Category: Entertainment

Today, I moderated the Q&A for the world theatrical premiere of Kintsukuroi at the historic Gardena Cinema, hosted by Judy Kim, alongside an enthusiastic and deeply moved audience. It was also my first time experiencing the 130-minute historical epic on the big screen, and as a double immigrant to Canada and later America in the 1980s, the film resonated with me on a profoundly personal level as a double immigrant to Canada and then America. More than a story about the complex and diverse Japanese American communities impacted by internment during and after World War II, the film speaks powerfully to generations of Asian Americans and immigrants navigating identity, displacement, survival, and belonging in North America.

In 2016 — perhaps even earlier — while I was developing my now-defunct Chinese feature Morning, Paris! in Beijing, I met Ludi Lin, then a starry-eyed young actor with unmistakable charisma. Over the past decade, we’ve stayed close as friends, and honestly, I’ve rarely witnessed an actor’s trajectory evolve with such dynamism, discipline, and sheer cinematic momentum. When Ludi decided to venture into stand-up comedy, I introduced him to my comedy partner-in-crime, Keith Nahanee, who invited him to perform live at Vancouver’s Rez Comedy showcase. Later, when financing finally aligned for Season 3 of Comedy InvAsian, Ludi was one of the very first people I called about joining the ensemble.

As a filmmaker and a fan of Japanese media since my childhood in Hong Kong, I haven’t encountered a more compelling and cinematic work from Japan in years—until Netflix’s Straight to Hell, a nine-part series now streaming worldwide. As a film student, I’ve studied masters such as Kurosawa and Ozu, and I was reintroduced to the power of Japanese cinema during the first wave of J-horror in the late ’90s, with films like The Ring, The Grudge, and the Tomie series. After that, there seemed to be a two-decade void—until Straight to Hell, where cinema, television, and the internet converge in a near-perfect union.

Kicking off AAPI Heritage Month in style, Quentin Lee’s Margin Films celebrates its 30th anniversary with Cinemasianamerica—a vibrant new book and a seven-day screening series lighting up the Laemmle Royal Theatre in Los Angeles. The series is also streaming on AAM.tv, bringing the celebration to audiences everywhere. On Friday, May 1, 2026, Cinemasianamerica opened with a 30th anniversary screening of Shopping for Fangs, the groundbreaking debut feature from Lee and Justin Lin. The night drew a feast of collaborators, who turned out in full force for both the screening and a lively after-party in West Los Angeles.

When I got into UCLA Film School in 1993, I set out to make a feature film before turning 25. Every short I created at UCLA became part of that larger vision—I was building toward something bigger. The result was Flow, which world-premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 1995. It was the first major festival I ever attended—and where I met my doppelgänger, Adi Tantimedh, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the actor playing the fictional filmmaker in Flow.

Joshua M. Sager is a showrunner and executive producer renowned for crafting globally minded, character-driven procedural series and high-concept international co-productions. Having built his career developing “series engines” for industry giants like Netflix, Disney, and DreamWorks, Sager has evolved from architecting expansive IP worlds to spearheading ambitious cross-border television slates. A dual Canadian-American citizen, he serves as a creative and strategic bridge between North America’s commercial storytelling sensibilities and the nuanced, prestige-driven traditions of European and Asian drama. With a keen eye for scalable narratives and culturally resonant storytelling, Sager continues to shape the future of global television. CHOPSO caught up with him to discuss his latest ventures, including the highly anticipated reboot of Charlie Chan alongside filmmaker Quentin Lee.

Yesterday morning, March 29, 2026, I woke up in London, about to fly home, when I discovered that fellow comic Robin Tran had posted a photo of herself with Alex Duong. As I scrolled further through Facebook, I realized that he had passed after his battle with cancer. Sadness and shock overcame me—I knew he was so young, younger than me. He passed at 42.

Released in 1977, William Friedkin’s Sorcerer remains a classic thriller that still holds up nearly five decades later. It is a masterclass in filmmaking, proving that true craft is timeless. Cinema is literature in motion—just as a great novel can endure across generations, so can a great film. Well-crafted images, like well-chosen words, do not fade; they stand as lasting testaments to our history and humanity. Released just one month after Star Wars in 1977, Sorcerer faltered at the box office, grossing $9 million worldwide against a $21 million budget. Yet as filmmakers, we cannot control a film’s commercial fate. What we can control is the quality of the work itself—creating something so well made that future generations may rediscover it and recognize its worth.

In my final two years of high school in Montreal, I made a private curriculum of the local repertory circuit—seeing everything that played, determined to absorb as much cinema as possible before heading to college and, eventually, film school in America. One winter afternoon, on the eve of leaving the city, I wandered into a nearly empty theater and discovered Dead of Winter, directed by Arthur Penn. I fell hard. I went back—once, then again—lingering over the sly menace and savoring the performances, especially Mary Steenburgen’s controlled unraveling and Roddy McDowall’s deliciously eccentric menace. Decades later, while idly scrolling through streamers, I stumbled upon a new title bearing the same name—Dead of Winter (2025), this time starring Emma Thompson. Nostalgia did the rest. Curious, a little wary, and more than ready to test memory against reinvention, I pressed play.

Canadian indie heavyweight 604 Records is making noise with a new signing—unveiling the debut single “Can’t Stop My Dreams” from filmmaker-turned-recording artist Quentin Lee, who records under the unmistakable moniker Gay Hollywood Dad. Released in collaboration with Margin Films Ltd., the track marks the first artist signing tied to the soundtrack of Lee’s upcoming feature film The Way You Dance, signaling a bold cross-platform move that blurs the line between indie film and music.