Filmmaker Quentin Lee Marks 30 Years of Indie Cinema

Filmmaker Quentin Lee's extensive career in independent cinema is being honored with a week-long retrospective titled Cinemasianamerica. The event is scheduled to take place at the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles from May 1 to May 7. This special theatrical series will highlight seven significant titles from Lee's directorial and production work, marking his 30 years in the industry.

The retrospective opens on May 1 with "Shopping for Fangs," Lee's 1997 debut feature co-directed with Justin Lin. This film also notably marks the theatrical feature debut of actor John Cho and premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Q&A sessions are planned for most screenings, including the opening night.

Additional screenings will feature films like "Ethan Mao," "The People I've Slept With," "The Unbidden," "Rez Comedy," and "Last Summer of Nathan Lee." The series concludes on May 7 with a preview of three episodes from the upcoming "Comedy InvAsian III" series, followed by a Q&A. Lee expressed excitement for a new audience to discover his work, particularly his debut film.

Margin Films, founded by Lee in Los Angeles in 1996, has a mission to bring stories from diverse and underrepresented communities, including LGBTQ+, Asian, LatinX, Black, and Indigenous audiences, into mainstream entertainment. The company's Canadian affiliate, Margin Films Ltd., established in 2021, produced the TV series "Comedy Invasion," which received the 2024 Canadian Screen Award for best comedy special.