Thoughts on my new film, " T R E " in theaters Feb. 1, 2008

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fogM504y398 These are two statements the studio publicists asked me to write about my new film "TRE" which will see its theatrical premiere in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 2008 and in Chicago on Feb. 8, 2008 (with more cities TBA).  I've uploaded the trailer to my FaceBook page,

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=8371626003&oid=4727228613

And I have two scenes from the film up on my YouTube page:  YouTube.com/EricByler52

"The all-Asian cast I chose for "Charlotte Sometimes" confused some viewers because they had come to expect an overt political commentary when confronted with ethnic faces in American films.  My follow-up "Tre" features mixed Asian ("hapa") romantic leads and also ignores ethnicity, favoring humanity as its focus and theme.  At its core, "Tre" is an exploration of how the idea of love, and our near religious faith in it, can lead us to make promises we don't intend to keep, to covet what is not ours, and to submit to impulses and compulsions we may spend the rest of our lives regretting.  This can be true for an Asian American, a half Asian, or any person for that matter.  In a sense, "Tre" reasserts the right of ethnic artists to tell stories about our communities without focusing on the issue of race…without political agenda.  You might say that claiming this right is an artistic agenda with political implications."

—Eric Byler Jan. 2008

"Tre" represents the more poetic, less political canvas for my life's work.   In life as with art, my aim is to give voice to those who find their identities as Americans challenged by those who maintain a narrow definition of what it means to be American.  For the Asian American community (as well as the Latino community), there is a strong interconnection between the representation we seek in mainstream media, and the representation we seek from our government. If you don't like the representation afforded you, you must to seize the reigns yourself.  In this way, my artistic and political endeavors are two sides of the same coin: one side has more political discourse, and the others side has more sex scenes."

—Eric Byler Jan. 2008

We'll be announcing a premiere party soon -- at Sushi Dan which is next door to the Sunset 5 theaters, one of the Los Angeles venues.   You heard it here first!

Here are all the dates I have so far:

T R E " in theaters

-- Friday, Feb 1, 2008 --

Laemmle's Sunset 5

8000 Sunset Blvd.

West Hollywood, CA 90046

323.848.3500

Laemmle's One Colorado

42 Miller Alley

Old Pasadena, CA 91103

626.744.1224

www.laemmle.com

-- Friday, Feb 8, 2008 --

Facets Cinematheque

1517 W. Fullerton Avenue

Chicago, IL 60614

773.281.4114

www.facets.org/cinematheque

More cities TBA.

www.TreTheMovie.com

This clip features our two Hapa leads, Daniel Cariaga who is Filipino and Caucasian, and Kimberly-Rose Wolter (who is in Charlotte Sometimes, and is Hawaiian, Korean, and Caucasian).

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fogM504y398