Saving Face - May 27

savingface
Originally uploaded by dangunderman.

I hope you'll forgive a promotional entry. My badass friend Alice has a film she wrote and directed coming out May 27. Opening weekend (in this case Memorial Day weekend along with several blockbusters) is the key for small films with no marketing budgets like Saving Face. If the per-screen attendance average is good in New York, LA, and San Fran, then it'll get rolled out to other markets. It's a great movie. Alice's words follow and say more about the film itself, but to the few readers of baldandeffective.com, I say this... It's got hot Asian girl-on-girl action. Apparently, even the straight girls think it's sexy.

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Hi there.

It is with great pleasure that I write to you about my film SAVING FACE soon to be released by Sony Classics in theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco in coming weeks. [NY/LA on MAY 27, SF Bay Area: JUNE 3]

If I am lucky, you have heard of the film. For those who haven't, you can read any number of write-ups about the film on the web, such as here and here.

or view the trailer at the website: http://www.savingfacemovie.com.

We've been an audience favorite at festivals from Sundance to Toronto to San Francisco and on. There have been comparisons to The Wedding Banquet, Bend It Like Beckham, My Big Fat Greek Wedding -- it has been touted as a smart romantic comedy for everyone.

Which is kind of funny and weird. When I wrote SAVING FACE years ago, it was just this story I wrote for myself; it's kind of shocking that something which seemed so specific and personal at the time has now connected with audiences of such wildly different demographics. But in the five years it took to make the film, it's taken a small army of believers: a lot of people's hearts have gone into this film. I think that's what's gotten us here.

The thing about independent films like mine -- even ones that manage to land a great distributor like Sony Classics -- is that we roll out with very little marketing budget. Furthermore, SAVING FACE opens on weekends traditionally reserved for summer blockbusters with lots of ad-spend. How well our film does on opening weekends helps determine how many more cities we open, and how long we stay in theaters. As is typical with smaller independent films, we rely almost exclusively on word-of-mouth. So you're not going to see trailers of my film on the TV or billboards on the freeway, but if you got this email, then someone you know believes in the film.

I am writing in the hopes that you'll be willing to join us. If you are game, show up on opening weekend (info below). I promise high entertainment and that warm fuzzy feeling that comes from being part of something new and grassroots, and hopefully the inspiration to chase after your own specific and personal dreams. You never know.

Thank you,

Alice Wu
Director, SAVING FACE


Here are the dates/locations:

NEW YORK: opens the weekend of MAY 27 at the ANGELIKA (in Soho) and the AMC 25 (on 42nd Street)

LOS ANGELES: opens the weekend of MAY 27 at the SUNSET LAEMMLE 5, the WESTSIDE PAVILION, PLAYHOUSE (Pasadena), TOWN CENTER (Encino), and the SOUTH COAST VILLAGE (Costa Mesa)

SF BAY AREA: opens the weekend of JUNE 3 at the Landmark EMBARCADERO, the UA STONESTOWN Twin, the Landmark SHATTUCK (Berkeley), PALO ALTO SQUARE, CENTURY 5 (Pleasant Hill), SANTANA ROW (San Jose) and MARIN/SAUSALITO