It all happens in the blink of an eye. You become an uncle, and next thing you know you're celebrating the college graduation of your amazing niece @parkerrkim Congrats kiddo! I love you to the moon and back. Can't wait to see what the future holds for you.
Thanks to everyone who came out to our fundraiser for THREE TALES on Thursday night! Photos by @nrichard999
Shout-out to the brilliant screenwriter and stellar human being Marilyn Fu for ably conducting the Q&A with me. Massive thanks to my ace producers @jeliaspalmer and @pierreguillet13 for believing, and turning belief into action.
And a special thank you to our generous hosts, @mangstermind and @slo_mo_dee and their team at @planetx.studios in East Williamsburg. Filmmakers and production companies, whether you're making movies/TV, commercials/branded content, music videos, podcasts, or animation, check out what Planet X has to offer. It's a state-of-the-art production facility run by great people who are committed to fostering creativity and community.
Anyone interested in helping us make this Asian American indie unlike any you've ever seen, please get in touch! You can support by making an equity investment, or a tax-deductible donation.
Join us tomorrow night for an exclusive preview screening of the first tale from our new feature film, followed by a live Q&A with Writer/Director @thelowerfreqs@planetx.studios
Enjoy beverages sponsored by @voodooranger and appetizers sponsored by @theclayuniverse
Help us raise the final funds to finish production this summer!
Link in bio to RSVP
#indiefilm #filmmakers #nycfilm
We’re throwing a fundraiser for my new feature film THREE TALES this Thursday! Producers, investors, HNIs, and anyone who might seriously consider supporting this wild genre-bending Asian American indie, please join us at the amazing production facility and event space Planet X in East Williamsburg. Details in graphic above. RSVP to threetalesfilm *at* gmail.
Thanks to our friends at @planetx.studios and @reunion for the support.
For @filmmakermag , my annual report on New Directors/New Films, which kicks off today. Link in bio. Come check out some adventurous work by emerging filmmakers from around the world, screening at @filmlinc and @themuseumofmodernart . Stills 2 and 3: MEMORY and VARIATIONS ON A THEME.
My 12 favorite new movies of 2025, roughly in order of preference:
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (Jafar Panahi)
SIRAT (Oliver Laxe)
DIE MY LOVE (Lynne Ramsay)
MARTY SUPREME (Josh Safdie)
SENTIMENTAL VALUE (Joachim Trier)
BLUE MOON (Richard Linklater)
IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU (Mary Bronstein)
BY THE STREAM (Hong Sang-soo)
THE SECRET AGENT kleber_mendonca_filho
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR @geetagandbhir
BLUE SUN PALACE @constance_tsang
THE MASTERMIND (Kelly Reichardt)
Spent last weekend at #Sundance2026, my first visit in many years, and the festival's last in Park City before it moves to Boulder next year. It was a great pleasure to reconnect with old friends and make new ones, and to be in a place where — despite the hype and the Hollywoodization and the corporatization and the overcrowding — the love of independent film and filmmaking powers everything.
The highlight of my trip: the premiere of THE FRIEND’S HOUSE IS HERE, co-written and co-directed by my dear friends @hossein.k.arshadi and @maryam.ataei THE FRIEND'S HOUSE IS HERE is about a group of young theater artists in Tehran, who put on underground plays for small audiences — until word reaches the authorities. This moving story of friendship and community in the face of state surveillance and state terror mirrors the conditions under which the film was made: Hossein and Maryam shot the movie without government approval, which is to say, illegally. Cast and crew put themselves at great risk to tell this tale — and some of them are doing so again by taking part in the current anti-government protests. But as Adrian Horton wrote in her four-star Guardian review, "...THE FRIEND'S HOUSE IS HERE is far from dour, suspicious or even expressly political. This is, against great odds and surely some western expectations, a beguiling hangout film – an invitation to [a] dinner party."
The film has just been given a Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast, and is available to view on Sundance's online viewing platform until midnight Sunday. (Go to Sundance.org to set up an account and buy a ticket.) Or take your chances in the hopes that it will play at a theater near you — this is really a film designed for the big screen.
Scenes from a (mostly) staycation. Great meals at 1. @melbasharlem and 2. @wib.nyc 3. Christmas spa day at @sojospaclub 4. "Monet in Venice" at @brooklynmuseum followed by 5. dinner at @strangedelight.nyc 6. Then a quick road trip to Philly, where our first stop was 7. sandwiches at @johnsroastpork -- the cheesesteak crown still goes to @angelos_pizzeria_south_philly but John's roast pork is godly 8. Magritte at the epic "Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100" show at @visitpham 9. Ringing in the new year at one of the best cocktail bars in the universe, Andra Hem. HNY everybody!
![Spent last weekend at #Sundance2026, my first visit in many years, and the festival's last in Park City before it moves to Boulder next year. It was a great pleasure to reconnect with old friends and make new ones, and to be in a place where — despite the hype and the Hollywoodization and the corporatization and the overcrowding — the love of independent film and filmmaking powers everything.The highlight of my trip: the premiere of THE FRIEND’S HOUSE IS HERE, co-written and co-directed by my dear friends @hossein.k.arshadi and @maryam.ataei THE FRIEND'S HOUSE IS HERE is about a group of young theater artists in Tehran, who put on underground plays for small audiences — until word reaches the authorities. This moving story of friendship and community in the face of state surveillance and state terror mirrors the conditions under which the film was made: Hossein and Maryam shot the movie without government approval, which is to say, illegally. Cast and crew put themselves at great risk to tell this tale — and some of them are doing so again by taking part in the current anti-government protests. But as Adrian Horton wrote in her four-star Guardian review, "...THE FRIEND'S HOUSE IS HERE is far from dour, suspicious or even expressly political. This is, against great odds and surely some western expectations, a beguiling hangout film – an invitation to [a] dinner party."The film has just been given a Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast, and is available to view on Sundance's online viewing platform until midnight Sunday. (Go to Sundance.org to set up an account and buy a ticket.) Or take your chances in the hopes that it will play at a theater near you — this is really a film designed for the big screen.](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6766336061663249726921_0_4339b9b3efca1f2e8a67c04ff11b2939.jpg?o=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&h=485e351e75af4853cffaa31018c9a20d)
