Monday, January 24, 2005
Will Smith helps Alice Wu save 'face'
New York Post Online Edition: entertainment: "Will Smith played an angel in 'The Legend of Bagger Vance' - but in real life, he's an angel to a Park Slope filmmaker who made a small comedy about a closeted Chinese-American lesbian and her mother.
Alice Wu, whose 'Saving Face' will unroll at this year's Sundance Film Festival, said she struggled for six years to find backing for her autobiographical film until landing a deal with Smith's production company.
'Our budget was like the catering budget of the film he works on,' said Wu, 'but Will said it was important to give voice to movies like mine, rather than just blockbusters.'
The degree of separation between Wu and the star of 'Six Degrees of Separation' was Smith's producing partner Teddy Zee, a distant acquaintance of one of Wu's writing mentors.
'I didn't go to film school,' said Wu, 34. 'I want people to know that if it doesn't happen right away, hang in there.'"
Alice Wu, whose 'Saving Face' will unroll at this year's Sundance Film Festival, said she struggled for six years to find backing for her autobiographical film until landing a deal with Smith's production company.
'Our budget was like the catering budget of the film he works on,' said Wu, 'but Will said it was important to give voice to movies like mine, rather than just blockbusters.'
The degree of separation between Wu and the star of 'Six Degrees of Separation' was Smith's producing partner Teddy Zee, a distant acquaintance of one of Wu's writing mentors.
'I didn't go to film school,' said Wu, 34. 'I want people to know that if it doesn't happen right away, hang in there.'"
