"The Debut" debuts at VC Film Fest 2000

05.18 - Posted by Editor

 
"The Debut" debuts at VC FilmFest 2000
 
5.18.00
 
Visual Communications launched its fifteenth annual film festival Thursday night with two simultaneous sold-out screenings at the DGA theater in Los Angeles of "The Debut," a feature film directed by Filipino/Vietnamese American filmmaker Gene Cajayon.
    In her opening remarks, Visual Communications executive director Linda Mabalot announced the change of the festival's official name from the cumbersome "Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film and Video Festival" to the sleeker "VC FilmFest 2000."
    "Were taking ownership," said Mabalot. "We're saying to Hollywood we are here, we have product, we have talent, and we have audiences."
    She also tearfully dedicated this year's festival to Duane Ebata, a VC FilmFest 2000 board member who passed away just the week before.

Da "Debut" Review   By Joan Huang   Gene Cayajon's crowd-pleasing feature "The Debut" tells the story of Ben (Dante Brasco) -- whose desire to go to art school is so strong that he sells his valuable comic book collection to help finance his first year's tuition -- and his struggle with the different sectors of his life, including his home, his friends, his art, and his father. Ben hangs with his friends, then has to help his family prepare for his sister's Rose's debutante party, and finally finds the conflicting parts of life slam together at the Mercado family party. Links VC FilmFest   "The Debut" official website   Post your comments on the Message Boards!       Because Ben is pretty Americanized, he doesn't speak Tagalog or know about much about Filipino culture. As he begins to let himself enjoy the party, he begins to see the beauty of what he avoided before. Director Gene Cajayon showcases some eye-catching Filipino dances and costumes as well as mouth-watering cuisine. He also finds conflict in the unresolved issues Ben's dad has with his own father, as well as Ben's encounters with a cousin who runs around with the wrong crowd. The film keeps a good pace with interesting shots and editing, particularly in a basketball sequence, and with some interesting pickup lines as Ben flirts with his sister's friend, Annabelle.     I have to share two of my favorite scenes from the film. The first features Roland, Ben's dad, singing on stage with his old band for his daughter. A bit nervous in front of the crowd, especially in front of his father, who never approved of him "gallivanting" on stage, he sings a love song to "the two most beautiful women in his life," his wife and daughter. His singing is both beautiful and sad -- you realize he loved singing, yet gave it up to be practical and create security for his family. I think this hits home for many when we begin to realize that our parents once had aspirations that didn't revolve around cooking and cleaning for their kids, especially those parents who immigrated from abroad.     My second favorite scene, at which the crowd laughed out loud, was when two guys are talking about fixing up a car, and Edwin (Derek Basco) starts talking about how they are being distracted by the Man from learning the important keynotes in APA history. It reminded me of myself, talking about Asian American images in the media, and I could imagine Edwin having been in one of my Asian American classes at Berkeley, very passionate about conspiracies formed by the Man.     With an appealing, likeable cast, "The Debut" offers a picture of a guy who tries to follow his dream, learns a little more about who his family is, and of course, meets a girl -- all of which allows us to open our eyes as Ben opens his own.   Back to top