It has been a long time coming for West 32nd, Michael Kang's much-anticipated follow up to the indie hit The Motel. After years of planning and hard work by the cast and crew, West 32nd will make its World Premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. Ever wonder what exactly is a film festival and what makes a film an "indie"? And more importantly, at this stage of its life, why is West 32nd's festival premiere important to the success of the film as a whole? Here is your festival 101, and your chance to make a difference in media portrayals of Asians. Also, don't forget to add the film to your MySpace friends and check out their Facebook discussion board for the latest on news and updates. See you guys at West 32nd! --ubn What is an independent film? An independent film, or indie film, usually describes films that are less commercially-driven, and lower budget than their Hollywood studio produced counterparts. Sometimes they are produced by subsidiaries of these large studios, such as Sony Pictures Classics, and are considered independent as long as less than half of its budget comes from a major movie studio. Independent films are often distinguishable by their content or style as many times they differ markedly from the norms of plot-driven, mainstream classical Hollywood cinema. Also, the writer or director's original authorial intent or personal creative vision is usually maintained to a larger degree in the final film. What is a film festival? A film festival is a series of screenings of films usually linked with a common theme that gives an arena for filmmakers to showcase their films to an audience. Festivals also represent an opportunity for independent filmmakers to use the publicity of the festival as a platform or vehicle for exposure and potential acquisition by a distributor. The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro in response to the World Trade Center attacks. This year's festival will take place from April 25 through May 7, 2007. The Tribeca Film Festival has become a major film industry event promoting New York as a major filmmaking center and helping filmmakers reach new audiences. Feature films (films that are at least 40 minutes) can be made by first or second time directors only and cannot have been financed or produced by a major studio or specialty division of a major studio What is West 32nd about? West 32nd is about an ambitious young lawyer who takes on a pro bono case to exonerate a fourteen-year-old boy from a first-degree murder charge. The case takes him into a world he never knew existed right in the heart of mid-town Manhattan. The film stars John Cho (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) and Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica) and is the screen debut of Korean actor Jun Kim. West 32nd is the eagerly awaited follow-up to writer/director Michael Kang's much heralded first movie, The Motel. The story was inspired by cowriter's Edmund Lee's experience as a Village Voice reporter researching Korean organized crime in New York during the nineties. You can view the trailer here. Why is this year's Tribeca Film Festival important to West 32nd? This year's Tribeca Film Festival host West 32nd's world premiere, the first time any audience will see the film. But more importantly, it represents an opportunity for West 32nd to get the attention of distributors for a wide release. But because of the enormous amount of cost in money and time involved in distributing a movie, a distributor must feel confident that they can make a sufficient return on their investment. Distributors are interested in a movies that demonstrate a good buzz to show the potential mass appeal of the film. It is important to show the distributors at Tribeca that there is a market for stories that features multi-dimensional Asian American characters like in West 32nd. When are the screening times and dates? Saturday, April 28th, 7:30pm - $18 AMC 34th - 312 W 34th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues Sunday, April 29th, 10:00pm - $18 AMC 34th - 312 W 34th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues Tuesday, May 1st, 6:00pm - $18 AMC Kips Bay - 570 2nd Avenue at 32nd Street Thursday, May 3rd, 3:30pm - $14 AMC Village 7 - 66 3rd Avenue at 11th Street Friday, May 4th, 8:30pm - $18 Regal Battery Park - 102 North End Avenue at Vesey Street How do I buy tickets? Tickets go on sale to American Express cardmembers on April 7th, to downtown Manhattan residents on April 13th (requires proof of zip code below Canal St.), and to the general public on April 14th. You can buy tickets online at www.tribecafilmfestival.org, in person at the Main Festival Box Office at 13-17 Laight Street between Varick and Avenue of the Americas, or by phone at 212) 321 - 7400 or 866) 941 - FEST (3378). Usually the premiere and evening screenings are the first to go, so you should try to act fast if you want to make sure all your friends and family get in. We want to encourage people to support the film and try to pack the theaters during the lesser trafficked weekday screenings. How do I pick up my tickets? To avoid long lines at the theater Will Call desks, pick up online or phone order tickets in advance at the Walk-Up Box Office Will Call desk at the main Festival Box Office at 13-17B Laight Street (allow 48 hours from order placement for processing). And remember to arrive early. To guarantee admittance you must be present at the screening venue 30 minutes prior to schedule screening time. I can't buy tickets online. How can I get "Door Sales" tickets? If you can't get tickets in advance, you still have a chance to get in through "Door Sales". Starting fifteen minutes prior to a film or panel's scheduled start time, those in the "Door Sales" line will be admitted until the theater is at capacity. Every screening for West 32nd will have tickets available at the door. The festival holds back a large amount of tickets of every film screening for festival badge holders, which are released on the day of the screening. Broadly speaking, people that wait in line for door sales generally are able to get in because of no-shows. It is advisable to wait in line at least 30 minutes to an hour before the screening time to assure that you get in. Who exactly are these badge holders, how do they get badges, and what do these badges do? Along with other perks like entry into festival parties, panel discussions, lounges, etc, festival "badges" or passes grant access to a badge holder to a range of different screenings depending on the pass level. A festival badge is usually given out to people working in the film industry, but many are purchased by people who can purchase a festival passes on the Tribeca website.