Got word sent in from Albert Chan (who you might have seen in the film Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and who will also be in the upcoming Helen Hunt flick Every Day) about the new film he wrote, directed, and produced called Fate Scores and wanted to post up on the film.
Vancouver, BC - October 20, 2009 - FATE SCORES, a film by Chinese-Canadian director and actor Albert M. Chan, will have its Canadian premiere on Friday November 6th, 2009, at 5pm at the Cinemark Tinseltown Theaters (88 West Pender 3rd Floor, Vancouver, BC) as part of the 13th Annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF). The film is also in contention for the National Film Board Best Canadian Short Film Award, which will be presented at the VAFF Industry Luncheon at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden on Sunday November 8th, 2009, at 11:30am.Cool.
FATE SCORES has also screened this year at the Asian American International Film Festival (New York City), the Boston International Film Festival, the Wisconsin Film Festival, On Location: Memphis International Film Festival, and the Southeast New England Film, Music & Arts Festival.
FATE SCORES focuses on a lonely guitarist (Albert M. Chan) at a city park bench and the quirky characters around him, including an introspective young woman (Heidi Rhodes). The film, which explores themes of isolation, connection, and chance, was inspired by Chan's experiences observing ordinary people interact in impersonal urban environments. "One can witness a wealth of human drama everyday at a place as mundane as a city park bench, but only if one pays attention," says Chan.
As part of an underrepresented ethnic minority in film and TV, Chan cast actors to reflect the ethnic diversity he's accustomed to seeing in his hometown of Toronto. "I'm proud to say that ethnic minorities make up about half the cast," Chan said. "Filmmaking can be such a powerful tool when it comes to changing people's perceptions and the stereotypes they're used to seeing from typical Hollywood fare. As an Asian male actor in North America, instead of portraying a professional (like a lawyer, doctor, or accountant) or yet another gangster, I basically said to myself, 'In this film, I want to be an indie rock musician and I want to get the girl in the end,' and I went out and did just that without having to explain myself to anyone."
Chan's hoping that the success of FATE SCORES, his first film, will help with funding for his upcoming film DESCENDANTS OF THE PAST, ANCESTORS OF THE FUTURE. "It's a very personal story about the migration experiences of my mother and my grandfather," Chan reveals. "The film follows a young second-generation Chinese Canadian man as he seeks to discover his family history to ease his apprehension about his impending fatherhood. In the process, he begins to understand how his identity is framed by his family's past and the extraordinary sense of kinship that binds him to his ancestors and descendants." Already on board for the project are Emmy-nominated cinematographer Cira Felina Bolla (BIRTH) and composer Ryan Leach (THE DARK KNIGHT, BEE MOVIE, COLD CASE).
But Chan has not always exploited his creative talents. In fact, he's had a more traditional Asian upbringing. "My parents immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in the 1960's," says Chan. "Growing up, acting was something that I always wanted to try, but I was too preoccupied with academics. I finally decided to give acting a try years later when I was getting my Ph.D. in Engineering at MIT. It started off with a couple of musical performances on campus, and soon afterwards, I was doing student films and local independent films, and over the years my acting career has progressed to where it is today."
Chan's film and TV acting credits include GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST (Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, and Michael Douglas), LAW & ORDER SVU, Showtime's BROTHERHOOD, CW Network's I'M PAIGE WILSON, and Disney's feature film UNDERDOG. Chan also recently finished wrapping up film roles as Dr. Lee in EVERY DAY (Helen Hunt, Liev Schreiber, Brian Dennehy, Eddie Izzard, and Carla Gugino) and as Richard in LIFE OF LEMON (Dan Lauria, Mimi Kennedy, Rachel Miner).
FATE SCORES is produced by Chanal Productions, in association with Aaron Howland and Seth Howland of 7 Fluid Oz. Productions LLP. For more information about the film, visit http://fatescores.com/.
Now in its 13th year, the Vancouver Asian Film Festival is Canada's oldest festival dedicated to exhibiting films and videos by North American artists of Asian heritage. Tickets are available at http://www.vaff.org/boxoffice.
