Mike Kang's The Motel at the 28th Asian American International Film Festival

Check into Mike Kang's THE MOTEL at the Asia Society on July 21st during the 28th Asian American International Film Festival

Check into Michael Kang's THE MOTEL on July 21st at the Asia Society during the 28th Asian American International Film Festival in New York.

Fresh from its Sundance world premiere and winner of the 2001 AAIFF Screenplay Competition, THE MOTEL is Kang's smart and funny feature film debut, starring Sung Kang, Jeffrey Chyau, Jade Wu and Samantha Futerman, a heartwarming coming of age comedy that also taps into the heartbreak of growing up adolescent and A-squared in America.

When you're a chubby Chinese American kid toiling in your family's sleazy suburban motel and hopelessly in love with the only Asian American girl in the county, how can you ever manage to be the model minority that everyone expects you to be? If you're Ernest Chin, the hapless hero of THE MOTEL, you may have better luck tomorrow when a badboy tenant decides to become the big brother you never had.

Aspiring to something more, young Ernest (Jeffrey Chyau) chronicles the crushing monotony of his daily life at the motel as well as his crush on the cute waitress at the local Chinese restaurant in an essay that ends up a winner in a local literary contest. Well, an honorable mention to be exact. His bitter mother belittles his accomplishment and sends him packing with fresh linens and toilet paper until new tenant Sam (Sung Kang, BETTER LUCK TOMORROW), complete with floozy and booze, takes him under his wing. The problem is, this newfound mentor may be more played-out than player.

To order tickets, visit 28th Asian American International Film Festival or call the box office at 212-327-9385

Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Ave, NYC
7pm
Q+A with Mike Kang, cast and crew to follow.

THE MOTEL AFTER PARTY
8pm-11pm
White Rabbit
145 Houston Street (b/w Forsyth and Eldridge)
$10 admission and proceeds benefit Asian CineVision.
F train to 2nd Avenue l 6 train to Bleecker Street

Related Websites
Mike Kang
THE MOTEL

~ Official Selection of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival
~ Winner of the Humanitas Prize 2005
~ Winner of the Best Narrative Feature Award, San Francisco
International Asian American Film Festival
~ Winner of the Sundance/NHK Filmmakers Award
~ Winner of the IFP Independent Spirit Awards' Producers Award
(Gina Kwon, producer)