Richard Wong's COLMA: THE MUSICAL opens in SF and NYC

Richard Wong's COLMA: THE MUSICAL opens June 22nd in San Francisco and July 6 in New York.

I saw COLMA: THE MUSICAL last summer at the Asian American International Film Festival and loved it. In this affectionate and thoroughly original take on suburban malaise, director Richard Wong and screenwriter/composer/actor H.P. Mendoza are spot on in portraying the emotional life of young adults with their tale of three recent high school graduates attempting to make the most out of their lives in Colma, a San Francisco suburb where the dead outnumber the living. Best friends Rodel (H.P. Mendoza), Maribel (L.A. Renigen), and Billy (Jake Moreno) are bored in the confines of their small hometown and are enjoying their newfound freedom by crashing parties and using their fake IDs to get drunk. Despite the good times they share, newfound revelations and romances challenge their relationships with one another and their parents. Taking stock, the trio decide what they can live with and discover the paths to following their dreams. A veritable crowd pleaser, COLMA: THE MUSICAL rocks with 13 musical numbers featuring all original music and lyrics by H.P. Mendoza, who also plays Rodel in the film.

Delighting film festival audiences around the world, Wong's impressive debut feature racked up awards and nominations including the Special Jury Prize from the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and the San Diego Asian Film Festival, and garnered nominations for the "Best Film Not In a Theater Near You" at the IFP Gotham Awards and a "Someone To Watch Award" at the Independent Spirit Awards. Roadside Attractions wisely acquired it for distribution.

COLMA: THE MUSICAL opens theatrically on Friday, June 22, 2007, at The Embarcadero Cinema Center in San Francisco and Friday, July 6, 2007 at New Yorks Quad Cinema in New York. Meet cast members HP Mendoza, Jake Moreno, L.A. Renigen, and director Richard Wong at the Friday and Saturday 7:30pm and 10:00pm shows in San Francisco. The party continues at Frisson ( www.frissonsf.com).

San Francisco
Friday, June 22, 2007
The Embarcadero Cinema Center
One Embarcadero Center, Promenade Level
Buy Tickets in San Francisco

New York
Friday, July 6, 2007
New Yorks Quad Cinema
34 W. 13th St.
Buy Tickets in New York

COLMA: THE MUSICAL Trailer
COLMA: THE MUSICAL Official Website