WHATEVER IT TAKES: We finished the film!

It’s hard to believe, but I can finally announce that WHATEVER IT TAKES has been completed! At times, I never thought my film would be done. There was always another scene to shoot, another rough cut to edit, another technical detail to manage. But through it all we persevered, and now we are ready to show our film to the world.

It’s hard to believe, but I can finally announce that WHATEVER IT TAKES has been completed! At times, I never thought my film would be done. There was always another scene to shoot, another rough cut to edit, another technical detail to manage. But through it all we persevered, and now we are ready to show our film to the world.

As a first-time filmmaker, this whole experience has been magical. Though I scarcely had a dime to begin with, somehow we were able to put together a skeleton crew to start filming on the first day of school. Though we had only a vague idea of what story to tell, the key characters and drama unfolded right before our eyes. Though no one had ever heard of us before, we managed to get an amazing Academy-Award-nominated Executive Producer on our team. Though I had no idea how to fundraise, donations poured in from individuals all over the country, and we received major grants from The Center for Asian American Media and The Sundance Institute for Documentary Film.

Yes, WHATEVER IT TAKES has been a four-year-long miracle. Every step of the way has been worth it, and I wouldn’t trade any of the experiences – even the difficult ones – for anything. My filmmaking team and I have come out of this process older, wiser, and tremendously grateful to everyone who has supported us along the way. We are also forever indebted to our wonderful film subjects who allowed us to “invade” their lives and tell their stories of struggle and triumph.

In just a few short weeks, we will be screening our film at the 27th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF). I hope that everyone who has been following this blog will be able to join me at one of our three screenings. If you don’t live near the Bay Area, we’ll definitely be screening WHATEVER IT TAKES at a festival near you sometime later this year. Next week, I’ll blog more about SFIAAFF and other upcoming festivals…

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