APA FIRST WEEKEND FILM CLUB NEWSLETTER
May 14, 2010
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CELEBRATE ASIAN AMERICAN AND ASIAN INTERNATIONALCINEMA!
We apologize if you got this more than once. We know we are on so many different lists.
Please pass this information on to other people who are interested in Asian American and Asian international cinema. We try very hard to keep you always updated as to films that are popping up in your area. Please note that you are a part of over 12,000 people who are on this list nationwide and it is published on www.asianamericanfilm.com!
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For those of you who are first timers here, the mission of this email newsletter blast to keep everyone aware of Asian American and Asian international films that will be coming out so that we can go out and support them.
First weekend box office receipts are very important to Hollywood and to our films because these reports will make or break a film. If the films does well on Friday, Saturday and Sunday the "first" weekend it comes out, theater owners and distributors will make their decisions on Monday mornings about a film's life.
So, we encourage each and every one of you to go out there and support our Asian American and Asian international filmmakers. It is at the box office where we can show our strength and our power for our films and and filmmakers. Even if you don't have the time to sit through the film on the first weekend - go to the theater and purchase a ticket so that we can show box office $$$ numbers. It is extremely important.
At the end of the day.. the color in Hollywood is GREEN! Show up and vote for yourself at the box office!
IN THIS ISSUE:
With the ending of one of the most successful LA ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVALS, the reactions and the films gave us new inspiration that our Asian American filmmakers are continuing to make films out there and tell our stories.
1. TOM HUANG OPENS HIS INDIE FILM "WHY AM I DOING THIS" IN LOS ANGELES MAY 14
2. THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD CONTINUES IN NEW YORK, LA, SAN FRANCISCO, SEATTLE AND OPENS SAN DIEGO, SALT LAKE CITY, ATLANTA, AND WASHINGTON DC
3. PRINCESS KAIULANI OPENS MAY 14 NATIONWIDE
4. LA ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL 2010 CLOSES ON A HIGH NOTE!
5. MAKE YOUR OWN SHORT FILM AND ENTER "INTERPRETATIONS" AT YOMYOMF.COM
6. CHECK IT OUT NOW -
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1. TOM HUANG OPENS HIS INDIE FILM "WHY AM I DOING THIS" IN LOS ANGELES MAY 14
Congratulations to filmmaker/writer/actor TOM HUANG as he opens his latest feature WHY AM I DOING THIS on Friday, May 14 at the Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills. Huang's comedy drama film highlights the obstacles actors of color face in a not so welcoming Hollywood. HUANG made the memorable film THE FRESHMAN about 4 years ago. It's nice to see him back. Can't wait to see what he's doing next. for more info - www.laemmle.com
2. THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD CONTINUES IN NEW YORK, LA, SAN FRANCISCO, SEATTLE AND OPENS SAN DIEGO, SALT LAKE CITY, ATLANTA, AND WASHINGTON DC
Crazy, zany and visually stunning KIMCHEE WESTERN "THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD" continues its trek across the US and this week opening in San Diego, Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Washington DC. FUN FUN FUN movie that takes you for a roller coaster ride. Woo hoo for KIM JEE WOON. Also ON DEMAND through IFC FILMS ON DEMAND - check your local cable listings.
3. PRINCESS KAIULANI OPENS MAY 14 NATIONWIDE
Title: PRINCESS KAIULANI
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Los Angeles Release Date: May 14, 2010 at Landmark's Regent Theatre, Westwood; Laemmle's Music Hall 3, Beverly Hills; Laemmle's Playhouse 7, Pasadena; Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex, Santa Monica; Edwards Westpark 8, Irvine
May 21, 2010 at Laemmle's Town Center 5, Encino
New York Release Date: May 14, 2010
Synopsis:
Set against the dramatic island backdrop of Hawai'i and based on the inspiring true story, Princess Kaiulani is a breathtaking romance about an unlikely heroine and her unwavering fight to defend the independence of her people.
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG (For Some Violence and Thematic material, and for brief language, sensuality and smoking)
Running Time: 100 minutes
Language: English
Writer/Director: Marc Forby
Producers: Marc Forby, Nigel Thomas, Ricardo S. Galindez, Roy J. Tjioe, Lauri Apelian
Cast: Q'orianka Kilcher, Barry Pepper, Shaun Evans, Jimmy Yull, Julian Glover, Tamzin Merchant, Will Patton
Awards/Festivals:
-Hawaii International Film Festival, WINNER - Audience Award (shared)
4. LA ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL 2010 CLOSES ON A HIGH NOTE!
The 2010 LA ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FSTIVAL presented by Visual Communications ended its 10 day run with a sold out house for the Korean comedy - THE ACTRESSES. All in all, it was one of the most successful fests in the 26 year history of the event. Drama comedy THE TAQWACORES won 4 awards incling Audience Award, Best Director , Best Ensemble Acting Awards and the Grand Jury Prize! While LAST TRAIN HOME by LIXIN FAN won the Grand Jury Prize and Best Cinematography for documentary feature film. Check out the info on www.vconline.org/festival Highlights included KTOWN COWBOYS, AJUMMA: ARE YOU CRAZY; THE PEOPLE I SLEPT WITH; RASPBERRY MAGIC; MAO'S LAST DANCER; RED AND WHITE; CHILDREN METAL DIVERS; BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS; CLASH and AU REVOIR TAIPEI. A great time was had by all!
5. MAKE YOUR OWN SHORT FILM AND ENTER INTERPRETATIONS ON YOMYOMF.COM
DIRECTOR JUSTIN LIN (FAST & FURIOUS) AND YOMYOMF.COM LAUNCH "INTERPRETATIONS"
AN INNOVATIVE FILM INITIATIVE TO BUILD A COMMUNITY OF CONTENT MAKERS AND THE HOLLYWOOD INDUSTRY
CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR INTERPRETATIONS OPEN FROM MAY 15-SEPT 1
In an effort to foster and support an online community of filmmakers using modern social media tools, film director Justin Lin (BETTER LUCK TOMORROW, FAST & FURIOUS, upcoming HIGHLANDER) and YouoffendmeYouoffendmyfamily.com (YOMYOMF.COM), one of the fastest growing arts and culture blogs, has launched a new online Film Initiative called INTERPRETATIONS.
INTERPRETATIONS is a new initiative to encourage aspiring filmmakers to develop their own original and unique voice and projects. All participants will be asked to use the same four line script, but can "interpret" it any way they wish on film.
"Marlon Brando once remarked that the only way the Academy Awards® would be a true barometer of who was truly best was if every actor tackled the same role and would be judged on how they interpreted that part." says Justin Lin, YOMYOMF.com founder. "This exercise will embody that spirit so that a 14-year-old suburban kid from New Jersey or a 70-year-old aspiring filmmaker from Texas would both have an equal opportunity of creating something memorable."
"The script is intended to be broad and fluid enough so that one director could craft a comedy from it, another a stylish music video, another an action film, another an avant-garde work of animation, and so on," says Elaine Chin of YOMYOMF.com, and formerly an executive at HBO and Fox.
YOMYOMF.com's mandate for this Initiative is to create an environment to foster a shared experience. Instead of the usual one way street process that similar online video competitions follow between entrant and judge, INTERPRETATIONS will be community-oriented: employing social media to contextualize the films, providing immediate feedback from our jury of prominent industry professionals, as well as developing ongoing conversations so all participants can become stakeholders in the Interpretations Initiative.
As part of launch, YOMYOMF.com has commissioned eight established filmmakers to produce their own Interpretation short films to serve as examples of how the script can be interpreted. Some of these filmmakers include actor Danny Pudi (NBC's COMMUNITY), Spencer Nakasako (Emmy-Award winning dirctor of REFUGEE) and Iris Yamashita (Academy Award® nominated screenwriter for Clint Eastwood's LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA).
INTERPRETATIONS Timeline & Website
Entrants can begin uploading their films starting May 15 and entries will be accepted until September 1st, 2010. The winners will be announced at the 11th annual San Diego Asian Film Festival (October 21 - 28, 2010). The Interpretations Film Initiative is hosted at www.interpretationsfilm.com, where the script can be downloaded and the commissioned shorts can be viewed.
About YOMYOMF.com
Spearheaded by filmmaker Justin Lin, whose credits range from independent films like MTV/Paramount Pictures' BETTER LUCK TOMORROW (which was the first film MTV ever acquired and boasted the highest per screen average in the company's history) to major studio films like Universal's FAST & FURIOUS (the studio's highest grossing film for 2009 as well as the biggest April opening in history), the YOMYOMF team-a group of friends and peers in the arts and entertainment industry-launched the blog in the summer of 2009 as a natural outgrowth of their "off-the-record" conversations regarding issues and experiences (within the film industry and beyond) that entertain, provoke and move them. Visit them at www.youoffendmeyouoffendmyfamily.com or www.yomyomf.com.
6. CHECK IT OUT NOW
OTHER FILMS TO DEFINITELY CHECK OUT THIS WEEKEND:
• JUST WRIGHT - A film by Sanaa Harim starring QUEEN LATIFAH, COMMON, and PAULA PATTON and a host of NBA players
Pleasantly surprising romantic comedy where every one is human. And finally, no stereotypical performances by Latifah or Common - just some good fun and a film that will catch you by surprise. There's enough in this for both male and female audiences. And this could be COMMON's first break as a "romantic lead." No more thug or police man roles. It makes one have hope that perhaps one day we could have an all Asian American good romantic comedy - written, produced, directed and starring us. Congrats to FLAVOR UNIT and to Michael Elliot for staying true. And the soundtrack is great, too.
• THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES - a film by Juan Jose Campanella - Oscar® winner best foreign language film - Argentina
The Argentina cinema is alive and well if this film is any indication. All at once suspenseful, intriguing and a love story - you won't be disappointed. Beautifully shot. It's not wonder it won the Oscar this year! Hay!
• MOTHER AND CHILD - A FILM BY RODRIGO GARCIA
Amazing film with an amazing cast! What else can we say? If you are looking for a film that is an alternative to the Robin Hoods or Iron Man genre - this would fit the bill. In fact any of these films JUST WRIGHT and SECRET would be great choices.
• THE OATH - A FILM BY LAURA POITRAS
Only in New York til next Friday, this documentary will have you on your toes and you will have to talk with someone about the film after. Oscar nominated filmmaker Laura Poitras gets incredible access into the lives of a OSAMA BIN LADEN's former bodyguard and his brother-in-law BIN LADEN's driver. Big hit at Sundance and the festival circuit. Amazing film.
• THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS
Ellsberg is a hero to many journalists and this Oscar nominated film will tell you why. Worth seeing and it's playing in many different cities - check your local listings!
That's it! Spread the word and see a film!
Peace and one love,
APA FIRST WEEKEND FILM CLUB
