Drama, 17'20"

A frog, a seamstress and a factory king all collide in this tragic love story.

Starring ELAINE KAO, TIM CHIOU, with TZI MA

Directed by KEVIN LAU, written by KEVIN LAU & NYSSA CHOW, produced by JAVIAN LE & AMANDA GARQUE, co-produced by LEONARD WU, director of photography CAMERON DUNCAN, editor MICHAEL LOUIS HILL, production designer RAYNA SAVROSA, original music by CHRISTOPHER WONG, costume designer HEATHER CHAFFEE, hair & make-up by STEPHANIE BRAVO, casting by STEPHANIE JO WU, sound designer PAUL SMITH

For a complete credit list, click here.

Contact: info@kevinlaufilms.com

A factory seamstress having an affair with the factory owner's son must decide whether or not to tell him of her pregnancy. For upcoming screenings and more information, please visit: www.madeinchinatownfilm.com Total Running 17 min Cast - Elaine Kao, Tim Chiou, Tzi Ma, Leonard Wu, Talbott Lin, Lee Chen, Xuelian Lei, Lawrence Kao, Carol Newinn, Vyvy Nguyen, Brad Castillo Directed by Kevin Lau Written by Kevin Lau & Nyssa Chow Produced by Javian Le & Amanda Garque Co-Producer - Leonard Wu Associate Producers - Debbie Liu, Jeff Fung, Jack Lau, Valorie Lee, MJ Peckos Executive Producers - Cindy L. Bui, Weiko Lin, Evan J. Saucier, Karen Beth Wong, David J. Park Director of Photography - Cameron Duncan Production Design - Rayna Savrosa Editor - Michael Louis Hill Composer - Christopher Wong Sound Design - Paul Smith Colorist - Colin Travers

MUSIC FROM THE FILM

NEWS

MADE IN CHINATOWN will be part of an exhibition at the Columbia College's Glass Curtain Gallery in Chicago, IL from Oct. 23 through Dec. 12
Director Kevin Lau has been selected as one of four fellows for Sony Pictures Television's inaugural Diverse Directors Program (link)
MADE IN CHINATOWN will be screened and taught in courses at Emerson College and UCLA this fall

OFFICIAL SELECTION

Columbia University Film Festival - WINNER SimonSays Entertainment Award for Innovative Filmmaking, IFP Audience Award
Woodstock Film Festival - Nominated for Best Student Short
NBCUniversal Shortcuts Competition - WINNER Best Short, Best Writing, Best Actor (Tim Chiou)
San Diego Asian Film Festival
Asians on Film Festival - WINNER Best Director, Best Actress (Elaine Kao), Best Ensemble Cast, Best Original Score
Kustendorf Int'l Film and Music Festival
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Indianapolis International Film Festival
New York Asian American International Film Festival

... and more to come!

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

ELAINE KAO, as 'Mai'

Elaine Kao is a valley girl who grew up in the San Fernando valley of Los Angeles. Upon graduating with a BA in Economics from UC Irvine, she decided to pursue her true passion in acting and theatre and went on to earn her MFA in Acting from CalArts. Since then Elaine has worked steadily in theatre, television, and film. Elaine has appeared in numerous national commercials such as Target, Microsoft, Mastercard, Dell, Capital One, Walmart, Travelocity, Hartford, and many others. She was a long-time company member of Lodestone Theatre Ensemble and has also performed at East West Players, Company of Angels, Sacred Fools, The Met Theatre, South Coast Repertory, and Cleveland Playhouse. In film and television, Elaine has guest starred in a variety of roles including an assassin on NCIS-LA, a massage parlor madam on ENTOURAGE, a beauty queen on feature film WEDDING PALACE, and part of a happy couple in BRIDESMAIDS opposite Kristen Wiig. In her free time, she loves to travel to exotic countries, do kundalini yoga, and eat delicious food!

TIM CHIOU, as 'King'

Tim Chiou is an actor in Los Angeles (SAG, AFTRA, AEA). He has appeared in numerous television series, such as 2 BROKE GIRLS, HOUSE, and GREY'S ANATOMY. His film work includes the upcoming MOVIE 43, THE PEOPLE I'VE SLEPT WITH, and SEVENTH MOON. Tim is also a student of the stage, appearing in both the Chicago and Los Angeles productions of Michael Golamco's original play, YEAR ZERO. A proud gamer and cycling enthusiast, Tim advocates increased awareness and outreach for both communities.

JAVIAN LE, Producer

Javian Ashton Le is an independent writer/producer based in New York City, where he began his cinematic foray as a development intern at Anne Carey and Ted Hope's This is that Corp (Martha Marcy May Marlene, The American, 21 Grams). In 2009, his screenplay “Men Like Me” was shortlisted for production in a three-way deal between Killer Films (One Hour Photo, Boys Don't Cry), the Ace Hotel in Manhattan, and Massify. His most recent work as a creative producer includes writer/director Christopher Stetson's MOLLY, Rachel Israel's Columbia University MFA thesis film THE PLAYBOY, and an associate producer position on Rose Troche's sci-fi short film ELLIOT KING IS THIRD; scheduled to premiere on ITVS' Futurestates series in 2013. Javian is a graduate of New York University.

LEONARD WU, Co-Producer, and as 'Zee'

Leonard Wu is a native of Washington D.C. and currently resides in Los Angeles. An actor by trade (credits include "Veronica Mars," "Bones," "NCIS"), when he is not in front of the camera, Leonard enjoys working on all facets of filmmaking behind the scenes. In his spare time, he enjoys painting and writing, and is the co-creator of the online comic book "Yong & Wilde."

CAMERON DUNCAN, Director of Photography

Born and raised in Thousand Oaks, CA, Cameron discovered his passion for photography as a kid flipping through the pages of National Geographic magazine. Cameron pursued photography in high school and through college, at which time he began to focus on cinematography at California State University Northridge. After college, Cameron worked for the world leading camera house, Panavision, and went on to camera assist for some of the top DPs in the motion picture industry, all while shooting independent projects. In 2007, he was honored with the International Cinematographers Guild's Emerging Cinematographer Award for his work on the short film YEAR OF THE DOG. In 2010, he was honored again with the award by ICG, nabbing the Grand Prize for his work on MR. MARCEAU. Cameron has been shooting a variety of projects from feature films to documentaries, including work on the television series LONGMIRE and SOUTHLAND. He strives to bring an energetic and motivating vision to every project he collaborates on.

RAYNA SAVROSA, Production Designer

Rayna Savrosa is an artist and freelance Production Designer based in Brooklyn. She studied photography at Parsons the New School for Design where she received her B.F.A in 2007. Shortly after graduating, she crawled back and received her M.F.A. in 2010 from the Parsons Fine Arts program. She views production design as an extension of her artistic practice, and has more fun making movies than she does doing anything else. She can turn your living room into an airport and your office into a snake pit.

KEVIN LAU, Director, Co-Writer

Kevin Lau is a writer and director born and raised in Los Angeles to working-class, immigrant parents. A Regents Scholar at UCLA, Kevin expressed his experiences with both music and photography before finding a home in filmmaking. A former theatrical film distributor and film festival programmer, Kevin left California in 2009 to pursue his artistic ambitions full-time at Columbia University. His thesis film, MADE IN CHINATOWN, is currently playing the festival circuit, and has most recently won Best Short, Best Writing, and Best Actor at the NBCUniversal Shortcuts Competition. He is currently developing several feature-length screenplays and a television series.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

MADE IN CHINATOWN's beginnings were seeded eight years ago while I was rummaging through my parent's old things. My father emigrated to the States from Hong Kong in the late-60s and settled for the time being in Silverlake, CA. My mother emigrated, too, at about the same time with her family to Chula Vista, just outside of San Diego. That was all that I knew about their arrival to America. I grew up in a rigid household that held onto the traditional cultural proclivities of work over talk, sweat over tears. So it came as a shock when I discovered two faded photographs of my mother and father when they first arrived to America. They were hip. Hong Kong hip. My dad, with slicked over hair, thick rimmed glasses, held a cigarette in one hand and a Canon camera in the other. My mom with a half-beehive do and now sought-after vintage sweater, laughed like a schoolgirl with a never forgotten friend. It was a sight unseen. And changed my understanding of them forever.

I soon began to ask questions, sneaking one in here and there, until it became a conversation -- we talked about what it was like to leave their entire life behind to come to America. My father was a successful accountant who had to segue into a career as a cook. My mom was a librarian who didn't even want to come. The transition, to say the least, was difficult culturally, socially and economically.

And from that, the story for MADE IN CHINATOWN was sparked. It gestated and grew over several years, always in the back of my thoughts, amorphous but collecting momentum. I knew I always wanted to write an immigrant story that dealt with the sacrifices and consequences of chasing the American dream. I knew I always wanted to write a story that centered on universal themes and emotions that just so happened to focus on the Asian-American experience. I knew I always wanted to set it in another era, to allow myself the freedom to romanticize the Asian-American experience, to give it a sense of familiar nostalgia so that it would feel fresh but oddly recognizable. I wanted to help create a place for Asian-American lore in the landscape of American narrative, to help say we've been around for quite a while in this country and we have stories to tell too.

And above all else, I knew I wanted to recreate that freshness and excitement I felt when I discovered those old photographs of my parents--there's absolutely nothing like experiencing familiar things through a new lens that can forever change our perception of the world.

-- Kevin Lau, May 2013

'BEHIND THE SCENES' GALLERY