Musical theater’s Miss Saigon, Lea Salonga and Eva Noblezada, will be seen together onscreen in “Yellow Rose,” a musical film directed by Filipino-American Diane Paragas that is set to premiere and open the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF).
The LA Film Fest, formerly known as VC FilmFest, announced that the movie musical Yellow Rose is the Opening Night selection for the 35th edition of the festival running from May 2-10, 2019 in Southern California.
The opening night screening is also the film’s World Premiere. This is the first time ever in LAAPFF history that a movie by a Fil-Am director opens the festival.
Yellow Rose, written and directed by award winning documentary director Diane Paragas, is a music-driven narrative film about an undocumented Filipino girl pursuing her dream to become a singer while facing the threat of deportation.
“The Festival is excited to showcase Diane Paragas as our first ever Filipina American Opening Night presentation,” Visual Communications Executive Director Francis Cullado told VC News.
Two Miss Saigon stars who both played Kim in different stagings of the award-winning Broadway musical, Tony award winner Lea Salonga and Tony award nominee Eva Noblezada, appear in the film alongside “The Walking Dead” actor Gustavo Gomez. The film also features Filipina actress Princess Punzalan known for her role in the nineties TV series “Mula Sa Puso” and more recently, in “The Story of Us.” The film also features original music composed by Paragas and performed by the cast.
Diane Paragas said in an interview with VC News, “Yellow Rose has taken over 15 years to make and it couldn’t come at a more important time when anti-immigrant sentiment is at an all time high. This is a story for everyone facing challenges in finding their voice, their dreams and, more importantly, their home.”
LAAPFF kickstarts the celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with over 100 films by Asian Pacific American and international artists.
The World Premiere of Yellow Rose will be on May 2, 2019 at 7PM at the Aratani Theatre at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles.
Tell us in the comment section below if you are also excited at this historic first Hollywood musical film about a Filipino-American girl starring Eva Noblezada and Lea Salonga!
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