people

Thank you kind people who wished me a happy birthday last week!  Another year older, another year wiser - at least I hope...

I can't wait to hit Asia again in a couple of weeks.  I've been back in the USofA since early September and to be quite honest, it almost feels like I don't belong here anymore.  It's weird, but I feel as if my time here is coming to an end and I really need to move my butt over to Asia, if not permanently, then on a prolonged basis.  I've been in NYC for nearly a decade now and after spending most of my time abroad in 2009, it's really setting in for me that both professionally and personally speaking - reasons for my staying Stateside are dwindling.

It will be to my great interest to see what 2010 brings for me in terms of where I am.

In the interim, while here in NYC, recently, I got to work on a film called NOMADS that stars Lucy Liu.  Crazily, I was cast as her father in a flashback scene when young Lucy sees her father doing something not so cool.  It was pretty surreal to think I was playing Lucy Liu and Tamilyn Tomita's dad, and meeting the two of them was a real treat.  I remember meeting Tamilyn in the early 90's in San Francisco at the now defunct Golden Ring Awards, so it's funny to see how things can sometimes come full circle. 

I also just got back from a trip to LA and Hawaii where I spent time in LA developing a film I plan on shooting in China and Hawaii for the Hawaii International Film Festival where THE PEOPLE I'VE SLEPT WITH, a film our company 408 Films helped produce, had its world premiere.

HIFF was great!  It went over better than I could have expected.  We had fantastic crowds, oversold audiences, good reviews, and even an added screening in order to satisfy the demand!  I was bummed to hear that one of the cameraman on Shanghai Rush who I worked with who now lives in Hawaii, didn't get into the final screening even though he went and stood in line!

In Hawaii: With Archie Kao and Karin Anna Cheung, stars of the film at uber producer Chris Lee's home. I think one of the reasons PEOPLE worked so well in Hawaii was because the people of Hawaii are hungry for fare like our film.  Asian Americans, romantic comedy, gay and lesbian themes - I think the film spoke to the community there who rarely gets to see stuff like this.  And so it will be interesting to see how the rest of the North America and the world receives it.  Hopefully, people will find the storyline universal.

Here was a HIFF review: THE FILM STAGE.

From what I can tell at the San Diego Asian Film Festival the following weekend, it was well received too:  Facebook video from SD.

We also got a pretty decent review from Variety which is encouraging:  Variety.

They always say who cares what the critics think, but really, it does matter.  Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. 

We're next off to the Vancouver Asian Film Festival as their closing night film and then Taipei where we will be playing the Golden Horse Film Festivaland then following that, it will be the Hong Kong Asian Independent Film Festival at the end of November.  There's also a trip to Sao Paulo in there somewhere.

If you're in TPE or HK, come down to one of the screenings and say hello, I plan on being in attendance!

While I'm in HK, I'm hoping to get to work a little bit with my bud Jason Tobin and the talented Mr. Dax Phelan on a snazzy indie film called JASMINE that's about to go into production.  In TPE, I'm trying to also devise a way to meet the incomparable Shu Qi, who is serving as an ambassador for the Golden Horse Awards.  I want her to work on the film I'm developing in China.  So, if any of you have any bright ideas, I'm all ears!  (I'm only half-kidding...)

Finally, I'll swing through Shanghai - which is shaping up to be my home away from the States to find out what the deal is with the future of SR!  There's a lot of talk about season 2 and turning it into China Rush, but is it real?  And am I even in consideration to host it?  I'm tellin' ya folks - show biz is a tough place.  Even the host of a successful show has no security!  At least right now, I do know SR is being broadcast in Malaysia of all places.  Random.  Really random.

Can't wait to get "home" to you, Asia.