DEAR APA FIRST WEEKEND FILM CLUB:
JULY 1, 2006 EDITION - SUMMER IS HERE

CELEBRATE ASIAN AMERICAN AND ASIAN INTERNATIONALCINEMA TODAY - GO SEE A
MOVIE!

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interested in Asian American and Asian international cinema. We try
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you always updated as to films that are popping up in your area.
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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: JULY 1, 2006 - SUMMER IS HERE!
Summer 2006 is off to a great start. JUSTIN LIN's THE FAST AND THE
FURIOUS:
TOKYO DRIFT became a summer hit film and keeps stroking the box
office both
here and abroad (#1 in UK, AUSTRALIA, MALAYSIA and THAILAND). SUNG
KANG had two
films that opened in June and one that premiered at the LA FILM
FESTIVAL!
MICHAEL KANG's critically acclaimed THE MOTEL opens this weekend. KAL
PENN is
co-starring in the big summer movie SUPERMAN RETURNS. DEEPHA MEHTA
continues to
give us WATER. KEANU stars in a remake of a Korean film. And KOFIC
begins its
search for new and emerging Korean American talent for their
Filmmakers Lab.
These are exciting times for Asian American and Asian international
filmmakers.

This week's edition will be short and to the point. Bottom line - go
see a
movie and if you are in New York - make sure you go see THE MOTEL
this weekend.
Theaters from across the nation are watching how well the film will
do in NY
and will base their booking the film further on its performance.

Here we go:
1. THE MOTEL - OPENS IN NEW YORK AT THE FILM FORUM
2. JUSTIN LIN'S THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT IS A SUMMER HIT
3. SUNG KANG CELEBRATES A SUNG KANG SUMMER AT THE MOVIES
4. DEEPHA MEHTA'S WATER IS STILL IN THEATERS
5. KAL PENN IS FEATURED IN SUPERMAN RETURNS
6. KOFIC BEGINS ITS PROCESS OF LOOKING FOR EMERGING KOREAN AMERICAN
FILMMAKING TALENT
7. ACV - ASIAN CINEVISION - NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL OPENS IN JULY
8. ASIAN FILMS REPRESENT AT LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL
9. MORE - HAVE A SAFE FOURTH OF JULY!

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1. THE MOTEL - OPENS IN NEW YORK AT THE FILM FORUM
Join us this weekend and see what audiences across the country having
been
talking about.

Palm Pictures Presents Michael Kang’s
THE MOTEL
For an Exclusive Two-Week Engagement
Wednesday, June 28 - Tuesday, July 11
The Film Forum
209 W. Houston St. (West of 6th Ave.)
212-727-8110
1:00, 2:50, 4:30, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00.

THE MOTEL tells the story of 13-year-old Ernest Chin, who knows
better than
anyone that puberty sucks. Stuck at his family’s hourly-rate motel,
young
Ernest divides his time between taking orders from his overbearing
mom, tending to
whatever miscreants the motel may attract, and longing for the girl
of his
dreams.

Written and directed by Michael Kang, THE MOTEL is produced by Miguel
Arteta,
Gina Kwon, Karin Chien and Matthew Greenfield.

THE MOTEL was supported by Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program,
and
received the Sundance Institute/NHK International Filmmakers Award,
the Humanitas
Prize, and Best Narrative Feature Award at the San Francisco
International
Asian American Film Festival and recently took home the Grand Jury
Prize at the
VC FilmFest - the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

Advance Tickets Online NOW at Moviefone or<A
HREF="http://boxoffice.printtixusa.com/filmforum/movies"> http://
boxoffice.printtixusa.com/filmforum/movies</A>
.

For more information go to the film's official website at:
<A HREF="http://www.themotel-film.com">www.themotel-film.com</A>

Big props to Michael, Sung, Karin, Gina, Miguel, Jeffrey, Jade,
Samantha and
the whole THE MOTEL FAMILY on this opening weekend.

NOTE: WRITER, DIRECTOR AND CAST MEMBERS will be doing Q&A this
weekend at
FILM FORUM. Check local NY listings or call the theater

See you in New York!!!

2. JUSTIN LIN'S THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT IS A SUMMER HIT
Box office success continues for JUSTIN LIN and his blockbuster
summer hit -
coming in at #3 on its first weekend in the US and hitting #1 in the UK,
MALAYSIAN, AUSTRALIA and Thailand. And even this past weekend, TOKYO
DRIFT
remained #1! Audiences here have been raving about how director Lin
has infused new
life in to the series and SUNG KANG has been getting great notices.
Look for
more SUNG KANG in the future. TOKYO DRIFT is still playing
everywhere - take
your friends and just have a great time. Next week - watch here for
more
giveaways with TEE SHIRTS and CDS. And check out JUSTIN LIN on HBO
on FIRST LOOK:
THE MAKING OF THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT. It's an
amazing piece
and you get to see alot of us on there! Congrats Justin Lin!
www.xanga.com/mytokyodrift

3. SUNG KANG CELEBRATES A SUNG KANG SUMMER AT THE MOVIES
Asian American actor SUNG KANG is having probably one of the best
summers
ever. He has 3 movies that are on the big screen this week!

THE MOTEL - opening at Film Forum in New York -
THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT - playing everywhere and KANG
getting
good notices and kids loving his character.
UNDOING - premiering this week at the LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL In
Westwood -
where KANG not only is the main star - but he also produced the film.

Big shout out to SUNG KANG and congrats on this Summer of Sung Kang!
Read the interview in BACKSTAGE.COM - go to WWW.BACKSTAGE.COM and search
under SUNG KANG and you will find a great article written by Margaret
Rhee!
Keep up the great work!

4. DEEPHA MEHTA'S WATER IS STILL IN THEATERS
If you have not yet seen this beautiful film taking place in 1938
INDIA and
starring LISA RAY, JOHN ABRAHAM and the amazing child actor SARALA.
WATER will blow you away with its quiet sensibility and heart
wrenching story
of the plight of widowed women in India. Performances are brilliant
and the
film is so beautiful to watch. LISA RAY and JOHN ABRAHAM have such
stunning
presence that they melt the screen whenever they are on and SARALA is
fantastic
in the lead role as a young widow destined to a life as an outsider.
The
film is playing in most cities - so check local listings for times
and theaters.
Check out Roger Ebert's review

Water
A widow at eight
Ebert Rating: ***
BY ROGER EBERT / May 5, 2006

Her father asks Chuyia: "Do you remember getting married?" She does
not. He
tells her that her husband has died, and she is a widow. She is 8
years old.
Under traditional Hindu law, she will be a widow for the rest of her
life. There
are two alternatives: Marry her husband's brother, or throw herself
on his
funeral pyre.

Deepa Mehta's "Water" is set in 1938. Even then, laws existed in
India that
gave widows the freedom to marry, but as one character observes, "We
do not
always follow the law when it is inconvenient." Torn from her
father's grasp,
crying out for her mother, Chuyia (Sarala) disappears into an ashram
controlled
by the lifelong widows who live there. Her hair is cut off. She wears
a white
garment that marks her. The woman in charge is Madhumati (Manorma), fat,
indolent and domineering, who is frightening to the little girl.

Then she makes a friend. This is the beautiful Kalyani (Lisa Ray),
who alone
among the widows has been allowed to wear her hair long, but for a
sad reason.
Madhumati has an arrangement with the pimp Gulabi (Raghuvir Yadav) to
supply
Kalyani to wealthy clients, as a source of income for the ashram.
Kalyani has
a puppy, which they hide and love together. Another friend in the
ashram is
Shakuntala (Seema Biswas), a wise, thoughtful woman who questions the
foundations of the theory of widowhood. It is Narayan (John Abraham),
a follower of
Gandhi, who supplies the most pragmatic explanation for the ancient
practice: "One
less mouth to feed, four less saris, and a free corner in the house.
Disguised as religion, it's just about money."

"Water" is the third film in a trilogy about India by Deepha Mehta,
whose
"Earth" (1998) dealt with the partition of India and Pakistan, and
whose "Fire"
(1996) dealt with lesbianism among traditional Indian women. She is
not popular
with Indian religious conservatives, and indeed after the sets for
"Water"
were destroyed and her life threatened, she had to move the entire
production to
Sri Lanka. That she is a woman and deals with political and religious
controversy makes her a marked woman.
... To the read the full review go to:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060504/
REVIEWS/60315003/1023

5. KAL PENN IS FEATURED IN SUPERMAN RETURNS
SUPERMAN RETURNS is the long awaited summer blockbuster film that has
had
audiences cheering in delight. Great effects, great scenery, great
new Superman,
great Parker Posey, great Kevin Spacey, etc... But, what we found even
greater was to see KAL PENN (AKA KUMAR from HAROLD AND KUMAR) in a co-
starring
role. KAL is one of these outstanding young actors who has presence
and is always
a joy to watch. Granted, the role is small as one of Lex Luthor's
people -
but nevertheless our boy is there. So big props to you KAL PENN!
Currently,
he's starring in the upcoming new film from MIRA NAIR - THE NAMESAKE
where he
plays the lead character.

6. KOFIC BEGINS ITS PROCESS OF LOOKING FOR EMERGING KOREAN AMERICAN
FILMMAKING TALENT
The Korean Film Council was in Los Angeles recently and hosted a very
nice
reception with the Pusan Film Festival people. KOFIC had earlier
announced that
they were starting up the KOFIC FILMMAKERS DEVELOPMENT LAB. Inspired by
similar creative environments such as the Sundance Screenwriters Lab,
the KOFIC
Filmmakers Development Lab is seeking applicants from the United
States and
Canada with a view to realizing projects that can find audience
appeal in both
Korea and North America. The Lab will be held in Hawaii in early
September, in
partnership with the Academy for Creative Media at the University of
Hawaii in
Honolulu. Following in October, the Lab fellows will be brought to
the Pusan
International Film Festival in Korea to meet with relevant film industry
representatives and organizations whom could potentially produce
their projects.
Over 60 applicants applied for this new and innovative program and
only 5 will
be chosen. Stay tuned to right here when we make the announcement of
the lucky
5!

7. ACV - ASIAN CINEVISION - NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL OPENS IN JULY
Yes, it's that time again to get your selves to MANHATTAN and attend ACV
(Asian Cinevision) 29TH ASIAN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.
JOURNEY FROM THE FALLL, AMERICAN FUSION, EVE AND THE FIRE HORSE and
COLMA THE
MUSICAL are some of the Asian American highlights.
Log on to: http://www.asiancinevision.org/ for a complete calendar
and buy
your tickets. Go out to Manhattan and join Diana Lee and Risa
Morimoto this
July 13 - 21 for the festival. They definitely know how to throw a
slamming
festival. Also check out the panels - as these will be invaluable.

8. ASIAN FILMS REPRESENT AT LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL
THE LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL from FILM INDEPENDENT is winding down -
but
there are some films still playing this weekend:
LAST RITES - by DUANE STINNETT - produced by Vietnamese American
KRISSANN
SHIPLEY - MIDNIGHT FRIDAY and Sunday at 4:00 PM
UNDOING - by CHRIS CHAN LEE Friday - 7:30 PM
MAN PUSH CART - by RAMIN BAHRANI - FRIDAY - 9:30 PM
IN BETWEEN DAYS - by SO YONG KIM - SATURDAY - 7:00 PM
ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES - by Yu Lik-wai - SATURDAY - 7PM
VOICE - by Equan Choi - MIDNIGHT SATURDAY/ SUNDAY 1PM
SEVEN SAMURAI - SUNDAY - 6:30 PM

WWW.LAFILMFEST.COM

9. MORE - HAVE A SAFE FOURTH OF JULY!
MAKE SURE YOU GO OUT AND SUPPORT ASIAN AMERICAN FILMMAKERS AND ASIAN
INTERNATIONAL FILMS THIS WEEKEND!

Be Fast! Be Furious!

APA FIRST WEEKEND FILM CLUB