ABEER ABUNAYYAN WRITES — In 2018, Prince Mohammed bin Salman lifted the ban on theaters that had been in place for 35 years. The ban had originally been in place due to social pressure from conservative Islamists to limit public entertainment, particularly theaters that had mixing between men and women. However,…
YOLANDA NOSAKHARE WRITES — Have you ever wondered what your favorite John Hughes film would look like if it took place at a summer camp in South Korea? This is just what Korean-American filmmaker and writer Benson Lee channeled when he melded John Hughes’ “The Breakfast Club” to his 2015…
MATEO FERNANDEZ WRITES — “Demon Slayer” has made Japanese history in both manga and anime. What is manga, for those who don’t know? Japanese graphic novels or comics that are inherently the building blocks of this uniquely Japanese form of entertainment. Just as in the U.S many movies are based…
CADY-BREE ABE WRITES — The new Netflix live action “Avatar the Last Airbender” TV series was set for release in 2020, but due to COVID-19, production has been delayed until 2021. Skeptical fans are not optimistic about the outcome. Here’s why. Many fans agree that the introduction to every episode…
NATHAN RIVAS WRITES — Perhaps you’ve found yourself scrolling through Netflix for hours on end because you’ve already binged on the Tiger King so much that you’ve begun to grow a furry mustache! If that’s you, we have a few solutions. Amid the crisis of COVID-19, theaters have been shut…
WEI WU WRITES — It has been three years since Ang Lee’s last movie “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk”; his latest movie “Gemini Man” was released last month. Audiences were looking forward to seeing how an Eastern director would break down this odd Western science fiction story, but it turns…
NATHAN RIVAS WRITES– Visionary New Zealand director Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople; Thor: The Ragnarok) continues his hot streak with this hilarious and heartwarming coming of age story about, of all things, a bromance between a young boy and his imaginary best “friend:” Hitler. The movie’s official release date…
IMMANUEL PORTUS WRITES — Following the slew of “Asian movies” that have been gaining traction this year, such as “The Farewell” and “Yellow Rose,” comes a defining one from none other than the Marvel Cinematic franchise. “Shang-Chi” is widely touted as Hollywood’s first Asian Superhero movie (with emphasis on the…
IMMANUEL PORTUS WRITES — On May 2 the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival opened its first night with a film that took home the Grand Jury Prize soon after: “Yellow Rose,” helmed by director Diane Paragas and starring Tony winner Lea Salonga and Tony nominee Eva Noblezada— all prominent…
ASIA MEDIA WRITES – The Farewell, a knockout of controlled emotion, is in effect a cinema Chekhov with Chinese characteristics. From young to old, the superb ensemble cast of the powerful Lulu Wang directed movie absolutely nails so many deep states of human emotion. With awe and modesty,Asia Media’s International…
Directed by Leon Le, the movie Song Lang, set in 90s Saigon, begins with Dung “Thunderbolt”, a debt collector, meeting Linh Phung, a cải lương (Vietnamese opera) actor. When Dung sees Linh Phung on stage, Dung was instantly pulled back to the past he has long been trying to ignore…
IMMANUEL PORTUS WRITES- The 35th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival ushered in a myriad of untold stories within the backdrop of the Asian-American canvas. Waves of audiences lavished applause as every film took its place and breathed color into every every nook, cranny, and fold of the cinematic canvas. And in…
YI NING WONG WRITES — The month of May marks Asian Pacific Heritage Month. Last week, I had the opportunity to chat with team members from a recent animation about street foods, culture, and family in Hong Kong: Front of the House. Director Sum Yi “Ashley” Ma and Sound Director…
Chantal Nong talks about her experiences with Crazy Rich Asians and the movie’s impact on film awards. Nong is an executive producer at Warner Brothers. She recently oversaw the production of Crazy Rich Asians. She has now moved over to DC to be the VP of Production. She attended USC…
YUXIN ZHOU WRITES — On April 2, the Chinese TV drama series “All is Well” ended. The show was about a typical Chinese family, in which, yes, (as the title suggests) all is well. Is it? While the show features an ordinary Chinese family, in one episode Mingyu (played by…
AASHNA MALPANI WRITES– Kollaboration, a non-profit, hosted the EMPOWER conference last week. The organization held its fifth annual event on March 23 and 24 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. The two-day symposium aims at bringing people across all communities together to learn more about filmmaking, music…
