Americanese
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| Americanese | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Eric Byler |
| Produced by | Lisa Onodera |
| Written by | Eric Byler Based on the novel "American Knees" by Shawn Wong |
| Starring | Chris Tashima Allison Sie Kelly Hu Ben Shenkman and Joan Chen |
| Music by | Michael Brook |
| Cinematography | Rob Humphreys Stacy Toyama |
| Editing by | Kenn Kashima |
| Distributed by | IFC First Take |
| Release date(s) | August, 2007 |
| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
Americanese is an American independent feature film released in 2007. It is a romantic drama about the break-up of a couple, about love and memory, and how race plays into the lives of contemporary Asian Americans and Hapa/mixed-race Americans.
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[edit] Background
The film was written and directed by Eric Byler, adapted from the novel, "American Knees," by Shawn Wong. It was produced by Lisa Onodera, and made its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) in 2006, where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and a Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Ensemble Cast. Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film 3½ stars, calling it "...uncommonly absorbing." In October 2006, IFC Films acquired the film for distribution, under their IFC First Take distribution arm, which will release the film in August 2007 on a "day-and-date" platform, which will include a limited theatrical release accompanied simultaneously with a video on demand (VOD) broadcast premiere on Comcast cable.
[edit] Plot
Raymond Ding, a middle-aged Chinese American college professor, and Aurora Crane, his younger Hapa (half-Asian) girlfriend, have just split, but continue to drift in and out of eachother's lives. Unable to fully let go, Raymond visits the apartment they once shared, during the day while Aurora is away. Aurora is haunted by flashbacks of moments from their relationship. Encouraged by their best friends to move on, Raymond and Aurora each begin new relationships. Aurora dates Steve, a Caucasian man closer to her age (and also her best friend's ex). Raymond dates Betty, a Vietnamese American colleague, whom he soon discovers is haunted by her own past. Race and identiy issues begin to surface as Raymond and Aurora try to start new lives, but remain drawn to their past.
[edit] Cast
(in order of appearance)
- Chris Tashima — Raymond Ding
- Allison Sie — Aurora Crane
- Sab Shimono — Wood Ding
- Munda Razooki — Test Driver #1
- Kelly Hu — Brenda Nishitani
- Carol Saraceno — Woman with Dog
- Michael Paul Chan — Jimmy Chan
- Autumn Reeser — Sylvia
- Joan Chen — Betty Nguyen
- Nathaniel H. Taylor — Test Driver #2
- Yuri Treschuck — Amerasian Youth at Bus Stop
- Jen Brown — Rumana
- Kayvon Esmaili — Brenda's Boyfriend at Party
- Teddy Chen Culver — Rumana's Boyfriend
- Annie Katsura Rollins — Julia Crane
- Takayo Fischer — Keiko Crane
- Ryan Cutrona — Hank Crane
- Michael Potter (actor) — University Administrator
- Stephen Bishop (actor) — Miles
- Amanda Fuller — Holly (deleted scene)
- Tyler Hori — Little Raymond
- Pearl Wong — Helen Ding
- Greg Watanabe — Young Wood
[edit] Film Festivals
[edit] 2006
- South by Southwest Film Festial, in competition – Austin, TX
- 24th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, Opening Night film – San Francisco, CA
- 11th Chicago Asian American Showcase, Opening Night film – Chicago, IL
- 22nd VC FilmFest, Closing Night film – Los Angeles, CA
- 9th Aurora Asian Film Festival, Opening Night film – Aurora, CO
- 32nd Seattle International Film Festival – Seattle, WA
- 7th DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival, Opening Night film – Washington, DC
- 14th Hamptons International Film Festival, in competition – East Hampton, NY
- 26th Hawaii International Film Festival – Honolulu, HI
- 29th Denver Film Festival – Denver, CO
[edit] Awards
- Audience Award – Best Narrative Feature – SXSW
- Special Jury Prize – Outstanding Ensemble Cast – SXSW
- Golden Space Needle Audience Award – Best Actor, 2nd Runner-Up (Chris Tashima) – Seattle International Film Festival
