|
 |
SYNOPSIS
Set in present day New York, THE LOVERS is the
story of a Chinese American woman and Japanese man whose
passion for each other forces them to confront the dark
legacy of their families in Nanking during the Japanese
invasion in 1937.
STATUS
Completed: December, 2005.
SCREENINGS AND FESTIVALS
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
YASU IKEDA (THE MAN)
A native of Japan, Yasu has performed in numerous off-broadway
shows, including the cult hit MONO for two years and
NYC independent films. His television credits
include SEX AND THE CITY. He has spent his last
few months in Thailand, working in film production,
in front of, and behind, the camera. Yasu is a graduate
of the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City.
CONNIE TENG (THE WOMAN)
Connie started out studying classical dance, moving
from ballet into jazz, modern, theater dance and hip
hop. This led to performances in musicals, both in school
and professionally. Since performing in “Miss
Saigon” at the Northshore Music Theatre, she has
devoted herself to straight theater as well as television,
film and commercials. Connie starred in the TV
series “Undressed” and has shot over two
dozen regional and national commercials. She is
a proud member of the First Look Theater Company NYU’s
Tisch School of the Arts and can be seen in the feature
film “Brooklyn Lobster” starring Danny Aiello
and Jane Curtin set to be released this fall.
KEY CREW BIOGRAPHIES
MYRA SITO VELASQUEZ (Director,
writer, producer)
Of Chinese, German and Mexican descent, Myra Sito Velasquez
was born and raised in Tokyo. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence
College, Myra worked in off- broadway theater and Japanese
TV production before making her debut short film MOTHER’S
BLOOD which screened at numerous festivals and venues
throughout the country and abroad and is the winner
of the Lawrence Kasdan Best Narrative Film Award, Grand
Prize Best Film Chicks with Flicks and Best Actress
Award (Nina Zoie Lam). THE LOVERS is Myra’s
most recent short, now being developed as a feature
film THE NANKING TRIPTYCH with a Manhattan based production
company. Myra is also the author of the award winning
feature screenplay DIANA and the action comedy KUNG
FU GRANNY and is one of the founding members of 3D,
an artists group committed to truthful, innovative work
in film, video and other media.
JOHN EUNG SOO KIM (Co-Producer)
Actor turned filmmaker, John has directed, produced,
shot and edited over 30 films and video shorts as well
as numerous television commercials, industrials and
cable programs for such clients as The Korea Society,
The Arthritis Institute, Planned Parenthood and A&E.
A graduate of NYU’s film program, John started
his own production company, JESK, in July 2001.
TODD LIEBLER (Director of Photography)
Todd Liebler is an award winning cinematographer who
is inspired by the collaborative spirit and a compelling
story. THE LOVERS is Todd’s second project with
Myra and he is excited to continue as part of her team
to help realize her vision in her powerful and arresting
stories. Todd studied fine arts/art history before
transferring to NYU’s film program in 1982. During
those two and a half years, he shot over 20 short films.
After graduation, Todd trained as a lens and camera
technician at a NYC rental house. in 1986, Todd began
freelancing, shooting music videos, commercials, documentaries,
shorts and features. He is also a successful still photographer
and works extensively with digital and analog video
and print.
KEIKO DEGUCHI (Editor)
Keiko Deguchi came to the U.S. from Japan to study cinema
studies at NYU graduate school. After receiving a MA,she
started working as an assistant editor on feature films
such as Brian de Palma’s Carlito’s Way,
Robert Altman’s Kansas City, Nora Ephron’s
Michael, among many others. Some of the films that
she edited are Tom DiCillo’s The Real Blonde, Patrick
Stettener's The Business of Strangers, and Susan
Seidelman’s
The Boynton Beach Bereavement Club. She is currently
editing Steven Shainberg’s Fur.
MICHAEL MONTES (Composer)
A graduate of Bard College, Michael Montes opened his
own commercial music company, Sacred Noise, and is considered
to be one of the top composers in the field. Several
of his pieces are included in the permanent collection
of New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Since that
time, he has been able to compose scores for numerous
films including Joan Stein’s One Day Crossing
which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2001. In
the 21st century, Michael has begun a series of “new
music” works. Recently performed by ETHEL, New
York’s premiere string quarter, his String Quarter
No. 2 was called "An experiment in intensity..
a forceful wave of sound" by Allan Kozin of The
New York Times. Michael lives in New York
City with his wife Jane Wulf and their son Mario.
|
|
 |
 |
|
