Monkey Prince and the Flower Maiden came to her, she knew she wanted to bring Yoshi and Peter on board.
“I love the way Sarah builds worlds,” Yoshi shared. “And there was no way I would’ve said no. Short of getting dunked on the head and not being able to work the next day.”
For Peter, the project aligned perfectly with what he and his brother had been craving: “We’ve been wanting to do something that was like high fantasy, high action, and high concept.”
Building a Fantasy World Together
One of the strongest elements of The Monkey Prince and the Flower Maiden is how collaborative the process was from the beginning. From weapon choices to costume designs to character backstories, everyone had a hand in shaping the world.
“Sarah was very collaborative,” said Yoshi. “We helped figure out the script, the movement, the props, the costumes, everything.” Even early concept art of the brothers helped inspire their dynamic on screen.
Sarah emphasized that the film was born out of her love for RPGs and classic video games like Final Fantasy VII (though she confesses a fondness for VIII as well). She recalled dreaming up a live-action fantasy project with Yoshi over a decade ago, long before this film took shape.
“I wanted to make something I haven’t seen before on screen,” she said. “Aside from the lack of Asian representation, I wanted everyone to feel like they could be the protagonist of their own story.”
Lessons Beyond the Classroom
Shot in just six days, mostly through overnight shoots, the production was as challenging as it was rewarding. For Sarah, the experience highlighted just how much film school couldn’t prepare her for.
“I’m still thankful for everyone who worked on the production,” she said. “Yoshi helped so much, especially with the choreography and stunts.”
In fact, the cast and crew included longtime friends and collaborators from their training days, including stunt coordinator Malay Kim, a friend of Yoshi’s from the EMC Monkeys team. “Malay is working on huge things now,” Yoshi said, “and he did this as a favor, bringing in a lot of the boys and girls who doubled for our cast and made the action shine.”
“This wasn’t just a job,” Yoshi added. “Everyone brought in their passion, their time, and gave a lot of it.”
Peter echoed the sentiment: “It was an opportunity for all of us to bring more to the table than we’d been able to before. It was a really big collaborative piece.”
Inspirations and Dork Origins
The love for fantasy and storytelling didn’t start with this film, it started in childhood. When asked what made them dorks growing up, the answers ranged from Ultraman and Kamen Rider to Sailor Moon and Hercules.
For Yoshi, it was watching kaiju battles in Ultraman and fighting games with Peter in Indonesia. Sarah recalled waking up early to catch Sailor Moon on Channel 13 before school. Peter cited Hercules as a spark that introduced him to Greek mythology and heroes.
“We all speak the same language,” Sarah said. “We’re all nerds and that’s why we work so well together.”
Final Thoughts
The Monkey Prince and the Flower Maiden is more than just a short film, it’s a labor of love from a team that has grown together over the years. It blends martial arts, mythology, and meaningful representation into a visually striking, emotionally resonant story.
“This was like a Final Fantasy party that became a real thing,” Peter said.
And at the heart of it all? A group of dorks who never stopped dreaming.
