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When asked for one word to describe Asian and Pacific Islander media in 2022, Blade of the 47 Ronin actor Yoshi Sudarso said, “diverse.”

The crowd present at Thursday night’s Asian Pacific Islander Excellence Celebration certainly matched Sudarso’s words. Chinese American reality television stars rubbed elbows with Polynesian American musicians and Southeast Asian American silver screen actors at Casita Hollywood, where The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix and Gold House teamed up for a celebration of the Api community’s 2022 successes.

“If you think about the way Hollywood looked at our culture 20 years ago, we were deemed culturally irrelevant,” said Hasan Minhaj. “Now, we’re making some of the most relevant, poignant, cutting-edge work.”

From Minhaj’s perspective, Everything Everywhere All At Once (from A24) and Mo are just two of those impactful works. Love Is Blind star Deepti Vemapti and Boo, Bitch actress Aparna Brielle...

Exclusive: Emmy nominee Rain Valdez (Razor Tongue) has rounded out the cast for her first feature Re-Live, with Yoshi Sudarso (Bullet Train), Jamie Clayton (20th/Hulu’s upcoming Hellraiser), Vico Ortiz (Our Flag Means Death), Nicky Endres (The Dropout), Chris Renfro (Queer as Folk), Sydney Viengluang (Z Nation) and Benjamin Alves (Mystery of the Night) signing on for roles.

Valdez leads the cast, which also includes Rachel Leyco, Maricel Soriano and Rosario Dawson, as previously announced.

The film going into production early next year tells the story of Rowena (Valdez), a transgender actress who returns to her home on Guam for her high school reunion’s “do-over week,” to live out a big regret… her childhood dream of becoming a cheerleader. But she must then confront a different kind of reunion, with her estranged family.

Sudarso plays Matthew, a former wallflower turned Dilf. Guam’s most eligible bachelor. He reconnects with Rowena,...

"They know where you are now." This looks cool! Show me more footage from this, please. An early promo trailer has debuted for an indie sci-fi short film called The Angkasa Legacy, written and directed by half-Indonesian, half-Polish filmmaker Soma Helmi who grew up on Bali. An Indonesian man discovers he has extraterrestrial abilities when a friend dies in his arms. An all Aapi romantic sci-fi. This is being pitched as a proof of concept, a way to develop something bigger with this concept as a jumping off point. I'm down. I wasn't expecting much, but this trailer got me! I'm very curious to see more. And I love the moody, Northern Lights-filled dream shots, it gives it some extra style and vibrance. The short film stars Yoshi Sudarso as Josh, with Lulu Antariksa, Miki Ishikawa, Peter Adrian Sudarso, Simmi Singh, Tania Gunadi, and Hana Wu. I hope this short...

Photo: ‘The Paper Tigers’/Well Go USA Entertainment ‘The Paper Tigers’ is a great movie, lovingly and skillfully paying homage to classic Hong Kong kung fu comedies (think Stephen Chow and Jackie Chan)--it’s also one of few true examples of Asian-American cinema. Debuting director Quoc Bao Tran and his team originally pitched the film to Hollywood producers, but were offered $4 million with the caveat that the Asian-American lead is replaced by a White lead to be played by Bruce Willis--they declined the offer, producing the film with an ultra-lean shooting budget of $1 million. Related article: 10 Best Martial Arts Movies: An Intro and In-Depth Look at the Genre Related article: Why The Oscars Should Have An Award for the Best Stunts Category 'The Paper Tigers' It follows the “Three Tigers,” an undefeated trio of kung fu prodigies--leader Danny “Eight Hands” (Alain Uy), Ah Hing (Ron Yuan), and Jim...

Martial arts movies remain contentious in Asian American cinema. On one hand, the likes of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan have made major breakthroughs in the US; thanks to their kung fu movies from the 20th century, Hollywood realized that Asians too are excellent leads. On the other hand, however, the same films have molded into an unbreakable ceiling for Asian American actors. Stereotypes of sagely shifu and nunchuck-wielding warriors have since been well baked-in, the most recent “Mortal Kombat” (2021) notwithstanding.

Quoc Bao Tran’s “The Paper Tigers” (2020) enters the fray with a charming spin on an age-old trope. This production too had initially faced funding resistance. Critics denounced “yet another” Asian American martial arts movie, clamoring for other forms of representation. Upon viewing, however, these arguments seem redundant, if not ironic. “The Paper Tigers” is anything but. While it plays with the usual tropes of kung fu comedy, the...

Like the warring Japanese dojos depicted throughout the Karate Kid franchise, a growing disconnect exists between those who wish to learn a fighting style as a means of physical and emotional growth and those who simply seek the ability to punish their adversaries without mercy. It’s respect and honor versus strength and superiority—something even the most devout and sacred of Chinese Kung Fu masters like Sifu Cheung (Roger Yuan) can’t always instill in their pupils. No matter how much they strive to trust the younger generation’s capacity to protect what they’ve learned as a tool, the allure of morphing it into a weapon for profit is often too much to ignore. It’s why he retired after his three disciples left. The disappointment was too much to bear.

So we meet him at the start of Quoc Bao Tran’s The Paper Tigers in an...

Every movie nominated this year for a best picture Oscar employed a stunt coordinator. Yet not one of these individuals will have the opportunity to receive Academy Award recognition.

The Oscars acknowledge categories ranging across multiple disciplines that support a film’s story and visual dynamics. But the stunt department’s contributions remain unsung. This might be due to misperceptions about what stunt performers actually do these days. Stunt coordinator Melissa R. Stubbs (“Tully”) has been a voting member of the Academy since 2007. When she began her career, stunt actors were viewed as adrenaline junkies with “Kodak courage” — her term for the desire to do the biggest, most dangerous stunt sequences just for the glory of having it captured on film.

In a world of pricey digital effects, stunt departments present themselves differently now. Their mission: to advance the narrative by means of repeatable, safe sequences that are also budget-friendly.

Samuel Goldwyn Films is releasing the Indonesian Western Buffalo Boys, today. This film, from director Mike Wiluam, involves a tale of vengeance - after two brothers lose their father. Jamar (Ario Bayu) and Suwo (Yoshi Sudarso) track down their father's killer as their hope for vengeance meets more and more resistance. Buffalo Boys was co-written by Raymond Lee. And, the film also stars: Pevita Pearce (The Sinking of Van Der Wijck), Tio Pakusadewo, Conan Stevens and Reinout Bussemaker. Now, a trailer, film poster and release details are available for fans of international thrillers, or of a new take on the Old West. An early review has mentioned the film blends both drama and comedy. On the martial arts sequences, Panos states: "the action choreography is one the film’s best aspects through the aforementioned combination that also includes elements of absurdity and humor, thus stressing the entertainment the movie offers...

Indonesian western and Singapore's submission for the Oscars' "Best Foreign-Language Film category, Buffalo Boys, is now available in select theaters and on Digital. The internationally produced, 19th century martial-arts western was directed by Mike Wiluan (also a co-producer on Crazy Rich Asians) and co-written with Raymond Lee and Rayya Markarim. It garnered favaorable reviews when it premiered at the Fantasian Film Festival last year (though our own Andrew Mack was largly disappointed).  In the film, two exiled brothers who grew up on the plains of the American Wild West, return to their rightful home to unravel the mystery of their past and avenge the brutal death of their parents. Buffalo Boys stars Yoshi Sudarso (TV's "Power Rangers: Dino Chargo" and "Pretty Boys"), Ario Bayu (Java...

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"Let's give our people their justice." Samuel Goldwyn has released an official Us trailer for a western action film titled Buffalo Boys, coming from Indonesia (where it's set), and produced out of Singapore. This just premiered at the Fantasia and New York Asian Film Festivals this fall, and is also this year's Singaporean Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film. This "fun old-school western flick" is about two brothers named Jamar and Suwo who return to the land of Java to avenge their father, a murdered Sultan, after years of exile in America working on the railroads, and being cowboys. But they end up in a fight for their lives. The main cast of Buffalo Boys includes Yoshi Sudarso, Ario Bayu, Pevita Pearce, Tio Pakusadewo, Conan Stevens, Reinout Bussemaker, Zack Lee, and Sunny Pang. Holy hell, this looks badass!! Get a load of this, seriously - the action actually looks clear and kinetic.

In today’s film news roundup, “Buffalo Boys” gets Us distribution, Full Moon Empire buys a library, “Invincible” gets cast and a Liechtenstein-based film fund is announced.

Acquistions

Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired the North American rights to Mike Wiluan’s western “Buffalo Boys,” Singapore’s entry in the foreign-language Academy Awards category, Variety has learned exclusively.

The film stars Yoshi Sudarso, Ario Bayu, Pevita Pearce, Tio Pakusadewo, Conan Stevens and Reinout Bussemaker. “Buffalo Boys” will be released in theaters and VOD on Jan. 11.

The film begins in 19th Century Java as a brutal massacre and the murder of a sultan forces the sultan’s brother and infant sons to flee to the American Wild West. After working the railroads and learning the cowboy way of life, the boys return to their homeland to avenge their father’s death.

“Buffalo Boys” was produced by Mike Wiluan, Huang Junxiang, Tan Fong Cheng,...

Community alum Danny Pudi has landed the lead role in the Sam Friedlander’s upcoming romantic comedy Babysplitters. Pudi will star opposite Maiara Walsh, Emily C. Chang (The Vampire Diaries) and Eddie Alfano (The Amityville Murders).

Friedlander, who served as producer on The Resident and Royal Pains, wrote and directed the feature that follows two couples who have mixed feelings about having kids. When the couples come up with a plan to share a baby, things spiral out of control, naturally. The film is currently in production in Los Angeles.

Babysplitters also stars Mark Feuerstein, Brian Thomas Smith, and Andree Vermeulen. Friedlander produces alongside Rebecca G. Stone, Matthew Dinicola, David C. Smith, and Morgan Patterson.

Pudi is repped by UTA and Velocity Entertainment Partners. Chang is also repped by Velocity as well as Paradigm andTalentworks. Walsh is repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment and Abrams Artists. Alfano is repped by Ddo,...

A basic white hat/black hat “B” western despite its novel setting in 19th-century Java, “Buffalo Boys” reps a polished directorial debut for producer Mike Wiluan that’s good fun but feels a bit generically assembled. Still, this tale of exiled brothers returning to avenge their father’s murder by evil colonialists is a colorful popcorn entertainment that should please Asian action fans even if it doesn’t rank among the best films Indonesia has had to offer in recent years. Those thirsting for an old-fashioned Western will find “Boys” diverting enough if a mite cartoonish.

Having fled assassins hired by the Dutch occupiers two decades before, Uncle Arana (Tio Pakusadewo) has raised his slain sultan brother’s two sons in America, where they’ve labored building the transcontinental railroad. Now, reserved Jamar (Ario Bayu) and amiable younger sibling Suwo (Yoshi Sudarso) are strapping young men ready to claim their...

In one of the latest tendencies in Asian cinema, production companies from S. Korea and Japan have begun penetrating the Indonesian market, financing local filmmakers to shoot big budget productions (for the country’s standards that is). Cj Entertainment financed Joko Anwar’s “Satan Slaves” for example, while in this case, Nikkatsu funded Mike Wiluan, producer of films like “Headshot” and “Macabre”, to shoot a Western with an Indonesian flavor. The result was this particular movie.

“Buffalo Boys” is screening at the 17th New York Asian Film Festival

In 1860, Arana, Jamar and Suwo return to Indonesia after fleeing to America decades ago, following the massacre of sultan Hamza by Captain Van Trach, during an Indonesian uprising against the Dutch. The sole purpose of the three is to exact revenge from Van Trach. During their search, they stumble upon a group attacking Kiona and her grandfather, and proceed on saving the two.

In what feels like ages since we last heard from independent filmmaker Haile Lee, his trailer unveiling of upcoming action short, The Broken Gear, serves as a warm welcome for fans of action cinema online. The project takes its cues from the classic Capcom beat 'em up game, "Final Fight" which made it a fitting feature to endulge in for attendees earlier this year at MagFest with Mason Davis and Power Rangers: Dino Charge series actor Yoshi Sudarso headlining the cast as game favorites Cody and Guy. When the suffering citizens of Metro City have all but lost hope against the constant threat of violence and crime put upon them, two Metro City natives rise up to battle the root of the oppression, the Mad...

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A handful of YouTube stars, Twitch streamers, and other creative types are involved in a new project on Instagram, but no video is involved. Instead, creators like Meghan Camarena appear in a series of high-quality photos, which together form a superhero whodunit dubbed #SpideyMurderMystery.

As its title suggests, the #SpideyMurderMystery takes place in the Marvel universe, with characters from the Spider-Man canon battling one another. Their struggles are photographed by Michael Becker across daily sets of nine images.

The mystery will unfold during the week of October 26th, with each daily photo set focusing on a specific character. Up first is Gwen Stacy, portrayed by Camarena; she’ll be followed by Yu Komori (stuntman Yoshua Sudarso), Silk (Joanna Sotomura), Mary Jane (Ashlyn Pearce), and Peter Parker (Twitch streamer Wesley Johnson). While the same set of nine captions remains the same across all characters, the changing nature of the images themselves...

Marriott Content Studio has already produced two short films for its online video portfolio, and now it’s adding a third. The digital production house of the international hotel chain will debut a new short film called Business Unusual in partnership with Marriott’s upscale Renaissance Hotels.

Written and directed by Daniel Malakai Cabrera and Caine Sinclair, Business Unusual is a twelve-minute film centered on two ad executives and former co-workers Chip and David, who are both trying to present their pitches to land a new client. David gets a second shot at his bumbling pitch after he meets a woman named Ella in his Chicago hotel’s bar and uses a Rube Goldberg machine to win the new business. Business Unusual stars Yoshua Sudarso (Power Rangers Dino Charge), Jason Gerhardt (General Hospital), Grant Bowler (Defiance, True Blood), Tia Carrere (Wayne’s World), and Brian Poli-Dixon (artist, actor, and former...