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An Exclusive Interview
with Director Vu Le
(Part II)
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Rise of the Dragon and the Future
Cinespot: Let's talk about your upcoming project. What is Rise of the Dragon about?
Le: Rise of the Dragon is a story of two brothers with a big generations gap in terms of values and cultural
upbringing. The story centers on the relationship between Americanized Vietnamese and culturally Vietnamese. My own
experiences growing up in America is a big factor in wanting to make Rise of the Dragon as I've mentioned above,
it's a mixed between BoyZ N the Hood meets American History X. Very powerful movie, it's probably my only project
I want to direct.
Cinespot: Is the budget as microscopic as Bullets, Blood & a Fistful of Ca$h? How was financing/budget control this time
Le: I want to make Rise of the Dragon on a budget of $500,000 to $1,000,000. This budget compare to Bullets,
Blood & a Fistful of Ca$h is like 10 times to 20 times. But because we actually wanted to pay our cast and crew this time. We made Bullets,
Blood & a Fistful of Ca$h on a low budget, with a lot of hustling and compromises to get the shots we wanted. But the budget for
Rise of the Dragon is actually very low compared to other low budget movies. I'm cool with five hundred to a mil.
Cinespot: Directing and producing belong to quite different departments of filmmaking. How was the working experience this
time different from the production of Bullets, Blood & a Fistful of Ca$h?
Le: I'm able to focus on just the direction of Rise of the Dragon whereas in Bullets, Blood & a Fistful of Ca$h, I was
wearing a hundred hats. Making movies with a budget allows you to have a little more creativity because you are not constraint by locations,
props, etc…
Cinespot: How did you cast your actors? In your promotional materials, it mentions that you are trying to take Asians out of their
stereotypical roles and genre. How did you attempt to achieve this goal?
Le: I like to cast real people for the part. Though they need to be able to act. We're pretty good at finding the talent to bridge
the gap. Asians have the same story as Whites, Blacks, Hispanic, the director has to create characters for Asians or else it'll be the typical
role. The characters in Rise of the Dragon are main stream because the story fits the main stream mode, just like BOYZ N THE HOOD
Cinespot: Have you found any distribution deal for the movie yet?
Le: Not yet! But looks like Our Company Akina Entertainment INC is going to be a distribution company also, so no need
to find a distribution. We'll put Rise of the Dragon theatrically ourself, just like Bullets.
Cinespot: It seems like you are a big fan of Hong Kong action cinema. So what is your favorite movie? What do you consider
your biggest influence?
Le: A BETTER TOMORROW, JOHN WOO the brotherhood story, I'm all about brotherhood. LOYALTY, HONOR.
Cinespot: If you're given a huge amount of money and unlimited support to work on whatever kind of film you prefer,
what would you do?
Le: BULLETS, BLOOD & A FISTFUL OF DONG the Vietnamese version of Bullets, blood & a fistful of Ca$h
just jokin! I really don't know! For now Rise of the Dragon is the only movie I want to make!
Cinespot: Last but not least, as a veteran "shoestring" budget filmmaker who is making big, do you have any advice for other young
filmmakers who are still struggling to make a difference?
Le: Get out there while you can! It's kind of a cliche but, it's the truth…go out there and make your movies, don't listen to he naysayer
and the haters. You only live once!!
Cinespot: Thank you very much for your time. We wish you and your upcoming projects all the best.
Le: Thank you.
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In conclusion, the interview was a big success. Director Le was generous and
answered all of our lengthy questions. Again, we would like to appreciate director
Le for taking his valuable time and sharing his insight with us. Please
give a round applause to director Le!
Special thanks to Jessica Ly of VietShowBiz Entertainment for coordinating and making
the interview possible.
Thank you!
Pictures provided by VietShowBiz Entertainment
Written and compiled by K. Lui
10/2006
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