As the winner of the @filmindependent Spirit Award Producers Award, presented by @prod.united , and with six Spirit Award nominations between his two films, BLUE SUN PALACE and LUCKY LU, producer Tony Yang is on a winning streak. Sitting down to chat with Dear Producer, Tony reflects on his unconventional path from pre-med to producing, the value of his film school experience, and his passion for international storytelling.
Team BSP and friends 🍀 at the 2026 Spirit Awards! It’s the end of our awards season but we are infinitely grateful for the last two years of premieres and love for our film. Catch us on MUBI & VOD!
Writer-director Constance Tsang and producers Tony Yang, Sally Sujin Oh and Eli Raskin join us to discuss ‘Blue Sun Palace,’ their Spirit Award nominated feature. With nominations celebrating the film’s achievement, the team reflects on the journey from conception to completion.
Constance and the producers open up about the very birth of the story and what it took to produce and manage a film like this in today’s independent landscape. We explore how the logistics and creative storytelling relate to one another, and the challenges of bringing this vision to the screen.
We also dig into the collaborative process between director and producers, how they navigated the realities of independent filmmaking, and what might be next for this creative team.
Still very much processing the Indie Spirits Nominee Brunch, and what an honor it is to have been selected for the Producers Award. Thank you @filmindependent and @prod.united for your dedication to uplifting producers. I am so eternally grateful to every single person that I've worked with throughout my career. The incredible creative force of the immensely talented people in my life push me to grow everyday as a filmmaker and a human being. I absolutely love being a producer, and can't imagine doing anything else.
Thrilled by our Spirit Award noms for Best Lead Actor and Best Director!
Thank you @filmindependent and congrats to all the nominees who are keeping the indie spirit alive 🙌
What a surreal morning. Beyond ecstatic at all the Indie Spirit award nominations for both Blue Sun Palace and Lucky Lu. Deeply honored as well for the Producers Award nomination. Producing is never easy, but it’s days like today that make it all worth it, and make me love being an independent producer. Congratulations to everyone, I am so unbelievably proud!!!
Best First Feature & Best Screenplay - @constance_tsang ,
Best Director - @lloydleechoi ,
Best Cinematography- @norm_li ,
Best Lead Actor - Chang Chen,
Best Supporting Actor - @hedding17 ,
@filmindependent@bluesunpalacefilm@luckylufilm
absolutely stunned to be nominated for five indie spirit awards this morning!!!
immense gratitude to @filmindependent for this recognition. we’ll see you in february ✨
What an unforgettable night at the Golden Horse Awards for team @luckylufilm !!! Three wins 🔥🔥🔥
Best Original Film Score for @charleshumenry , Best New Director for @lloydleechoi , and Best Actor for Chang Chen. Thank you @goldenhorsefilmfestival for your belief in the film. We’re just getting started!
5 Golden Horse Awards nominations for Lucky Lu!
Chang Chen for Best Lead Actor
@lloydleechoi for Best New Director & Best Adapted Screenplay
@norm_li for Best Cinematography
@charleshumenry for Best Original Score
We’re truly honored. Congrats to all the other nominees!
See you in Taiwan in November 🚲
Goodbyes are always hard, but perhaps none more so than sudden ones. Dug has crossed the rainbow bridge after 9 wonderful years. From our first day together to our last day, Dug brought nothing but unbridled joy to my world. Thank you for being the best dog I could ever ask for.
Had an absolutely amazing time at the Bentonville Film Festival @bfffestival this past weekend! Thank you @variety once again for selecting me for the Top 10 Producers to Watch this year and @jenelleriley hosting such an amazing panel! Got to spend the weekend with an incredible group of fellow producers (as well as meet the amazing Geena Davis)! Now known as #TeamVanillaSky courtesy of @za7nab haha. Combined with the fact that Rosemead also won best Narrative Feature made it even more special. Can’t wait to hang out with @za7nab@jesschoismyth@jesse_hope@doctalove12@lizzie.shapiro@trevorwall2@zhworth again!
So incredibly honored to have been chosen as one of Variety’s 10 Producers to Watch in 2025!!! It means so much that I am able to continue to work in the independent film space and to produce for such amazing people. Thank you to every single director, mentor, and creative collaborator that I’ve met along this crazy journey. Here’s to many more projects and films in the future.
/2025/film/focus/varietys-10-producers-to-watch-2025-1236425493/
