By Eric Kao
Have you ever heard of Keye Luke? If you haven’t, check out Taiwanese American filmmaker Timothy Tau’s new short film, KEYE LUKE, about one of the pioneer Asian Americans actors in Hollywood. As an American actor of Chinese descent, Keye Luke was best known for playing Lee Chan, the “Number One Son” in the Charlie Chan films and Master Po in the television series, Kung Fu. Many will also remember him as the masked-sidekick Kato in the 1939-1941 Green Hornet series.
Timothy Tau is a writer, filmmaker, and owner/founder of Firebrand Hand Creative, and we’ve been pleased to feature his previous work here on our website. His past projects include “The Jeremy Lin Effect 2: Linsanity,” “Incentivus,” and rising young singer Megan Lee’s music video for “Destiny.” As a 2nd generation Taiwanese American, Tau has used his directing and producing roles to give other Taiwanese Americans opportunities to contribute to his film projects.
In KEYE LUKE, several Taiwanese American actors help bring this project to life. In this short film, Archie Kao (from CSI, Snow Flower, The Secret Fan, and The People I’ve Slept With) plays Edwin Luke, the younger brother of Keye Luke. While Kao has been previously been type-cast in romantic roles, Tau decided to showcase Kao’s comedic talents as well. They have collaborated many times in the past since Kao is also a director.
A couple of other talented Taiwanese American actresses work alongside Timothy Tau and Archie Kao. Elaine Kao (no relation to Archie) plays Marianne Quon, the “Technicolor Movie Queen of Hong Kong”. Some may recognize her from her role in the recent movie Bridesmaids. Jessika Van, who is of mixed race Taiwanese heritage, plays the role of Caucasian actress Victoria Horne. Her past project credits include Bang Bang and Without A Trace.
We’re proud to see all of these talented Taiwanese Americans rising up in the world of entertainment, and we hope you are too!
Here’s an upcoming opportunity to watch the film:
Date: Sunday, May 13, 2012
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Directors Guild of America, Theater ONE
Address: 7920 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
You can purchase tickets here: http://laapff.festpro.com/films/detail/keye_luke_2012
SUPPORT:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/keyelukefilm
Twitter: www.twitter.com/keyelukefilm
Trailer: http://bit.ly/keyeluke
KEYE LUKE was done for the Visual Communications “Armed With a Camera” Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists – an organization which selects up to ten filmmakers and then gives them resources to make a 5 minute short which screens at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival.
Eric Kao (no relation to Archie or Elaine) is a fan of the entertainment world. As a business student/video hobbyist, he is always looking for new projects to work on, whether it is an entrepreneurial venture or a music video! Eric has also been involved in the Taiwanese American community since elementary school, most recently serving as the National Public Relations Director for ITASA (Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association). He believes in showing the world all that Taiwanese Americans have to offer, one small step at a time.
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