It has taken 10 years to get 'The Paper Tigers' onto our screens - a slow and at times painful process full of ups and downs for its director, writer and producer, Tran Quoc Bao. The film - which finally lands in cinemas and on digital platforms in North America on 7 May 2021, courtesy of Well Go USA - is a heart-warming and funny take on the kung fu genre, centring on three former childhood training buddies who reunite in middle age to investigate the sudden death of their old kung fu master. As Bao would soon discover, talent, passion and dedication to the cause will only get you so far in Hollywood. Finding the finance for independent productions is hard enough, but made all the more difficult for kung fu films with people of colour in the lead roles. Bao and his fellow producers refused to compromise or 'whitewash' their story, eventually turning to Kickstarter to raise the money themselves. Filming would eventually take place in his home town of Seattle over a number of years, featuring a cast of leading actors from minority backgrounds: 'Helstrom' and 'True Detective' star, Alain Uy; Ron Yuan - a veteran of martial arts cinema; and Mykel Shannon Jenkins, well-known in action circles for his role as Turbo in 'Undisputed III: Redemption'. Alain, Ron and Mykel speak of the sacrifices Bao and his fellow producers had to make to get the film over the line, and how they responded in kind; each bringing their own wealth of experience as filmmakers to support the project, and helping to realise a unique and personal story about friendship, responsibility, honour, and kung fu.
LINKS
Book your tickets now to watch 'The Paper Tigers' on the big screen in the USA and Canada: https://www.wellgousa.com/films/the-paper-tigers
'The Paper Tigers' trailer: https://youtu.be/uh4KU5Ep4ic
'The Paper Tigers' on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_thepapertigers
'The Paper Tigers' on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePaperTigersMovie/
'The Paper Tigers' on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_thepapertigers/
'The Paper Tigers' review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/ThePaperTigersKFMG
'The Challenger' (2015) short film: https://youtu.be/gcLNdniNR2M
Tran Quoc Bao's website: http://pov-films.com/
Tran Quoc Bao on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2041318/
Tran Quoc Bao on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/tranquocbao
Tran Quoc Bao on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_tranquocbao
Tran Quoc Bao on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tranquocbao
Tran Quoc Bao on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_tranquocbao/
Alain Uy on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1751175/
Alain Uy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theAlainUy
Alain Uy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alainuy/
Ron Yuan on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0950620/
Ron Yuan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ronyuan
Ron Yuan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronyuan/
Mykel Shannon Jenkins on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420926/
Mykel Shannon Jenkins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mykel_jenkins
Mykel Shannon Jenkins on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykelshannonjenkins/
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