New Movie Epitomizes Bay Area Film Series Mission To Challenge Rigid Perceptions And Prejudices Through Pioneering And Poetic Storytelling
San Francisco, CA, May 18, 2010 – VIZ Cinema at NEW PEOPLE expands its commitment to innovative filmmaking with the launch of the Bay Area Film Series, an new showcase for the region’s burgeoning community of multicultural independent filmmakers. The first movie of this series is Bicycle Bride, which opens at VIZ Cinema for a week-long run beginning June 25th.
Two special screening events at VIZ Cinema will feature a live Q&A session with Bicycle Bride’s director, Hassan Zee, as well as the film’s actors. A reception featuring hors d’oeuvres and live traditional Indian dancers and music will take place on Friday, June 25th, following each screening at 5:00pm and 8:00pm. Advance tickets are now available at www.newpeopleworld.com/upcoming-events/bicycle_bride on Sunday, May 16th.
Directed by Pakistani filmmaker Hassan Zee, Bicycle Bride is a witty story about a rebellious young Indian-American woman named Beena, whose family still clings to old school beliefs about gender roles and marriage for women. Beena pursues her dreams of freedom – but her stern mother has other ideas, including arranging a marriage for her daughter. Beena also has a best friend named Mary Jane, a Caucasian girl who supports her in every way. When Beena meets a man from Sweden named James Dean (played by renowned Swedish actor Andreas Wilson) she is immediately smitten by his European charm, Mary Jane is all for it; she knows James is the boy of Beena’s dreams. But Beena’s mother has imported Bubba, a naive bachelor straight from India. Bubba thinks dollars grow on trees in America, and he must find those trees and marry Beena. Will Beena give in to what her cultural heritage says is right? Or will she follow her heart and possibly lose her family instead?
The heartwarming comedy features an international cast of renowned Indian, European and American actors including Andreas Wilson (Swedish Star-Academy Award Nominated film The Evil), Melanie Kannokada, Jessica Kitchens, Shruti Tewari, and Rajiv Nema.
“NEW PEOPLE and VIZ Cinema are eager to play a role in the Bay Area’s film community and provide a unique venue for filmmakers that share a creative view that incorporates a blend of races, cultures, genders, and ethnicities,†says Seiji Horibuchi, the founder of NEW PEOPLE and President and CEO of VIZ Pictures, “Dr. Hassan Zee is a writer, producer and director with a rich and varied background in media including radio, television and film, and Bicycle Bride follows a fine tradition of romantic comedies like Bend It Like Beckham, Eat Drink Man Woman and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.â€
Though he has a doctoral degree in medicine back in his home country of Pakistan, filmmaking was always director Hassan Zee’s preferred practice. Through his work, Zee has discovered innovative ways of challenging rigid perceptions and prejudices through pioneering and poetic storytelling. Hassan Zee has been passionate about film since he was young but started his filmmaking journey in 2005 by writing, producing and directing “Night Of Henna” his first feature film, which played nationally in over 20 American cities. The film was shot by three time Emmy Award nominee Hiro Narita. Sound was done by Will Storkson (Adaptation, Lost in Translation). Zee has been featured in the New York Times and Village Voice. In 2007, Zee wrote and directed his second project, Destination Love, this time for television. Bicycle Bride is Zee’s third feature.
For more information on Bicycle Bride, please visit: www.bicyclebride.com.
VIZ Cinema is the nation’s only movie theatre devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. The 143-seat subterranean theatre is located in the basement of the NEW PEOPLE building and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX®-certified sound system.
NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located in San Francisco at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass façade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: www.NewPeopleWorld.com.