Director Lynn Chen Debuts I Will Make You Mine at CAAMFest

For over a decade, TaiwaneseAmerican.org has been a dedicated supporter of the Center for Asian American Media’s annual film festival and community events. This year, CAAMFest presents a reimagined film festival experience online from May 13-22, 2020 during APA Heritage Month, and we are so excited to co-present the opening night film, I Will Make You Mine.

Of note, Taiwanese American actor Lynn Chen (Saving Face, Nice Girls Crew, and numerous TV guest spots) makes her directorial debut with I Will Make You Mine, which was also an Official Selection of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival.

I Will Make You Mine is the third film in a trilogy from the mind of filmmaker/producer Dave Boyle. In the original Surrogate Valentine (2011), the film introduces singer-songwriter Goh Nakamura as he joins a C-list actor friend on a slacker road trip to teach him to play the guitar. Along the way, Goh navigates friendship, romances, and pursues his life-long chase for Rachel–played by Lynn Chen–the one that got away. In the sequel, Daylight Savings (2012), Goh is dumped by another girlfriend, and commiserates with his cousin Mike on a spontaneous road trip to Las Vegas. Adventures continue as Goh pursues a rebound relationship with fellow indie-rock musician Yea-Ming while attempting to recover his stolen guitar. I Will Make You Mine is the final chapter of this art-house trilogy.

We’ve followed actor Lynn Chen since her breakout role in the critically-acclaimed Saving Face (2005), and we’ve enjoyed her Taiwanese food series on ISATV called “Lynn Chen Bites,” which was inspired by a 2015 trip to Taiwan. In 2018, she spearheaded a Kickstarter campaign to finish the Surrogate Valentine trilogy. Her motivation was to share the perspectives of the three women who were romantically linked to singer-songwriter Goh and explore the next stage of their lives. On Asian American stories in the media, Lynn Chen tells us, “I’ve been performing for almost four decades, and watching Asian Americans finally experience global success in entertainment is really inspiring. It’s been my wish since I was a kid, and I’m so happy I’m witnessing history.”

Lynn Chen has dedicated this film to her father, Fu-Yen Chen, who was born in Hsinchu. She hopes to one day show her movie in a theater in Taiwan.

Join us in celebrating Lynn Chen’s career as an artist–both in acting and directing–on the opening night of CAAMFest.

Wednesday, May 13 from 5pm-7pm PT / 8pm-10pm ET via CAAMFest site

OPENING NIGHT: I WILL MAKE YOU MINE

CAAMFest Online: Heritage At Home is proud to start our festival with I WILL MAKE YOU MINE, a powerful narrative almost a decade in the making. Lynn Chen’s directorial debut packs a tender yet powerful punch. Goh Nakamura is negotiating the untidiness of life. The singer-songwriter turned customer service representative has moved from the Midwest back to Los Angeles, the home of his formative years and a past life. Once there, he runs headlong into a cascade of women from his past and present, each presenting versions of what transpired and what should happen.

Through the lens of an interwoven group of kin and friends, the ensemble drama I WILL MAKE YOU MINE explores themes of the past and how dreams permutate. It provokes reflections on universal tropes with a less crowded aural landscape than most. When is it time to move on? And who do we take with us on our journey forward? What vision of the future do we hold onto and which we will let go of? — Tracy Wu

After the screening, there will be a Q&A with Lynn Chen (writer, director, producer, actor), Goh Nakamura (actor and composer) and Yea-Ming Chen (actor and composer).

REGISTRATION IS FREE. SPACES ARE LIMITED.

Event program page: https://caamfest.com/2020/movies/opening-night-i-will-make-you-mine/
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/246504516709942/