About the film
Synopsis
The Missfits follows an all-girls robotics team based in San Francisco that is taking on the male-dominated field of engineering. They are determined to show other girls how fun and rewarding STEM can be, one robot at a time. The documentary follows The Missfits as they confront growing pains, build their robot, and travel to competitions. The diverse team is made up of twenty girls from high schools around the Bay Area ranging in age from fifteen to eighteen and coming from a variety of backgrounds. Together, on the team, they build each other up and learn to embrace their own identities.
Director’s Statement
I met the Missfits robotics team when I saw them giving a demonstration at Maker Faire, a 3-day convention that celebrates invention, creativity, and hands-on learning. The girls were speaking to a group of curious kids and I watched in admiration as they confidently demonstrated how their robot worked. I was instantly hooked, just like the kids, and knew I had to make a film about this team and its charismatic, inspiring members.
Growing up as an Asian American female, I never imagined myself as a director. I had never seen anyone who looked like me in the role, so I subconsciously decided that this wasn’t a viable path for me. It wasn’t until I entered the Stanford MFA program in Documentary Film that I fully embraced my potential as a filmmaker who had my own stories to tell and my own voice to cultivate.
Representation matters. Throughout my career, these two words have been my guiding light. In all of my work, I represent subjects from diverse backgrounds and tackle broader social issues through a very specific lens. I strive to tell personal, human stories because I believe that it is truly in the specific that you find the universal. My goal is to have my films motivate a lasting dialogue that extends beyond the viewing experience. It is about connecting people and fostering understanding.
With The Missfits, my intention is to tell the story of how adolescent girls - through their actions and choices - can redefine gender and race expectations for STEM. I address this larger theme while focusing on the personal experiences of the girls and what they are going through on a more intimate level. The robotics season is the centerpiece of the film, providing its narrative through-line. However, the heart of the film depicts what it is like to be an adolescent girl juggling familial, social, and academic expectations in today’s world.
- Ellie Wen
