Here is the press release for CHILDREN OF INVENTION, a feature film written by Randolph's very own Tze Chun. Information on when and where you can see this film is at the bottom of the release.
BP will be doing our best to give you decent coverage of the IFFB despite being denied press credentials this year – keep checking back for more movies playing at this week's IFFB…
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Boston, MA – CHILDREN OF INVENTION, a feature film written and
directed by Tze Chun, a native son of Randolph, MA, will have its New
England premiere at the Independent Film Festival of Boston, where it
has been selected to screen in narrative competition. The film, which
is set and was shot in and around Boston, had its world premiere at
the Sundance Film Festival and won the Special Jury Award at the San
Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.
In CHILDREN OF INVENTION, two young children living outside Boston are
left to fend for themselves when their hardworking mother gets
embroiled in a pyramid scheme and disappears. The film is Chun's
debut feature and is loosely based on his own Sundance 2007 short
film, WINDOWBREAKER, which earned him a spot on Filmmaker Magazine's
annual "25 New Faces of Independent Film" list.
The film is also loosely based on Chun’s own childhood in Boston’s
suburbs. Says Chun, “When I was little, my sister and I followed my
mother to countless pyramid seminars. The film is a personal story
about the world I grew up in – a subculture of immigrant and working
class Americans trying to get-rich-quick in order to get themselves
out of a financial hole. I didn't foresee the current financial
crisis. But with the economy the way it is now, it seems like
everyone's living through some version of what the family in the film
goes through.”
The film stars Cindy Cheung (LADY IN THE WATER, ROBOT STORIES) and
newcomers Michael Chen, age 10, and Crystal Chiu, age 8. It was
produced by Mynette Louie, who co-produced MUTUAL APPRECIATION; shot
by Chris Teague, who lensed three Sundance shorts; edited by Anna
Boden, who co-wrote/directed, produced, and edited HALF NELSON and
SUGAR; scored by T. Griffin, who scored Berlin Teddy Award winner A
WALK INTO THE SEA: DANNY WILLIAMS & THE WARHOL FACTORY and was a 2008
fellow of the Sundance Composer's Lab; and cast by veteran New York
casting director Susan Shopmaker (THE MOTEL, SANTA MESA, AFTERSCHOOL,
GREAT WORLD OF SOUND, SHORTBUS).
CHILDREN OF INVENTION was financed by Sasquatch Films and Impact
Partners. It is the first narrative film to be financed by Impact
Partners, which has funded socially conscious documentaries such as
Oscar winners BORN INTO BROTHELS and FREEHELD, and Emmy winner GHOSTS
OF ABU GHRAIB.
The Boston Globe’s Ty Burr said the film is a “deeply felt drama.”
Spout’s Karina Longworth said the film is “an edge-of-your-seat family
drama, pushed beyond the constraints of its micro-budget by two
heartbreaking child actor performances.” Filmmaker Magazine’s Scott
Macaulay said, “Referencing both the mortgage meltdown and Ponzi
schemes, the film finds delicate moments of beauty and grace as its
child heroes are forced to make their own way.” And AsianWeek's
Philip W. Chung said the film "brings to mind the best of the Italian
Neo-Realists’ work….a worthy artistic accomplishment."
Screening times at IFF Boston are:
· Thu 4/23, 7:15pm @ Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA
· Fri 4/24, 7:30pm @ Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA
Writer-director Tze Chun and producer Mynette Louie will be attending
both screenings. For information on purchasing tickets, visit:
http://www.iffboston.org/2009/
For more information on the film, visit: www.childrenofinvention.com