The writer and director, who recently wrapped up production of his first feature film, takes a compelling story and hinges it on an interesting theory.

The result is Killing Schrodinger's Cats, a gripping account of three people who are trapped in an unusual situation.

"It's rooted in a storytelling tradition similar to that of the Twilight Zone," said Todd McGinnis, a Brampton actor cast in the film. "It's a very compelling and tightly made movie."

Lei, who spent three and a half years making the film, recently screened the finished product for cast, crew, friends and family. The audience's response, according to McGinnis, was very positive.

"Suspension of disbelief is so critical in this genre, it requires mastery of a whole bunch of elements," said McGinnis. "I was astounded by the final screening."

The idea now is to get the same reaction from film producers, said Lei, and to get exposure as a feature film director.

His strategy is to submit it to a number of international film festivals.

"I'm looking for a way to get out it out there, to cover as much ground as possible in order to get my film noticed," he told The Guardian.

Previously the film as a work-in-progress was shortlisted at the Sundance Film Festival.

Though this project is his feature film debut, Lei has made several short films over the years, so he's well versed in the world of movie making.

For Killing Schrodinger's Cats, Lei did the screenwriting, directing, producing, editing and even some of his own special effects. McGinnis said the final product "has a beautiful refined look" and will "really get a lot of attention and appreciation at film festivals."

"He's very talented," he said. "He's done an incredible job. One of the aspects about the film  is there's so much going on that King-Pin achieved in editing that's absolutely brilliant and that the audience will never notice."

Lei, 40, has been filmmaking on some level since his early teens and hopes to pursue directing as a full-time endeavour. The inspiration for this particular project, he said, was to make a science-fiction film based on real scientific principle.

He explains the film is a science-fiction movie that is also a suspense/thriller. The idea for the plot stems from the famous quantum physics thought experiment Schrodinger's Cat- but he asserts that viewers don't need to know anything about science to enjoy the story.

"Every good sci-fi story starts with a grain of truth from actual scientific principle," he said. "So, I've embedded that within the core.

"But first and foremost," he added. "I've built the story around a lot of questions so people are going to want to get the answers."

The film is written in a way that Lei could engineer a movie that is made up of improv performances- as a director, he wanted fresh, natural performances. This enabled him to develop the characters within the confines of the story in a very organic way.

"I definitely couldn't have done this without all my cast and crew and friends," he said. "Even though this is my film, no director or filmmaker is an island."

For more details on Killing Schrodinger's Cats, or to view a trailer, visit www.kscmovie.com.