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W H A T ' S   N E W
July 2006

Review the Highlights From the Various Categories Listed Below
   
Animation APA Film News APA Literature News APA Music News APA Theater News
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Featured Artists                            R.I.P.                                         Editorials
 
     
 

EDITORIALS
MARTIN LUTHER KING ON "WAR"
In a pivotal speech at New York's Riverside Church in April 1967,
King said: "I have moved to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart. ... I knew I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today -- my own government."

DOES DEMOCRACY END TYRANNY?
Is it simply too dangerous to promote
freedom in the Arab world? Must the United States give up on promoting democracy and go back to supporting authoritarian governments that do its bidding?

SAMUEL L. JACKSON ON PURSUING EXCELLENCE
"People should come in every day ready to work, not confused about what they want to do or mistreating the crew by overshooting because they don't know what they want"
(Samuel L. Jackson)

BEING ASIAN & WORKING IN THE U.S. / "FACE" OF WOMEN
Here in America in Hollywood, English is the first language and possibly the only language that they film. So it is important. Like when we are back at home (Asia/China), and people would ask, you know, what is the criteria for you to be able to go to America and work there? Apart from being very lucky, you must speak English. (For more info, click
HERE)

CHINESE SLAVE TRAFFIC
"Whenever
women continue to serve as boundary markers between different national, ethnic and religious collectives, their emergence as full fledged citizens will be jeopardized." Deniz Kandiyoti, "Identity and Its Discontents : Women and the Nation" For more info, click HERE.

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APA & MEDIA NEWS
WEN HO LEE RECEIVES $750K SETTLEMENT
Wen Ho Lee, the former Los Alamos nuclear physicist, has received from the federal government and five media companies (New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Washington Post and ABC) $750,000 - of their $1.6 million settlement. They made this xunprecedented settlement to protect the identities of their confidential news sources, and to protect journalists.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

IRIS CHANG'S "CHINESE IN AMERICA"
Iris Chang's "Chinese in America" challenges commonly held and sometimes incorrect notions to reveal the breadth of the Chinese experience in the United States. Chang shows how the Chinese in America actually have a long history of activism, the unique position of the small and little-known Chinese community in the Deep South, and the frequency of intermarriage between Chinese men and women of all ethnic groups in the 19th century. In fact, a popular play of the time mocked Chinese-Irish unions.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

KIP FULBECK'S BOOK & ART EXHIBIT OF HAPA PRIDE
The exhibit reflects an evolution in the perception of multiracial people from the bizarre freaks and "tortured mulattoes" popularized in film and literature a century ago to simply normal. Hapa — originally a derogatory Hawaiian word for half-breed — has been embraced as a term of pride.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

ROBERT DUVALL'S "BROKEN TRAIL"
A roundtable discussion with Robert Duvall, Robert Geoffrion and Olivia Cheng discuss the tale of Chinese slavery that still exists today - along with other subjects - that is part of AMC's priciest ($15M) original programming deal in its history. To read an interview with the Chinese cast members, click HERE. Sunday's "Broken Trail" on AMC rustled up ratings that beat every program that night on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. The first part of the western miniseries gathered a whopping 9.8 million total viewers. That made "Broken Trail," AMC's first original scripted movie, the No. 2 most-watched made-for-cable movie since 1995, behind another western, TNT's "Crossfire Trail" (12.5 million) in 2001.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

BLACKBELT MAGAZINE'S INTERVIEW WITH ZHANG ZIYI
The co-Star of `Crouching Tiger' and `Rush Hour 2' talks about working with Hong Kong action genius Yuen Woo Ping and International Superstar Jackie Chan.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

BEST MARTIAL ARTS FILMS
20) One-Armed Swordsman (1967), 19) Ong-Bak (2003), 18) Legend of the Fox (1979), 17) Three Evil Masters (1980), 16) Prodigal Son (1981), 15) The Shaolin Temple (1980), 14) Drunken Master (1978), 13) Blade (1993), 12) Zu: Warriors From Magic Mountain (1982), 11) Moon Warriors (1993), 10) Police Story (1985), 9) Tai Chi Master (1993), 8) Martial Club (1980), 7) Duel to the Death (1983), 6) Swordsman II (1992), 5) Come Drink With Me (1965), 4) Legendary Weapons of China (1982), 3) The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1977), 2) Chinese Connection (1972), 1) Drunken Master II (1994)
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

BRENDA SONG IN "WENDY WU: HOMECOMING WARRIOR"
"Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior" is about a 16-year-old girl whose objective in her life is becoming homecoming queen at her school. The movie is really about Wendy exploring herself and her heritage. This made me want to explore myself and my heritage a little bit more (my mother is Thai and my father is Hmong).
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

SANDRA OH IN DIANA SON'S "SATELLITES"
"Chocolate skin, almond eyes .. she's the best of both of us," coos the mother, a woman of Korean descent talking about her newborn daughter to her husband who is black. It's one of the few moments of tranquility in "Satellites," Diana Son's agitated play about an agitated woman coming to terms with her own racial identity, not to mention marriage, motherhood, career and brownstone renovation.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

DON HO IS BACK
Don Ho was back crooning, wisecracking and flirting at his Waikiki showroom last night, less than two months after he underwent an experimental stem cell procedure in Thailand to strengthen his heart.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY WASTE NO TIME IN KATRINA RECOVERY
In the post-Katrina world of uncertainty and inconsistent city services and utilities, Vietnamese Americans here have become models of self-help and recovery. About 1,500 of the neighborhood's 2,500 members of Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church have permanently returned, according to Father Vien Nguyen, pastor of the church, which is the community's anchor.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

IAN GAMAZON & NEILL DELA'S "CAVITE"
The way in which the filmmakers deftly inject their own feelings of guilt and conflict over their relationship to their Filipino heritage also helps to raise Gamazon and Dela Llana's film from being a low-budget thriller into something more meaningful, packed with emotion as well as action.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

MORE FLEXIBLE "ETHNIC"
"The sea change that's happening is that people of color will become the majority in the country by 2050," says Roberta Uno (Asian American theater director and program officer for arts and culture at the Ford Foundation), who gave give a keynote address on the topic at the "Big Bang" conference. "That tipping point has already happened in Los Angeles, where the new terminology is 'minority majority,' and the mainstream may be many streams.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

GEMSTAR SETTLEMENT WITH ELSIE MA LEUNG
Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. has settled its long-standing litigation with former Chief Financial Officer Elsie Ma Leung. The settlement will free the company from having to pay her $8.4 million in severance in the wake of alleged accounting misdeeds. Under the deal, Leung and Gemstar will drop their claims against each other.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

CHEN KAIGE INTERVIEW
In perfect English, he spoke about his new movie, his feelings about China's transformative moment, and his desire to take a pass at making a Chinese-language mass-market movie. Chen's ninth film, "The Promise," is a romantic fantasy epic set "3,000 years ago in the future, somewhere in Asia."
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

REVIEW OF JULIA CHO'S "THE WINCHESTER HOUSE"
Deceptively modest in scale, Julia Cho's "The Winchester House," now receiving its world premiere at the Theatre @ Boston Court, is actually a surprisingly dense, "Rashomon"-like drama about a young woman's increasingly uncertain remembrance of a molestation.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

ZHANG ZIYI & WEINSTEIN IN TALKS
Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi ("Memoirs of a Geisha") is in negotiations to star in three pictures for the Weinstein Co., including a remake of Akira Kurosawa's "The Seven Samurai."
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

SUMI JO CELEBRATES 20 YEARS IN CONCERT
Clearly, (Sumi) Jo was at the height of her considerable powers and stamina as she concluded a seven-city tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of her opera debut as Gilda in Verdi's "Rigoletto" in Trieste, Italy, in 1986.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

REVIEW OF "CAVITE"
It's fitting that Truly Indie, the DIY arm of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment, is releasing the movie "Cavite." Truly Indie offers distribution and marketing to independent filmmakers, and "Cavite," co-written and directed by Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana, is about as indie as you can get. To read an interview with the filmmakers, click HERE.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

POLITICAL POWER COUPLE: JUDY CHU & MICHAEL ENG
Chu and Eng, both products of UCLA and the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, became voices for Chinese Americans in the battle and eventually helped beat back the rules limiting signs to English. Twenty-five years later, they are the community's undisputed power couple — she, a veteran assemblywoman now running for the Board of Equalization; he, a Monterey Park councilman seeking the seat she will vacate.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

CONFUSION SURROUNDING KIM OANH NGUYEN-LAM'S HIRING & FIRING
When KimOanh Nguyen-Lam was hired last month as superintendent of the Westminster School District, proud Vietnamese Americans filled her voice mail with congratulations. Her appointment made headlines in Vietnamese-language newspapers and on television and radio. She was making history as the nation's first Vietnamese American school superintendent - till she was fired.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

PARK CHAN-WOOK'S "LADY VENGEANCE"
Park (a gifted visual artist with a gift for defamiliarizing even the most prosaic scenes) has said he has used the revenge genre to discuss contemporary Korean society. In "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," he addressed class; in "Oldboy," corrupt meritocracy; in "Lady Vengeance," the subject is women's uneasy place in society.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

L.A.'S KOREATOWN - 24/7
According to the Korean American Restaurant Assn., there are 660 restaurants in the neighborhood, up more than 40% from five years ago. That means a high concentration of some of the best food in the city, in an area that increasingly is appealing to Koreans and non-Koreans alike.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN'S TELL-ALL BOOK
In "The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale," the 35-year-old filmmaker whose name has become synonymous with spooky suspense thrillers crucifies the top executives at the company he long had considered his artistic home since his 1999 surprise hit "The Sixth Sense": Walt Disney Studios.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

DIANA SON AND SANDRA OH'S CANDOR
As two of the few prominent women of Korean descent working in theater, Ms. Son and Ms. Oh have strong opinions about identity, and both could tell stories of discrimination in show business. But they approach the question of the relevance of their race in strikingly different ways. As a result, Sandra Oh's candor was a cure for Diana Son's writer's block. Read a review of Diana Son's "Satellites - starring Sandra Oh - by clicking HERE.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

NORMAN MINETA LEAVING ON JULY 7
Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, who has served longer than anyone now in the Cabinet, resignED. Mr. Mineta led his department through the crisis of the terrorist hijackings of Sept. 11, 2001, and the creation of the Transportation Security Administration. He also helped lay the groundwork for privatizing highways and other transportation assets. Two goals that he did not achieve were restructuring Amtrak and allowing more foreign investment in United States airlines. His proposal to allow foreign owners to acquire control of American air carriers was decisively defeated.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

L.A. FILM FESTIVAL'S ASIAN FILMS
All Tomorrow's Parties (Directed by Yu Lik-Wai), The Arch (Directed by Shu Shuen), Before Born (Directed Zhang Ming), Grain in Ear (Directed by Zhang Lu), In Between Days (Directed by So Yong Kim), My Mother and Her Guest (Directed by Shin Sang-ok), Paper Dolls (Directed by Tomer Heymann), The Seven Samurai (Directed by Akira Kurosawa), Undoing (Directed by Chris Chan Lee), The Unforgiven (Directed by Yoon Jong-bin) and Voice (Directed by Equan Choi)
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

LUCY LIU & CILLIAN MURPHY IN "DETECTIVES"
Lucy Liu and Cillian Murphy are in talks to topline writer-director Paul Soter's romantic comedy Watching the Detectives. Soter is part of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe that has created such comedies as Super Troopers and Club Dread.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

MARCUS TSUTAKAWA - GARFIELD H.S. CONDUCTOR
Friends of Garfield Orchestra (FOGO) have organized a tribute honoring the modest man's two decades as conductor of the high-school orchestra he has built into the best in the country.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

HIGHLAND BEACH'S "YAMATO ROCK"
The derogatory name of a rocky section of coastline in Highland Beach has been changed to a name that brings a sense of honor to the Japanese settlers who used to fish and picnic there. Yamato Colony was an agricultural community founded in 1905 west of the rocky shore, in what is now Boca Raton. State business and political leaders looked to Japanese know-how and enthusiasm to invigorate Florida's agricultural industry.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

B.D. WONG IN "MARCO POLO" PROJECT
Marco Polo, the legendary adventurer now best known for spawning an obnoxious swimming pool game, will be the subject of a miniseries set to star a former "Lost" heartthrob. Ian Somerhalder, the dearly departed Boone on ABC's hit drama, will play Polo, with Brian Dennehy and B.D. Wong lending support.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

ANG LEE FELT HOPELESS DURING UNEMPLOYMENT
In unusually frank comments about his six years of unemployment at the start of his career, Oscar best director winner Ang Lee says he felt he was hopeless during the period and that his wife cried frequently. "That period was very scary. I was like a roaming ghost. There was nothing I could do. I couldn't rob a bank to finance a movie. I just waited around," Lee said.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

MTV K DEBUT
Dedicated to young Korean Americans, the 24-hour, music-centered channel will feature in English by bilingual/US-based VJs and other guests the hottest Korean pop, hip hop and punk with a mix of original programming, live events and programming from its international affiliates.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

DEE HAMAGUICHI & BRENDA SONG
There are a lot of silly stereotypes out there, but none seems quite so quaint and outdated as the one that casts Asian women as shy, passive, silent and submissive - considering Asian American females such as pro boxer Dee Hamaguchi and actor (and black belt) Brenda Song, star of the new Disney Channel Original Movie, "Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior."
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

YUNJIN KIM'S CROSSING THE CONTINENT
Many actresses would be content with having success on one continent, but Yunjin Kim reaches a much broader audience. Already an established star in Asia, Kim is now drawing acclaim in the U.S. for her role on the hit ABC drama, Lost, in which she plays a Korean woman in a turbulent marriage.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

IRVINE'S TAIWANESE MIFFED OVER "SISTER CITY" PACT
About 200 people waved U.S. flags outside Irvine City Hall demanding that the City Council unwind its sister city agreements with China. In those agreements, Mayor Beth Krom pledged that the city would recognize the claim of the People's Republic of China as the legitimate government of the island. A separate memo signed by Valerie Larenne, a city staffer who coordinates the sister city program, went even further, promising that Irvine would no longer send official delegations to the island, nor play the Taiwanese national anthem or display its flag.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

CSUN STANDS BY ROLAND TSENG'S DONATED ARTIFACTS
Cal State Northridge stands by the authenticity of eight Chinese artifacts donated by Roland Tseng to the university, despite doubts expressed by George Kuwayama - a retired curator. Meanwhile, Zalemark Inc. - a Northridge jewelry manufacturer - is suing the donor, his Nevada-based company and others, alleging contractual fraud in connection with the transfer of ownership of other artifacts.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

ABCD VS. DCAB EXPERIENCE FOR INDIAN AMERICANS
Till recently, the acr-onym ABCD, for American Born Confused Desi, had a slightly pejorative ring to it. It is used to describe mostly first generation US-born children of Indian immigrants, who, the premise went, were conflicted between their American upbringing and Indian roots. In recent years, the expression is starting to lose resonance as the distance between India and the United States shrinks. Many ABCDs here are now less confused than the DCABs (Desis Chasing American Baits) shambling around India's shiny new malls.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

ROB SCHNEIDER COLLAPSED ON SET
Former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Rob Schneider was taken to a Northern California hospital after collapsing from food poisoning and heat exhaustion during the filming of the upcoming movie "Big Stan" that he is directing and starring in.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

JOHN YAO - POET, ART CRITIC, ESSAYIST & PROSE WRITER
Alluding to critical reception of his poetry, John Yau refers to himself as "the poet who is too postmodern for the modernists and too modern for the postmodernists" (1994, 40). Yau's poems evoke different schools of poetry and mix multiple genres. "I am an indigestible vapor rising from the dictionary / you sweep under your embroidered pillow," says the speaker in his poem "Peter Lorre Records His Favorite Walt Whitman Poem For Posterity" (1999c 159).1 Elements of Surrealism, popular culture, history, and dcconstruction coexist in Yau's poetry. Yau's work connects postmodernism in poetry to debates about postmodernism and Asian American identity in ways that engage larger issues concerning the relationship between postmodern discourses and minority American literatures.
Click Here to Read More>>>>>

MONIQUE LAI - Multi-racial Jamaican Chinese Director of "Jamaica Farewell"

US ASIANS: For those who don’t know much of your artistic/entertainment credits - could you share some of your many credits, training, and background.
MONIQUE LAI: I grew up reading many fiction stories, particularly ‘Nancy Drew’ books, which we were fortunate to have in our very small prep. school library in Montego Bay. By reading, this sparked my imagination and I became more of a visual artist. I’ve always felt that vision in particular cannot be taught. It isn’t a technical craft but more of a personal perspective, statement, and style that is very individual. I have been very lucky that writers/producers have asked me to direct their work or would love to collaborate with me. I can only attribute that to the meetings, and perhaps they feel that I would bring something unique to their project because of my sense of style, wit, and voice.

US ASIANS: What do you attribute to your passions behind being involved with the entertainment industry and being a director?
MONIQUE LAI:
The main reason behind my being a director is to give hope and inspire. I meet many people who have no fire or yearning for life, and I feel that is heartbreaking. I feel that as a director, this medium gives us a broad advantage of reaching people all over the world with stories that not only entertain, and reveal our truths, but also lifts people’s spirits. Because that difference can change a person’s path, it makes this difficult journey worth it.

US ASIANS: Could you share what is the difference between being a Jamaican Chinese and a Chinese Jamaican – along with how you describe yourself.
MONIQUE LAI:
Jamaican Chinese is a Jamaican–‘born’ Chinese. That is how I introduce and describe myself. We have a lot of Chinese who leave the mainland for Jamaica and have adopted the culture and in that sense they feel every bit a Jamaican. They would be described as Chinese Jamaican.

US ASIANS: How would you describe the relationships and history between people of Jamaican and Chinese heritage in Jamaica?
MONIQUE LAI:
The Chinese were initially brought to work in Jamaica as slaves. The Chinese got along so well with the Jamaicans that they stayed and settled. Over the years, the Chinese from Canton and ‘hak-ka’ descent came to Jamaica with the prospect of opening businesses. To this day, there are still many who leave the mainland to work and raise their family in Jamaica.

US ASIANS: Does the ability of speaking Jamaican, Chinese (Cantonese) and English (and any other languages that you are able to speak) played a part in the ability to understand and go between various cultures?
MONIQUE LAI:
That is a great question. I’m not sure if it has to do with me speaking different languages but more of feeling comfortable in different environments all over the world and with various cultures within a society. Jamaica is a great training ground. Our motto is ‘out of many, one people’. And so we live that. I grew up living with Jamaicans of various backgrounds and nationalities, and because of that I am able to mingle with various cultures and have a broad range of friends.

US ASIANS: What are the many joys and pain of someone with your background?
MONIQUE LAI:
I feel lucky that I able to ‘hang out’ with various groups and cultures. I’m not sure if it is because of my background but more of being comfortable within my own skin. I think the only pain that I have felt would be meeting other people who are uncomfortable within their own skin. What I love about directing and the arts is that it surpasses international borders. It’s all about the story.

US ASIANS: What brought you from Montego Bay, Jamaica to Florida International University with a double major in Marketing and International Business?
MONIQUE LAI:
After graduating from Miami Palmetto Senior High, I decided to attend FIU. I felt that it would be a great learning experience not only as far as studies, but also to meet more people of different backgrounds. I chose my majors knowing that my goal would be in Film. International business and marketing was very helpful to me for knowing how to market a picture (to investors) and how to sell (international distribution).

US ASIANS: Could you provide a brief background on your parents and what invaluable lessons did they teach you to be a successful artist and person?
MONIQUE LAI: My parents are amazing, I’m so very lucky! The lessons they taught me were to really appreciate people, challenging situations, and obstacles. As a person, I don’t judge nor do I take anything for granted. I’ve lived my formative years in Montego Bay, and by doing so, my dad instilled in us a sort of inner strength and toughness. I am from a third world environment and I love that part about me, because I can live anywhere. My family is more business-oriented. I took the lone path to pursue the arts.

US ASIANS: How would you describe the many reasons behind your parents’ traveling (i.e. Jamaica, Hong Kong, Miami) plans that provided you with diverse background of experiences?
MONIQUE LAI:
My parents believe in living, and seeing the world. Immersing ourselves in different environments will only make us better people.

US ASIANS: What circumstances initially made you aware of Debra?
MONIQUE LAI: I saw ‘Mango Mango’ and was very impressed with not only her writing, and gutsy performance, but about her honesty with the material. Debra is a risk-taker, and I respect her for going places that most artists would shy from. From then on, we were friends.

US ASIANS: Did the common experience/background with Debra of having one’s parents exude great influences in who they are made it easier to work with each other?
MONIQUE LAI: We both have a very different lifestyle and cultural background, but we understood each other as Jamaicans. It was easy to work with Debra because we have a mutual respect for one another.

US ASIANS: What were the first things that attracted you to being involved with “Jamaica Farewell?”
MONIQUE LAI: First, I loved the material! From the very first reading, I felt the adventure and was happy to be introduced to a colorful range of Jamaicans I know and love. The story about a young girl who chooses to not give up, moved me. For some, the path is simple, for others, it is rough. And I was happy to see that in this story the reference to illegal activity is addressed, as no other choice. It is a common occurrence when one lives in an environment where it is difficult for most to put food on the table. As in many cultures, we have to do what we can with the little that we have. In the end there is no judgment.

The Monique Lai-directed production of Debra Ehrhardt's "Jamaica Farewell" will be performing a special preview presentation on Sunday: July 9, 2006 at Jamaica Cultural Alliance's 8th Annual Tea Party. For more info, click HERE and to download a flyer - click HERE

US ASIANS: How important was it for the tale of survival within Debra's play "Invisible Chairs" and the ability to change what we’ve inherited to be communicated to audiences? (Additional info on other upcoming Jamaican writers can be found HERE)
MONIQUE LAI: This was a very important aspect of the story. It is unfortunate when people refuse to change the course of their lives for the better, and instead choose the lone path of feeling safe than sorry, and holding onto unresolved issues. This was a beautifully written story about a girl who decided to take the plunge and learn to love again. I found that brave and encouraging and important for audiences to see.

US ASIANS: What prompted your interest in photography?
MONIQUE LAI:
My love of being behind the camera stems from photography. Capturing a still moment of time. To me, that is beautiful and poignant. It is a great tool that not only voices one’s perspective but also great for collaborators to see and understand my vision as a director.

US ASIANS: What were the factors that provided the opportunity to shooting a music video for Compton rap artist, Sallie.B.?
MONIQUE LAI:
I listened to his single ‘Baby Mama’ and loved it. I pitched to Sallie.B and his manager and they were excited about it

US ASIANS: Did Debra's production of "Invisible Chairs" provide invaluable insights, background and/or perspective(s) in directing Debra in “Jamaica Farewell”?
MONIQUE LAI: It was a wonderful experience working with Debra on this production. The opening and closing sequences were beautiful and rewarding. Seeing Debra go for it, and giving me her trust, earned my undying respect for her.

US ASIANS: Who are your role models?
MONIQUE LAI:
The filmmakers who inspire me are: Patrice LeConte, Francois Ozon, Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, Mira Nair, and Deepa Mehta.

US ASIANS: What three words would describe the following:
MONIQUE LAI: Yourself - Different, Interesting and Tough. Debra Ehrhardt - Talented, Charming and Funny. Debra's play "Jamaica Farewell - Honest, Original and Heart-warming.

As an artist, I am curious not only about the different personalities I meet, but also what separates this person from the next.


 
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