Dear alumni,
Blindness is a new movie directed by Anna Chi (Chi Shaoai) and starred Lisa Lu
(Lu Yan) and Vivian Wu (Wu Jun-mei). Anna Chi comes from Beijing originally.
Lisa Lu is one of the most influential Chinese-American actresses who have had
so much impact on performance and art in movie industry.
Premiere Date: November 21-23, 2003 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Show Time: 1:00pm, 3:20pm, 5:20pm, 7:30pm, and 9:45pm
Theater: Laemmle's Music Hall
9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Limited number of audience of Friday 7:30pm show are invited to a reception
after the show hosted by director Anna Chi and actress Lisa Lu in a nearby
restaurant in Beverly Hills. If you are interested, please e-mail Mr. Sikun Lan
at sikun@yahoo.com or call him at (310)279-2805 before 11am on Friday.
At the end are a letter from the director and the movie description. Please
show your support to Anna Chi's Hollywood directorial debut by watching her
movie this weekend!
Best regards,
PUAASC
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1. A Letter from the Director
My dear friend:
My name is Anna Chi and I am from Beijing. When I came to LA more than ten years
ago, I went to UCLA film school, thinking I would make movies here for both
Chinese and American. But the reality is making a film is not an easy task.
After many years of trying and working hard, finally I made one on my own and
it's going to be released in one theater, on Friday the 21st of this month. Why
is it only in one theater? Because the distributor is afraid that not many
people want to see a Chinese American story. Only if there's a good demand will
the distributor open the film to more theaters. Therefore I am writing to you to
ask for your help and support. The way the theater decides whether they want the
movie to open in more theaters or not is to count the box office number on
Monday, so the first weekend is the more important time. If you could go see my
movie in the theater, please try to see it on the opening weekend.
The story of the film is inspired by "The Wilderness" (Yuan Ye) and the stars
are Vivian Wu (Wu Jun-mei) and Lisa Lu (Lu Yan). From the forward, you'll see
where the movie is going to be shown and the show time is 1pm, 3:20pm, 5:20pm,
7:30pm and 9:45pm. I believe there are no 1 o'clock and 3:20 shows from Monday
to Thursday. But please do check the newspapers for the show time.
There aren't many Chinese filmmakers here to make movies, let alone a Chinese
woman filmmaker. I am very proud at what I am doing but I still greatly need
help and support. With your help, we can make a difference. Maybe there will be
more Chinese filmmakers to come here to make movies about American-Chinese.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at any time.
Thank you very much.
Best regards,
Anna Chi
2. Description about "BLINDNESS"
Pathfinder Pictures and Laemmle Theaters are pleased to present BLINDNESS
directed by Anna Chi. The Los Angeles premiere engagement will begin at the
Music Hall Theater in Beverly Hills on November 21.
A blind Chinese-American woman (Lisa Lu, The Joy Luck Club) lives with her son
(Chin Han) and daughter-in-law (Vivian Wu, The Pillow Book, 8 Women). Mother and
daughter-in-law barely tolerate one another. The son, a doctor, lives in his own
world of work and hobbies to avoid daily confrontations with either of them. On
one moonlit night an armed intruder (Joe Lando) invades their home and psyches.
Falsely accused of the murder of his parents, he tries to find the truth by
holding this family of his father's former business partner hostage.
BLINDNESS is the directorial debut of filmmaker Anna Chi, a veteran of the
Chinese film industry who immigrated to the United States in 1989. Her personal
story and that of her family's during the Cultural Revolution are subjects of
screenplays currently in development: The Moving Earth and Forever Red. While
establishing her writing and directing career in the U.S. Anna has served as
Associate Producer on Chen Kaige's Killing Me Softly and director's assistant on
Oliver Stone's Nixon and Wayne Wang's The Joy Luck Club.
Laemmle's Music Hall is located at 9036 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. Ticket
prices at the Music Hall are $9 for general admission, $7 for students and $6
for seniors 62 years and older and for children under 12. Moviegoers may call
310-274-6869 for information.
www.laemmle.com www.pathfinderpictures.com