I met Fay Ann Lee, director of Falling for Grace, at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival. It was Sunday, the final day of VAFF, and Fay had premiered Falling for Grace the night before. Fay is a stunning woman, and very articulate, telling me about how she made the film.
She tells me that across the USA, they have been slowly building the audience market by market. We talked about how Falling for Grace is really a romantic comedgy, not limited only to an Asian audience, likening it to the success that Joy Luck Club had playing to White audiences across America.
Fay was excited by the Vancouver audience, and was looking forward to it's Vancouver general release. And hey - Margaret Cho is in the movie! Vancouver audiences like Margaret Cho.
The following is from the Falling for Grace press package:
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Falling for Grace
THE CINEMARK TINSELTOWN
88 WEST PENDER, VANCOUVER, BC
604-806-0799
“THIS YEAR’S MOST CHARMING, FEEL-GOOD MOVIE” Elisa Parker, KVMR-FM
“THE NEXT MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING!” Scott Hoffman, MoviePictureFilm.com
“A CINEMATIC TAPESTRY OF ROMANCE AND LAUGHTER” Tim Plant, Metro Weekly, Washington, D.C.
featuring
Gale Harold, Fay Ann Lee, Christine Baranski, Roger Rees, Stephanie March, Ken Leung, Clem Cheung, Elizabeth Sung, Ato Essandoh, Lewis Black and Margaret Cho
ASIAN AMERICAN FILM DIRECTOR DEFIES HOLLYWOOD RULES AND INSPIRES ANYONE WHO DARES TO DREAM
FAY ANN LEE – DEFYING ALL ODDS
Fay Ann Lee has managed to not only write/direct/produce and star in a film that's getting theatrical distribution across the U.S. but also internationally. Lee's film, Falling For Grace, will have its Canadian and International premiere at Cinemark's Tinseltown on Friday, November 16th. This would not be an extraordinary story if Falling For Grace has Paramount or Focus Features behind it, but it becomes a remarkable story when the distributor in this case is Fay Ann Lee herself.
According to a NY Times article written in 2005, getting distribution for a film for a first time filmmaker is about a 0.3% chance. So, getting into Harvard, deemed one of the most competitive universities in the world to enter, is far easier (10.8% acceptance rate for 2007). So what exactly does it take for an Asian American woman to write, direct, produce, act and now distribute a film not just in her own city, but across the U.S. and internationally…on her own? It takes every ounce of drive, tenacity, vision, talent and most of all, a heck of a lot of courage.
MISS SAIGON ACTRESS WRITES/DIRECTS/PRODUCES AND STARS IN TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL'S SOLD OUT HIT
Lee started her career as a Broadway actress in Miss Saigon which led to principal roles in regional theaters all across the U.S. As she ventured into the world of television and film, she quickly realized how few good roles there were for Asian Americans. Instead of playing victim and whining about how unfair things were for Asian actors, Lee decided to do something about it . Her goal was to write a classic romantic comedy that happens to feature an Asian female protagonist.
With a plot that's inspired by Lee's random encounters with John F. Kennedy, Jr. in the mid 1990's, Falling For Grace premiered at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival and was a sold out hit. The word of mouth was so good that the festival actually added an extra screening. But a dose of reality hit when studios did not pick it up. Word on the street - studios did not know how to market a mainstream film without mainstream stars – and having an Asian American protagonist certainly did not help.
A UNIVERSAL STORY THAT'S GAINING INTEREST FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
So Lee's journey took a new turn – as Distributor. Instead of giving up hope, Lee decided to test the film in two different cities, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The film tested so well with a mainstream audience that theaters in nearby smaller cities started to open up Falling For Grace (Sausalito, Grass Valley, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania). And now other markets in the U.S. are requesting the film – Florida, Arizona, Oregon, Maine, Texas etc. What's even more unusual, is that other countries are hearing about this film from fans who have seen the film and now want to open the film theatrically – Austria, Ireland England are just a few that will most likely be opening the film in 2008. The Falling For Grace website now receives requests from as far as Australia, China, India, Japan, Hungary, Germany, Italy and even Finland. Audiences all over the world are starting to get the buzz on this little film that truly could.
UNIVERSITIES, INCLUDING UBC, ARE TAKING NOTE:
LEE AS ROLE MODEL FOR ANYONE WHO DARES TO DREAM
Lee's achievement has been noted by some of the top colleges in the world. Invitations have been extended by Yale, Johns Hopkins, Wharton, Temple, Boston University, Columbia, Stanford and Berkeley for Lee to share her remarkable story with future artists and leaders of America. Lee was even invited to Tsinghua University in Beijing (the top university in China) to screen the movie and speak to students. That the character in the film, Grace Tang, achieves her goals is a comfort viewers return to again and again. That Fay Ann Lee does could be the revelation that forever changes the way students envision their own future. Fay Ann Lee was a guest in Vancouver's own University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and at the Emily Carr Institute.
AN ORDINARY PERSON WITH EXTRAORDINARY GOALS:
HEAR LEE'S STORY ON HOW IT'S ALL POSSIBLE
Fay Ann Lee is a wonderful speaker with a dynamic personality. Perhaps the President of the Yale Film Society sums it up the best:
"To label Ms. Lee as an independent filmmaker is misleading. She does not fit the mold of the starving artist, instead thriving as an ambitious, Wharton-educated entrepreneur whose unorthodox approach to independent filmmaking – one that has yielded a product with all the gloss of a big studio flick – affords a rare angle on the world of filmmaking and what it means to pursue your goals on your own terms.
On the one hand, Ms. Lee and her film exude a comforting sense of optimism and good humor; on the other hand, they speak to the importance of grit, pragmatism, and hard-nosed determination. The balance of these values is, essentially, what recommends Ms. Lee as a valuable guest."
Like so many people around the U.S. that have heard her speak, your guests will not only find her charming, funny and intelligent, but most importantly, she will inspire them to believe in themselves and go for their dreams!
FAY ANN LEE WILL BE IN VANCOUVER
FROM THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15th TO SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH
TO REQUEST AN INTERVIEW OR INQUIRY, PLEASE CONTACT:
Sarah Elmaleh
Promotions Director
Falling For Grace
e-mail: fallingforgracepublicity@gmail.com
Phone: 609-439-6430
Official Website: http://fallingforgrace.com
Electronic Press Kit: http://web.mac.com/fallingforgrace
“THE NEXT MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING!” Scott Hoffman, MoviePictureFilm.com
“A CINEMATIC TAPESTRY OF ROMANCE AND LAUGHTER” Tim Plant, Metro Weekly, Washington, D.C.
featuring
Gale Harold, Fay Ann Lee, Christine Baranski, Roger Rees, Stephanie March, Ken Leung, Clem Cheung, Elizabeth Sung, Ato Essandoh, Lewis Black and Margaret Cho
ASIAN AMERICAN FILM DIRECTOR DEFIES HOLLYWOOD RULES AND INSPIRES ANYONE WHO DARES TO DREAM
FAY ANN LEE – DEFYING ALL ODDS
Fay Ann Lee has managed to not only write/direct/produce and star in a film that's getting theatrical distribution across the U.S. but also internationally. Lee's film, Falling For Grace, will have its Canadian and International premiere at Cinemark's Tinseltown on Friday, November 16th. This would not be an extraordinary story if Falling For Grace has Paramount or Focus Features behind it, but it becomes a remarkable story when the distributor in this case is Fay Ann Lee herself.
According to a NY Times article written in 2005, getting distribution for a film for a first time filmmaker is about a 0.3% chance. So, getting into Harvard, deemed one of the most competitive universities in the world to enter, is far easier (10.8% acceptance rate for 2007). So what exactly does it take for an Asian American woman to write, direct, produce, act and now distribute a film not just in her own city, but across the U.S. and internationally…on her own? It takes every ounce of drive, tenacity, vision, talent and most of all, a heck of a lot of courage.
MISS SAIGON ACTRESS WRITES/DIRECTS/PRODUCES AND STARS IN TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL'S SOLD OUT HIT
Lee started her career as a Broadway actress in Miss Saigon which led to principal roles in regional theaters all across the U.S. As she ventured into the world of television and film, she quickly realized how few good roles there were for Asian Americans. Instead of playing victim and whining about how unfair things were for Asian actors, Lee decided to do something about it . Her goal was to write a classic romantic comedy that happens to feature an Asian female protagonist.
With a plot that's inspired by Lee's random encounters with John F. Kennedy, Jr. in the mid 1990's, Falling For Grace premiered at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival and was a sold out hit. The word of mouth was so good that the festival actually added an extra screening. But a dose of reality hit when studios did not pick it up. Word on the street - studios did not know how to market a mainstream film without mainstream stars – and having an Asian American protagonist certainly did not help.
A UNIVERSAL STORY THAT'S GAINING INTEREST FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
So Lee's journey took a new turn – as Distributor. Instead of giving up hope, Lee decided to test the film in two different cities, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The film tested so well with a mainstream audience that theaters in nearby smaller cities started to open up Falling For Grace (Sausalito, Grass Valley, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania). And now other markets in the U.S. are requesting the film – Florida, Arizona, Oregon, Maine, Texas etc. What's even more unusual, is that other countries are hearing about this film from fans who have seen the film and now want to open the film theatrically – Austria, Ireland England are just a few that will most likely be opening the film in 2008. The Falling For Grace website now receives requests from as far as Australia, China, India, Japan, Hungary, Germany, Italy and even Finland. Audiences all over the world are starting to get the buzz on this little film that truly could.
UNIVERSITIES, INCLUDING UBC, ARE TAKING NOTE:
LEE AS ROLE MODEL FOR ANYONE WHO DARES TO DREAM
Lee's achievement has been noted by some of the top colleges in the world. Invitations have been extended by Yale, Johns Hopkins, Wharton, Temple, Boston University, Columbia, Stanford and Berkeley for Lee to share her remarkable story with future artists and leaders of America. Lee was even invited to Tsinghua University in Beijing (the top university in China) to screen the movie and speak to students. That the character in the film, Grace Tang, achieves her goals is a comfort viewers return to again and again. That Fay Ann Lee does could be the revelation that forever changes the way students envision their own future. Fay Ann Lee was a guest in Vancouver's own University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and at the Emily Carr Institute.
AN ORDINARY PERSON WITH EXTRAORDINARY GOALS:
HEAR LEE'S STORY ON HOW IT'S ALL POSSIBLE
Fay Ann Lee is a wonderful speaker with a dynamic personality. Perhaps the President of the Yale Film Society sums it up the best:
"To label Ms. Lee as an independent filmmaker is misleading. She does not fit the mold of the starving artist, instead thriving as an ambitious, Wharton-educated entrepreneur whose unorthodox approach to independent filmmaking – one that has yielded a product with all the gloss of a big studio flick – affords a rare angle on the world of filmmaking and what it means to pursue your goals on your own terms.
On the one hand, Ms. Lee and her film exude a comforting sense of optimism and good humor; on the other hand, they speak to the importance of grit, pragmatism, and hard-nosed determination. The balance of these values is, essentially, what recommends Ms. Lee as a valuable guest."
Like so many people around the U.S. that have heard her speak, your guests will not only find her charming, funny and intelligent, but most importantly, she will inspire them to believe in themselves and go for their dreams!
FAY ANN LEE WILL BE IN VANCOUVER
FROM THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15th TO SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH
TO REQUEST AN INTERVIEW OR INQUIRY, PLEASE CONTACT:
Sarah Elmaleh
Promotions Director
Falling For Grace
e-mail: fallingforgracepublicity@gmail.com
Phone: 609-439-6430
Official Website: http://fallingforgrace.com
Electronic Press Kit: http://web.mac.com/fallingforgrace
