Considering the recent success of films like “Minari”, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”, and “Past Lives” the necessity for such a list became dire, even though film critics and programmers around the world are still fighting about the genuine origin of the movies that are Asian-themed, but are either produced by companies from countries outside Asia, or by individuals of Asian descent. In that fashion, we also decided to include co-productions where the non-Asian element is quite intense either in terms of production or crew. The +1 is obviously there due to the particular director, although the film is Hollywood in every other aspect.
Without further ado, here are the best Asian Diaspora Movies of 2023, in reverse order, and, as always, with a focus on diversity in style, directors, and country of origin. Some films may have premiered in 2023, but since they mostly circulated in 2023, we decided to include them. When...
Without further ado, here are the best Asian Diaspora Movies of 2023, in reverse order, and, as always, with a focus on diversity in style, directors, and country of origin. Some films may have premiered in 2023, but since they mostly circulated in 2023, we decided to include them. When...
- 1/8/2024
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
At Sundance, tender hostage drama “The Accidental Getaway Driver” was all the buzz – and director Sing J. Lee was at the center of it all. Lee’s first feature was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the festival’s US Dramatic Competition, and also scored him the prestigious Directing Award for his debut.
I catch him on the ground before the accolades. Amid the festival hubbub, talking to Sing J. Lee washes one over with a sense of calm. He greets us in a sharp black turtleneck, groomed beard, and a British accent — a memento of his childhood in the UK. Our allotted twenty minutes spill over into an hour as the conversation spans across continents and oceans. Over the tiny tea table between us, I realize that the complexities of his own biography is inextricably tied to the production of “The Accidental Getaway Driver.”
“I can...
I catch him on the ground before the accolades. Amid the festival hubbub, talking to Sing J. Lee washes one over with a sense of calm. He greets us in a sharp black turtleneck, groomed beard, and a British accent — a memento of his childhood in the UK. Our allotted twenty minutes spill over into an hour as the conversation spans across continents and oceans. Over the tiny tea table between us, I realize that the complexities of his own biography is inextricably tied to the production of “The Accidental Getaway Driver.”
“I can...
- 2/21/2023
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Big sales were hardly in short supply at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with Netflix going wild for “Fair Play,” AppleTV+ shelling out for “Flora and Son,” and Searchlight Pictures snapping up “Theater Camp”, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of superior films still looking for homes.
Of the still-for-sale titles that premiered at this year’s festival, there’s plenty to intrigue all sorts of buyers, from those looking for films with excellent performances that could inspire major awards pushes (like the Jonathan Majors-starring “Magazine Dreams”), those in search of the next big director, hungry genre hounds (see: “Divinity”), and even documentary lovers looking for films with incredible real world impact.
And while it’s still early days, given the incredible assortment of films still looking for homes, we can’t help but tout their allure to all interested buyers. These aren’t just...
Of the still-for-sale titles that premiered at this year’s festival, there’s plenty to intrigue all sorts of buyers, from those looking for films with excellent performances that could inspire major awards pushes (like the Jonathan Majors-starring “Magazine Dreams”), those in search of the next big director, hungry genre hounds (see: “Divinity”), and even documentary lovers looking for films with incredible real world impact.
And while it’s still early days, given the incredible assortment of films still looking for homes, we can’t help but tout their allure to all interested buyers. These aren’t just...
- 1/30/2023
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
by Jason Adams
Blessedly patient with its could’ve been wacky and wild premise, writer-director Sing J. Lee’s The Accidental Getaway Driver opts to be a methodical mood piece. This based-on-a-true-story tale is about an elderly Vietnamese driver named Long (Hiep Tran Nghia) who takes the wrong phone call at the wrong time and gets dragged into a crime-drama he has no place being in the middle of. You can see the 90s Jackie Chan high-concept version of this story staring in, but Lee’s film aims for and hits something much deeper. Something that speaks to assimilation and generational divides in hushed tones, and with a genuine tension that remains unshowy at every turn. I loved it...
Blessedly patient with its could’ve been wacky and wild premise, writer-director Sing J. Lee’s The Accidental Getaway Driver opts to be a methodical mood piece. This based-on-a-true-story tale is about an elderly Vietnamese driver named Long (Hiep Tran Nghia) who takes the wrong phone call at the wrong time and gets dragged into a crime-drama he has no place being in the middle of. You can see the 90s Jackie Chan high-concept version of this story staring in, but Lee’s film aims for and hits something much deeper. Something that speaks to assimilation and generational divides in hushed tones, and with a genuine tension that remains unshowy at every turn. I loved it...
- 1/30/2023
- by JA
- FilmExperience
The Accidental Getaway Driver Review — The Accidental Getaway Driver (2023) Film Review from the 46th Annual Sundance Film Festival, a movie directed by Sing J. Lee, written by Christopher Chen and Sing J. Lee and starring Hiep Tran Nghia, Dustin Nguyen, Dali Benssalah, Phi Vu, Gabrielle Chan, Vivien Ngo, Sharon Sharth, Travon McCall, Edward [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: The Accidental Getaway Driver: Sing J. Lee’s Film is a Dark Story of Redemption with Fine Acting [Sundance 2023]...
Continue reading: Film Review: The Accidental Getaway Driver: Sing J. Lee’s Film is a Dark Story of Redemption with Fine Acting [Sundance 2023]...
- 1/29/2023
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
The premise is simple; it promises a comical, stranger-than-fiction thrill-ride. Late at night, an elderly Vietnamese cab driver begrudgingly agrees to a routine pickup where he’s taken hostage at gunpoint by three recently escaped Orange County convicts. Based on Paul Kix’s similarly titled GQ story, The Accidental Getaway Driver certainly begins at a tense pace, but over the course of a few days this enervating scenario shifts into a lower gear, becoming a scattered meditation on masculinity that wrings out just enough emotional truth to appease its multi-genre approach.
Against the clock, these three outlaws––Tây (Dustin Nguyen), Aden (Dali Benssalah) and Eddie (Phi Vu)––start crossing off the items on their escape-plan checklist: they get haircuts, make calls, stop at Wal-Mart, and demand obedience from Long (Hiep Tran Nghia), their involuntary wheelman attempting to stay calm while navigating Little Saigon under extreme pressure. When Aiden and Eddie...
Against the clock, these three outlaws––Tây (Dustin Nguyen), Aden (Dali Benssalah) and Eddie (Phi Vu)––start crossing off the items on their escape-plan checklist: they get haircuts, make calls, stop at Wal-Mart, and demand obedience from Long (Hiep Tran Nghia), their involuntary wheelman attempting to stay calm while navigating Little Saigon under extreme pressure. When Aiden and Eddie...
- 1/27/2023
- by Jake Kring-Schreifels
- The Film Stage
The title “The Accidental Getaway Driver” says it all: A down-on-his-luck driver picks up felons in his vehicle and unwittingly gets mixed up in their criminal acts. This “Collateral”-esque proposition propels renowned music video director Sing J. Lee’s minor-key and frustratingly one-note crime-drama, inspired by the true story of a Southern California driver of Vietnamese descent held hostage by three Orange County prison runaways — an incident told in a 2017 GQ article by Paul Kix.
The premise immediately screams “cinematic thriller,” and Lee’s polished, neo-noir-adjacent nighttime sequences (captured stylishly by Dp Michael Cambio Fernandez with lush neon colors and deep contrasting blacks) does right by the idea in the visual department. Unfortunately, the script — co-written by Lee and Christopher Chen — leaves a lot to be desired, squandering the old-school appeal of the true-crime drama for a dull and overlong mood piece in which nothing much happens and no...
The premise immediately screams “cinematic thriller,” and Lee’s polished, neo-noir-adjacent nighttime sequences (captured stylishly by Dp Michael Cambio Fernandez with lush neon colors and deep contrasting blacks) does right by the idea in the visual department. Unfortunately, the script — co-written by Lee and Christopher Chen — leaves a lot to be desired, squandering the old-school appeal of the true-crime drama for a dull and overlong mood piece in which nothing much happens and no...
- 1/26/2023
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
When cabdriver Long (Hiep Tran Nghia) reluctantly sets out to pick up a fare near the start of The Accidental Getaway Driver, he has no way of knowing where the journey might take him. Even those of us in the audience, well aware of the title, might find it difficult to guess. Because although the film starts as the gritty crime thriller suggested by its core premise, it pivots, unexpectedly but effectively, into something much more tender.
From the minute we meet Long, it’s obvious what kind of existence he’s leading. He’s first seen alone in a shabby apartment, listening to an old CD so banged-up it hardly plays anymore. His neighbors can be seen and heard playing chess outside his window, but this elderly, worn-down soul seems to have no place among them. When he’s called for a job late at night, he grumbles but finally gives in.
From the minute we meet Long, it’s obvious what kind of existence he’s leading. He’s first seen alone in a shabby apartment, listening to an old CD so banged-up it hardly plays anymore. His neighbors can be seen and heard playing chess outside his window, but this elderly, worn-down soul seems to have no place among them. When he’s called for a job late at night, he grumbles but finally gives in.
- 1/26/2023
- by Angie Han
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tears and Asian pride flowed on stage after the Sundance premiere of Accidental Getaway Driver, the feature debut of longtime commercials and music video director Sing J. Lee.
Based on true events in which a Vietnamese driver is kidnapped by three convicts and used to ferry them in their escape, the story seems ready-made for an “action thriller” adaptation. But Lee had other plans when he first read the 2017 GQ article on which it’s based.
“It seemed like it could be a certain kind of film,” said Lee at the movie’s post-screening Q&a. “But I immediately saw four human beings in this story that could embody so many part of my own family and life experiences or [be] seen in the life of my parents. I saw something so tender and fragile that I haven’t seen so much in the West. And I just felt this drive to...
Based on true events in which a Vietnamese driver is kidnapped by three convicts and used to ferry them in their escape, the story seems ready-made for an “action thriller” adaptation. But Lee had other plans when he first read the 2017 GQ article on which it’s based.
“It seemed like it could be a certain kind of film,” said Lee at the movie’s post-screening Q&a. “But I immediately saw four human beings in this story that could embody so many part of my own family and life experiences or [be] seen in the life of my parents. I saw something so tender and fragile that I haven’t seen so much in the West. And I just felt this drive to...
- 1/26/2023
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Accidental Getaway Driver is one those rare, where-did-this-come-from films that every so often pops up to invigorate festivals and adventurous viewers on the lookout for something fresh and different. Generically, this is nothing new, a low-down gritty crime drama populated by cars, guns and desperate characters. But the movie, which premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, benefits considerably from being set in the rarely, if ever, filmed Little Saigon section of Orange County south of Los Angeles; a highly unlikely cast dominated by an octogenarian not looking for trouble; and, crucially, a noirish nocturnal milieu that injects the action with dread, even with a final stretch doesn’t really pay off with the kind of tension you expect from a crime drama. However, despite its lack of an exciting climax, this is a film that draws you in and offers sufficient satisfactions to...
- 1/26/2023
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
In the first third of “The Accidental Getaway Driver” you might think you’re in for the film of the festival at Sundance 2023. The setup is simple and suspenseful: Long (Hiệp Trần Nghĩa), an elderly Vietnamese immigrant who works as a driver is paid double for a late night assignment that turns out to be about keeping three escaped prisoners ahead of the law. When Tây (Dustin Nguyen), one of the convicts, points a gun at him to prevent him from bailing when he wants to get out, the tension ratchets up to the breaking point.
But “The Accidental Getaway Driver” is not the film of the festival. And though the tension ratchets up there near the beginning, that’s as high as it goes for the whole movie. Instead, it’s merely . When it starts, you think you’re in for the second coming of Michael Mann’s “Collateral,...
But “The Accidental Getaway Driver” is not the film of the festival. And though the tension ratchets up there near the beginning, that’s as high as it goes for the whole movie. Instead, it’s merely . When it starts, you think you’re in for the second coming of Michael Mann’s “Collateral,...
- 1/23/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Andy Sorgie knew he had finally found his passion project when he read Paul Kix’s 2017 GQ feature “The Accidental Get Away Driver,” the true story of Long Ma, an elderly driver-for-hire in Orange County whose life was unexpectedly upended one night when his passengers turned out to be convicts on the run from a recent prison escape. What sounds like a crime thriller is actually a surprising tale of lonely men marginalized by society and their own choices, and the ability to find redemption and chosen family in the most unlikely of places.
“It’s about a group of people that you don’t really see shown in media too often,” says Sorgie, vice president of film at Kimberly Steward’s K Period Media. “I was always looking at it like, ‘How do we tell [Ma’s] story and make sure that he has a voice in it?’ He’s not...
“It’s about a group of people that you don’t really see shown in media too often,” says Sorgie, vice president of film at Kimberly Steward’s K Period Media. “I was always looking at it like, ‘How do we tell [Ma’s] story and make sure that he has a voice in it?’ He’s not...
- 1/21/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For the last few years, Sundance has had a strong record for premiering Asian titles that would overtake the film festival circuit. Asian diaspora and titles from Asia alike dominated the slate last year, with Indian documentary “All That Breathes” taking home the Grand Jury Prize in World Cinema Documentary; Christine Choy-starring “The Exiles” walking away with the Grand Jury Prize in US Documentary; and Kogonada’s quiet sci-fi “After Yang” winning the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize. Other productions have made a splash on the circuit as well, like the Martika Ramirez Escobar’s stunning debut “Leonor Will Never Die” and Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s well-researched documentary “Free Chol Soo Lee.” The successes of the previous years have ramped up our own excitement for what is to come in 2023 — which will be, for the first time in the last 2 years, premiere in-person,...
- 12/11/2022
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
The Sundance Institute has released its lineup for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The annual festival will take place January 19-29 in Park City, Utah and will feature the “upcoming year’s most impactful independent stories.”
To kick off the event, IMDb will present “Opening Night: A Taste of Sundance” to raise funds for the organization, in addition to “Day One Features” which will show 11 features and a short film program. Over the course of the festival, the Institute will show 101 feature films which were selected from over 15,000 submissions, both from the U.S. and internationally. The films fall into a number of categories.
Tickets for the festival can be purchased here.
Here is the lineup for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, as announced by The Sundance Institute:
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Presenting 12 world premieres of fiction feature films, the Dramatic Competition offers audiences a first look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film.
To kick off the event, IMDb will present “Opening Night: A Taste of Sundance” to raise funds for the organization, in addition to “Day One Features” which will show 11 features and a short film program. Over the course of the festival, the Institute will show 101 feature films which were selected from over 15,000 submissions, both from the U.S. and internationally. The films fall into a number of categories.
Tickets for the festival can be purchased here.
Here is the lineup for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, as announced by The Sundance Institute:
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Presenting 12 world premieres of fiction feature films, the Dramatic Competition offers audiences a first look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film.
- 12/8/2022
- by Miranda Dipaolo
- Uinterview
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival’s lineup of 101 feature films includes contributions from 23 countries. The Sundance Institute notes 28 of the festival’s slate comes from first-time feature filmmakers, and 94 of the films will be making their world premieres at the 2023 festival.
More than 4,0000 feature films were submitted for consideration.
“Maintaining an essential place for artists to express themselves, take risks, and for visionary stories to endure and entertain is distinctly Sundance,” said Robert Redford, Sundance Institute Founder and President. “The Festival continues to foster these values and connections through independent storytelling. We are honored to share the compelling selection of work at this year’s Festival from distinct perspectives and unique voices.”
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 19-29th. 2022’s festival was canceled due to a surge in Covid-19, but barring any setbacks, the 2023 event will once again return to in-person screenings. Some films will also be available online...
More than 4,0000 feature films were submitted for consideration.
“Maintaining an essential place for artists to express themselves, take risks, and for visionary stories to endure and entertain is distinctly Sundance,” said Robert Redford, Sundance Institute Founder and President. “The Festival continues to foster these values and connections through independent storytelling. We are honored to share the compelling selection of work at this year’s Festival from distinct perspectives and unique voices.”
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 19-29th. 2022’s festival was canceled due to a surge in Covid-19, but barring any setbacks, the 2023 event will once again return to in-person screenings. Some films will also be available online...
- 12/7/2022
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Setting the stage for the year in cinema, the 2023 Sundance Film Festival will take place January 19-29, both in person in Utah as well as virtual viewings kicking off five days into the festival. Ahead of next month’s festivities, the festival has now unveiled its features lineup, which features 99 films.
Initial highlights of the lineup include Ira Sachs’ Passages, starring Franz Rogowski, Adèle Exarchopoulos, and Ben Whishaw, William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth follow-up Eileen, Raven Jackson’s All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, produced by Barry Jenkins, Bad Behaviour, the directorial debut of Jane Campion’s daughter Alice Englert, Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool, starring Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth, Nicole Holofcener’s’ You Hurt My Feelings starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and more.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The 12 films in this section are all world premieres. All 12 will be available to stream online.
The Accidental Getaway Driver (Director and Screenwriter: Sing J. Lee,...
Initial highlights of the lineup include Ira Sachs’ Passages, starring Franz Rogowski, Adèle Exarchopoulos, and Ben Whishaw, William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth follow-up Eileen, Raven Jackson’s All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, produced by Barry Jenkins, Bad Behaviour, the directorial debut of Jane Campion’s daughter Alice Englert, Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool, starring Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth, Nicole Holofcener’s’ You Hurt My Feelings starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and more.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The 12 films in this section are all world premieres. All 12 will be available to stream online.
The Accidental Getaway Driver (Director and Screenwriter: Sing J. Lee,...
- 12/7/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
2023 Sundance Film Festival Line-Up: Michael J. Fox Doc, New Nicole Holofcener Film and ‘Cat Person’
Click here to read the full article.
Take two.
After last year’s in-person festival was canceled at the last minute because of the winter Covid-19 surge due to the Omicron variant, the Sundance Film Festival is returning to Park City for the first time since 2020 with a line-up of 101 feature-length films, representing 23 countries, that was annoucned today.
The U.S. Dramatic Competition section features thirteen titles. The Jonathan Majors-fronted Magazine Dreams, Randall Park’s directorial debut Shortcomings, and the latest from Will Ferrell and Jessica Elbaum’s Gloria Sanchez, Theater Camp, are among those vying for the top festival prize.
As for non-fiction, several bio-docs centered on big-name talent are festival bound, including Michael J. Fox (Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie), Brooke Shields (Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields), Little Richard (Little Richard: I Am Everything), and Judy Blume (Judy Blume Forever). Years past have seen docs on Taylor Swift,...
Take two.
After last year’s in-person festival was canceled at the last minute because of the winter Covid-19 surge due to the Omicron variant, the Sundance Film Festival is returning to Park City for the first time since 2020 with a line-up of 101 feature-length films, representing 23 countries, that was annoucned today.
The U.S. Dramatic Competition section features thirteen titles. The Jonathan Majors-fronted Magazine Dreams, Randall Park’s directorial debut Shortcomings, and the latest from Will Ferrell and Jessica Elbaum’s Gloria Sanchez, Theater Camp, are among those vying for the top festival prize.
As for non-fiction, several bio-docs centered on big-name talent are festival bound, including Michael J. Fox (Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie), Brooke Shields (Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields), Little Richard (Little Richard: I Am Everything), and Judy Blume (Judy Blume Forever). Years past have seen docs on Taylor Swift,...
- 12/7/2022
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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