27 Oct 15 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH JEFFREY FONG
15 Questions and 15 Answers (in 15 words or less) with Director Jeffrey Fong of the Asian American comedy, RU by Lee Ann Kim
LEE ANN KIM: GIVE US YOUR BEST 15-WORD PITCH FOR RU.
JEFFREY FONG: Ru is about a nice guy who is in a family of assassins.
KIM: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO MAKE A FILM ABOUT A FAMILY OF ASSASSINS?
FONG: Stories about assassins are always action-packed, so I decided to flip that around.
KIM: I’VE NEVER MET ANYONE NAMED RU… UNTIL NOW. 🙂 ANY STORY BEHIND THE NAME OF THE FILM (AND YOUR LEAD CHARACTER?)
FONG: The title needed to be simple, unique, and easy to remember – just like Ru.
KIM: I BELIEVE THIS IS YOUR FIRST FEATURE? HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE FILMMAKING EXPERIENCE?
FONG: Fulfilling, tedious, exhilarating, extreme guerrilla filmmaking, and an eternally knowledgable experience.
KIM: HOW DID YOU GET INTO FILMMAKING?
FONG: I bought a cheap camera, filmed with friends, and watched every movie possible.
KIM: HOW DOES BEING HAPPA, IF AT ALL, IMPACT YOUR APPROACH TO TELLING STORIES?
FONG: It allows me to be unbiased when observing and understanding two sides of a story.
KIM: THERE’S A GREAT DANCE SCENE IN RU, AND SEEMED LIKE DIANA LU, WHO PLAYS RU’S SISTER, LOOKED LIKE SHE WAS CRACKING UP THE WHOLE TIME? AND CAN WE BRING SOME OF THAT DANCING TO OUR FESTIVAL?!
FONG: She was great at simply enjoying the moment, and yes, that can happen!
KIM: COULD YOU SHARE A BEHIND THE SCENES STORY?
FONG: A location forgot to let us in at 7am. That was a bad day.
KIM: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GO INTO FILMMAKING?
FONG: The magic of movie theaters inspired me to create magic for their screens.
KIM: WHAT’S YOUR NEXT PROJECT?
FONG: An elaborate short about letting go of a past lover.
KIM: YOUR GO-TO KARAOKE SONG?
FONG: Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash
KIM: SWEET OR SAVORY?
FONG: Sweet
KIM: BOXERS OR BRIEFS?
FONG: Boxers at home, briefs everywhere else
KIM: IPHONE OR GALAXY?
FONG: iPhone
KIM: WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO MOST AT THE SAN DIEGO ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL?
FONG: Meeting other Asian Americans with similar aspirations and hopes for our people!