PREMIERE

MAY 2008 and "THE SENSEI" will be have its official Premiere at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, at the Writers Guild of America on Sunset. It's a reunion, and an event. We make our way down the red carpet, (Mark throws himself into the fray at the last minute, producing the finest of the cast shots) we pose and answer questions for press, pose with the celebrity guests, and make our way in. There is an overflow audience and people, 150 we are told, are turned away. At her introduction Diana says "I hope none of them were my family". The screening produces laughter and tears, and not a few gasps in the violent scenes. There is cheering as the credits role and an ovation as Diana makes her way to the podium when the lights go up. WHAT A RIDE!!
VIP lounge is packed afterwards and after the press interviews there is celebrating for all.

Rainbow Alley

Diana, Ron, Joey, Tarik, invite us to attend the screening of the film for a benefit "Untitled Film Festival" for Rainbow Alley -- a facility for young GLTB kids that is part of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. They have already had a benefit lunch for the film in LA, as well as official endorsed it, so there is a great turn out of cast and crew for the screening. Jon Camp pops up with a shockingly blond mohawk, I babble during the Q&A, but it is a great audience with lots on interest and questions and admiration. This screening comes on the heels of a screening in Alaska for the World Aids event there, and there are some audience members who followed it here. I am amazed!!!!

a letter from the tundra

12/2/07 4:32am
Hello Sensei Team,

I am in Anchorage, Alaska. I showed the film tonight for World AIDS
Day here (for what I thought would be a small group of people), and my
hosts were able, a few days ago, to put an advertisement of my film
onthe website of the Anchorage Intl' Film Festival that is going on
simultaneously right now--so we were able to piggy back on top of this
film festival.

I am happy to report, it was a packed house at a movie theater that
sits 120 people (over 111 people)--very mixed and diverse crowd
(straight, gay, Christian, Jewish, martial artists, White, Black,
Asian, Hispanic--huge spectrum).

They laughed,cried, cheered,yelled out loud during the fights scene
and clapped, laughed and cried some more and when the film was
done...they gave the film a standing ovation!!! They loved our
actors, they loved the production and said a huge "Thank You for
making the film"--they loved you guys!


Diana

ADR and MORE

A couple months later we are together again for ADR. My time in the studio is with Joey and Diana. I drop my MQ mobile in the toilet at LAX the night of the GGawards getting back to LA. I feel naked driving around LA without it. I tell Ron the story and he seems almost as upset as I am about it -- I've just gotten the thing. Get to get caught up with Dora, who's been traveling all the world with work. Diana shows me the image files on the article featuring her work on "The Sensei" as a female filmmaker in MORE magazine. By the time it comes out, she's made the cover.

The Wrap Party

It is easy to imagine that there is little in the journal this night. Joey is talking about cutting his hair, I am planning on my triumphant return to my natural raven. All the pretty girlfriends are introduced. Lots of kissing and hugging and "I love you man"s to go around.

But there is a special story to tell.

We have celebrated into the night and boyfriends and girlfriends are beginning to trail off, family men returning home, friends with early calls tomorrow reluntantly leave. Diana and a couple of us make our way our from the club down Hollywood Blvd. We are on a bit of a quest that I am only remotely aware of. Come to the sacred place of honor. The girls take their shoes off, right there on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and stand in celebration - on Bruce Lee's, "Uncle Bruce" as Diana knew him, STAR.

My LA scenes

We shot the Black Belt scene over nearly a week at a dogo in Thousand Oaks, and this time, not only did "The Sensei" family show up, but the extended family of wives and husbands and fathers and mother pop up. Most notable, my knees go completely weak just watching Dan Inosanto walk on set. I'm standing next to his son, who is a cutey face himself, as he walks in and I am not sure he really can read the "I can't believe that is your father" in my eyes. That man has presence. I am starstruck I am hardly a martial arts efficianato. I think I mentioned -- demented ballerina in stunt class. Much better with a sabre wearing tights, but that's another production journal. Tim's daughter is dancing around and Hannah is heartbreakingly sweet in her close up. Tarik is visuably proud of her. Dora is telling me about her ever interesting travels with work, Arlene is a nut and we have a little too much with my hair piece. Even Victor gets a shot in the Black Belt scene. I get the silliest fortune cookie fortune that reads "you are not illiterate". Ron and Joey are practicing quietly between takes the takes going on inside. They are interrupted when their exercise is paralleled by two crew members who prove that training in martial arts is necessity to appear cool while fighting. Or wrastling. Or whatever it was they think they were doing


A notable addition to the crew; Dominic. His sister is also named Gina and he knows all the nicknames that really irritate me most. He of course employs everytime he gets within earshot of me. Butthead. I get to meet Joey's sister and his dad. Zackary is running around and it is all very happy and family and fitting for out last days of photography. . But more to the point, this scene. This blackbelt scene is killer. TIM is KILLER. I am a ball of sentimental sap. Pathetic. It closes the circle -- figuratively and literally. And Diana is BEAUTIFUL. Blessed, blessed, blessed days. We wrap a few set ups later just at midnight, and Diana gives a toast to hard work, good intentions, and gratitude for a hard fought journey completed. THE SENSEI is a WRAP!

Back to Sterling

...and back to Sterling. Revisiting the hospital scenes, Karen's re-entrance to her hometown. A couple of street scenes for Joey. Mitch is here, Mark is back behind the camera, Mark Grove is making sure all is on line, and Victor is snapping away behind his Canon.

Joey is wearing a head bandage for a couple takes. This I tease him about ceaselessly. Noise an issue, then we shorten the script. Limited time in here.

The joys of independent film. Terror and panic.

pick-ups in Colorado

My hair is still this henna pot-smokin auburn and since we left Sterling I've been able to meet up with Diana, Ron, and Joey to take a look at some rough edit.

Now it is time to revisit a few scenes for pick-ups in Colorado, and it feels like a reunion. Much has happened between, but it all seems very familiar. My grandmother has pasted just a few weeks ago, and the night before I pop up on set at the Denver Buddhist Temple, I have landed at DIA from Florence International. I'm still mourning real Italian coffee, and all of Italy generally, but it is Tzi Ma's scene, and I am a bleary-eyed fly on the wall.

Colby is here with us (of course) and jealous of my pictures of La Cinque Terra. I am jealous of his lack of jet lag...