OCR Text |
Show C-2 The Park Record TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL SECURITY, THERE ARE TWO HALVES TO CONSIDER: Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, February 2-5, 2019 Asian-American filmmakers discuss changes in industry GROW PROTECT At Northwestern Mutual, our financial advisors combine personalized investment solutions that help grow your wealth with world-class insurance that protects what matters most to you. It’s just one of the reasons 96% of our clients stay with us year after year. TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Mark Brown, RICP® Financial Advisor (801) 533-8444 markbrown.nm.com 05-4015 © 2019 Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), a subsidiary of NM, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser and member FINRA (www.finra.org) and SIPC (www.sipc.org). Mark Scott Brown is an Insurance Agent(s) of NM. Mark Scott Brown, is a Registered Representative(s) of NMIS. Mark Scott Brown, is a Representative of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company®, (NMWMC) Milwaukee, WI (fiduciary and feebased financial planning services), a subsidiary of NM and federal savings bank. All NMWMC products and services are offered only by properly credentialed Representatives who operate from agency offices of NMWMC. Loyalty is based on NM client data. BE A LOCAL HERO Volunteer for a local non-profit From left, Lanette Punkard, a sign language interpreter, producer Janet Yang, filmmakers Lulu Wang, Justin Chon and Richie Mehta, and producer Anita Gou participate in a Sundance panel titled “Broad Cast News: How ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Changes The Game For Asian Talent” on Wednesday at the Filmmaker’s Lodge. The panel explored how the success of “Crazy Rich Asians” affects Asian-Americans in the film industry. Panel held at the Filmmakers Lodge on Wednesday SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record Last summer, John Chu’s “Crazy Rich Asians” was the first feature film with a majority Asian-American cast to hit paydirt. The cross-cultural romantic comedy grossed nearly $175 million in the United States alone, according to boxofficemojo.com. Richie Mehta, a longtime filmmaker, considers the film’s breakthrough part of a cultural eruption that started in 2008 with the runaway success of“Slumdog Millionaire,” which took the box office by storm and brought home an Oscar. “Twenty minutes into that film, I was in awe, because it was a Hindi language film that everyone in the audience was completely entranced by,” he said. “This was one of the first tremors.” The impact that “Crazy Rich Asians” may have on the future of Asian-Americans both in front of and behind the camera was the topic of “Broad Cast News: How ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Changes the Game for Asian Talent,” a Sundance Film Festival panel held Wednesday at the Filmmaker’s Lodge in partnership with the Asian Society, an advocacy nonprofit. Panelists included Mehta (“DelhiCrime Story”), writers, directors and producers Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”) and Justin Chon (“Ms. Purple”), and producer Anita Gou (“The Farewell” and “Honey Boy”). The panel was moderated by Janet Yang, of Janet Yang Productions. Yang said this year’s festival is a “game changer” in her eyes because more projects helmed by Asian-American. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Late Night,” penned by Mindy Kaling (and directed by Indian Canadian Nisha Ganatra), was a hit with audiences and broke a festival record when Amazon acquired it for $13 million. Wang’s “The Farewell,” starring Awkwafina, was purchased by A24 for $7 million; New Line bought Gurinder Chadha’s “Blinded by the Light” for $15 million while Netflix brought home Mehta’s “Delhi Crime Story” for an undisclosed amount. “I’ve been coming to Sundance for three decades and I find that to be a good marker to time,” Yang said. “We are now fully, seemingly, in the mainstream. Who would have thought Asian faces would be accepted by non-Asian people.” All the panelists’ films were produced before the theatrical release of “Crazy Rich Asians” last August and the filmmakers are excited about the shift in the overall cultural paradigm. Who would have thought Asian faces would be accepted by non-Asian people...” Janet Yang, producer Wang said the success of “Crazy Rich Asians” validated her financiers, actors and crew. “The Farewell” is a fishout-of-water story of a Chinese-American (Awkwafina) who returns to her family’s native China, where she’s no longer connected to the culture. Although an American film, most of the dialogue in “The Farewell” is spoken in subtitled Mandarin. It came with a personal touch. “It’s based on something that happened in real life,” she said. “In 2013, my grandma was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, and given only three months to live ... In China, doctors tell family members the diagnosis, but don’t tell the patient.” Things only got more complicated from there, Wang said. “So since we all live abroad, we needed an excuse for all of us to see her in a way so she wouldn’t get suspicious as to why we all rushed home,” she said. “So they forced my cousin to get married to his girlfriend as a way for us to all see her and to celebrate the marriage of her only grandson.” The obvious path was to make a comedy for a Chinese audience, Wang said. “But I wanted to make an American film,” she said. “I wanted to make this as an American film, because I’m American. This story is in my voice, and I think it’s an American story.” Gou said backing “The Farewell” was a “no-brainer.” “I told Lulu that this is a film that I had dreamed of making and doing as a fan of movies and filmmakers,” she said. “I’ve been to film school; my parents ran a production studio in Taiwan. So the projects that I choose to support stems from there, and I think there needs to be a certain point of view that’s unwavering and different and that is underrepresented in some way. I thought it would be daring to make an American independent film that was 70 percent Mandarin.” Chon, whose “Ms.Purple” was inspired by his relationship with his sister, said he is looking forward of seeing how the success of “Crazy Rich Asians” will affect his future projects. “My philosophy has been very bootstrap, DIY method of filmmaking that came out of necessity,” he said. “I’m excited because now filmmakers like myself may actually be able to make a case that it would be monetarily make sense.” It’s essential to have a local, knowledgeable professional as a resource to help you with your buying or selling needs. Please give me a call, I’d be happy to help guide you through the process. – Suzy |