Clips Ending August 15, 2003

By Shirley Hsu

Tighter Visa Regulations Put a Damper on Foreign Talent

In the wake of an onslaught of 9/11-induced visa regulations limiting travel into the U.S., foreign artists and performers are now facing even tighter travel restrictions. New regulations, which took effect August 1, now require non-immigrant U.S. visitors to be interviewed at a U.S. consulate before their trip, according to Daily Variety.

The new rules are putting pressure even on performers from Western Europe, a visa waiver zone. Starting in October, visitors from this region will be required to present machine-readable passports, which take several weeks to obtain.

The new regulations may create backlogs of up to six months, concert programmers predict, and may mean that American audiences will be seeing less of foreign musicians and performers.

"One Night Stand" by director Pimpaka Toweera. Courtesy of Movieseer.com

Glass Ceiling? Not For These Four…

Four female directors will be hitting the male dominated Thai film industry with full force, releasing their debut films this year.

Pimpaka Toweera, a short film director and former film critic who directed Bangkok Film Fest 2001, released her suspense thriller "One Night Husband" August 1. The film, produced by GMM Pictures, tells the story of a Thai woman who tracks down her lost husband.

Sisters Buranee Rachaiboon and Nida Sudasna will make their debut in October with their serial killer flick "See-Oui." U.S. scriptwriter Debra Katemeyer will be finishing the script, which is based on a real life case fifty years ago in which a Chinese migrant murdered seven children and ate their hearts. The 1.2 million dollar Hong Kong/Thai co-production will star Chinese actor Duan Long, and will be the first film produced by Thailand Matching Motion Picture Co.

Still image from the film, "One Night Husband." Courtesy of Fdk-berlin.de

Finally, actress turned director Mona Nahm will premier her action-adventure "Khon Ra-luck Chat" (The Resurrection Man) in November. Produced by famous director Oxide Pang, the film tells the story of a Buddhist couple who try to fight their destiny. Nahm is quoted in the Daily Variety saying that at first, her young age (30) and gender were obstacles in gaining the respect of the crew, but that she won them over in the end.

"At Last" members Justin Fong, J.P. Leynes, Ken Dela Cruz, Mike Lee, and Hans Cho get their big break. Courtesy of Star-interviews.com

AT LAST Opens Summer Jam 2003

Asian pop band "At Last" opened 100.3 The Beat's Summer Jam Concert last weekend, after winning the hip hop station's contest to find an opening act for the show. The group performed at the Universal Amphitheatre with Nelly, Mya, Ashanti, Lil' Kim, KRS One, E-40, and many others.

Formed in 2000, the five-member group represents diverse ethnic backgrounds including Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and Japanese, and all members are bilingual. "At Last" has performed on "The Wayne Brady Show, Dick Clark's "The Other Half," "Showtime at the Apollo," and Ed McMahon's "Next Big Star," and has headlined with Justin Timberlake, Destiny's Child, and Avril Lavigne. The group has also sung "Star Spangled Banner" for the Los Angeles Lakers.

A Comical Glimpse into the Lives of Immigrants is Provided by Indian-American Film, Green Card Fever
Contributed by Nayla Huq

Bala Rajasekharuni's directorial debut "Green Card Fever," which is a drama and romantic comedy, features a young Indian immigrant to the U.S., Murali Ravillapind, played by Vikram Dasu, who overstays his visa and encounters love, lies and the law while chasing after legality in the US, all the while convincing his family that he's living in the lap of luxury.

This film opens a comical yet sympathetic window into the lives of illegal immigrants living in the U.S., and the racism and disillusionment they face, but all is not dampened with sorrow. Murali's new found friends teach him how to be an American, by sagging his pants all the way down to his ankles and trying to convince him that the best way to get anything done in America is to sue someone.
Murali then meets and falls in love with a confident, beautiful, intelligent and opinionated woman, played by Purva Bedi (American Desi), which further complicates his pursuit of a green card.

The film's website (www.greencardfever.com) declares that this film is "Coming Soon," but not soon enough.

August 15, 2003