The Future of Commercial Asian American Cinema

Panel Discussion

SUN 03.18 | 12:30PM Opera Plaza | COMM18 | 90mins

The history of Asian American cinema is largely one of independent filmmaking, from privately financed feature films to grant-supported documentaries. Though Hong Kong stars like Jackie Chan and Jet Li have found success in the American market, Hollywood studios have long shied away from Asian American stories and actors. What separates Asian American cinema from other minority cinemas — namely African American and Latino — that have established vibrant commercial sectors? What is the role of commercial cinema in the development and forward movement of an ethnic cinema? What was once a bleak subject has become an intriguing question with recent films such as HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE and THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT. In this session, a panel of industry professionals will assess the commercial viability of Asian American cinema, and what its future holds.

PANELISTS
Elaine Chin | Director of Development and Production, HBO Films
Justin Lin | Filmmaker/Producer, BETTER LUCK TOMORROW, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT
Laura Kim | Executive Vice President of Publicity & Marketing, Warner Independent Pictures