2022 ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
NEW YORK NINJA
Presented with the support of Asian American Studies at UW-Madison.
- Thu., Oct. 13 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
This intimate documentary portrays one Asian American family living in rural Michigan during the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and rising racial animosity. While their main goal is to keep their family-run restaurant afloat, filmmaker David Siev and his siblings are also on a journey to figure out their place in their family, their town, and the world. After the screening, David Siev will join us in person to discuss his powerful movie. (LKL)
- Fri., Oct. 14 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
When his wife is brutally murdered, sound technician John (co-director John Liu) dons a white ninja outfit and becomes a sword-wielding vigilante hell bent on cleaning up the streets of New York. John soon finds himself the target of every criminal in the city, including a mysterious villain known as The Plutonium Killer. Originally filmed in 1984, this was the lone American project for John Liu, a Taiwanese martial arts actor known for his work in several Hong Kong action movies. Abandoned before production was completed, Liu’s footage for New York Ninja remained untouched for 35 years and all original sound materials were lost entirely over the ensuing decades. The unedited picture was finally assembled in 2019 and a number of genre-friendly actors - Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock, and Leon Isaac Kennedy, among many others - loaned their voice talents in order to complete this one-of-a-kind experience, presented here on a new 35mm print!
- Sat., Oct. 15 | 7:00 PM4070 Vilas Hall
With loan sharks on his back, undocumented deliveryman Ming Ding is given 24 hours to pay off his debts and ensure his safety. Filmed inside a functioning Chinese restaurant in Manhattan for a total of only $3,000, this microbudget marvel was the first film produced by the team behind Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket. (MK)