The contemporary story of Chinese New Zealand-born over-achiever Emily Chu, raised to believe she can get anything she puts her mind to. Even if 'anything' is at odds with her traditional Hong Kong born parents' wish for her to become a doctor like her two older sisters. Everything is coming up roses - until she meets James, a European New Zealander, and accidentally falls in love with him. But if her father finds out, she will face disownment. By the time Emily realises that she's sacrificing the respect of her family to follow her heart, James, too, has fallen irrevocably in love and there's nothing for it but to try and keep their relationship a secret. Happy endings don't come easy, if at all, but that doesn't mean they don't happen. But for Emily to get one, she needs to show James and her family that she has learned a lesson about the selflessness of love.
Featuring Hong Kong veteran actors Cheng Pei Pei (Come Drink with Me, Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) and Kenneth Tsang (Once a Thief, Rush Hour 2).
TRAILER
TV INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE ANG ON GOOD MORNING NZ
"A familiar cross-cultural dramedy conceit gets sparkling treatment in helmer/co-scripter Roseanne Liang's "My Wedding and Other Secrets," a dramatization of her highly praised autobiographical documentary "Banana in a Nutshell" (2005). This story about a New Zealand-born Chinese girl hiding her white boyfriend from her tradition-minded parents reps a winning combo of laugh-out-loud humor and genuinely touching heartache. A local B.O. hit last March, "Wedding" has the universal truths and broad appeal to win admirers on the fest circuit, and ace casting of Hong Kong vets Kenneth Tsang and Cheng Pei-pei as the parents could help land niche engagements in Chinese-lingo territories." --Richard Kuipers, Variety
"What’s most pleasing here is how the local cast hold their own alongside some of China’s higher profile actors in both the comic and dramatic stanzas, while Liang keeps the approach fresh with some nice use of a story within a story. My Wedding and Other Secrets is one of the best romantic comedies to ever come out of New Zealand." --Andreas Heinemann, Flicks.co.nz
SELECT FESTIVALS AND AWARDS
-
2 wins (Best Actress and Best Screenplay) from 5 nominations at 2011 Aotearoa Film and Television Awards (New Zealand), including Best Feature Film and Best Director
-
2011 Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, China
- 2011 Melbourne International Film Festival
-
34th Asian American International Film Festival Audience Award, New York
-
Friars Club Comedy Film Festival Audience Choice Award
- 2011 Hawaii International Film Festival
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Director Roseanne Liang is a New Zealand Chinese writer and director. In 2005, Roseanne made Banana in a Nutshell, a documentary feature film which was based on her own real-life cross-cultural romance with her European New Zealand boyfriend, Stephen. The documentary premiered to huge acclaim at the 2005 New Zealand International Film Festival. In the same year, off the back of the success of Banana in a Nutshell, Roseanne was named Best Director Award at the Asia NZ Film Festival and SPADA New Filmmaker of the Year Award. Subsequently she also won the Best Director of Documentary Award at the 2006 Asian Festival of 1st Films and the 2007 New Zealand Chinese Association Significant Achievement Award. Since the documentary was released, Roseanne has also worked as a writer and director on the TV3 sketch comedy series A Thousand Apologies and her 2008 short film Take 3 won awards at the Berlin and Valladolid Film Festivals. In 2008, she was also named the Film and Television ‘Woman to Watch’ at the New Zealand Women in Film and Television Awards. Roseanne’s other short films include Rest Stop (2004), Henchmen (2003) and Filmworthy (2001). Roseanne graduated from the University of Auckland with a Masters in Creative and Performing Arts. She now lives in Auckland, New Zealand and is married to Stephen. They have one son – Scout.
Director: Roseanne Liang Screenwriters: Angeline Loo, Roseanne Liang Producers: John Barnett, Paul Davis, Janet McIver Cinematographer: Richard Harling Editor: Eric De Beus Music: Andrew McDowall, Bic Runga Principal Cast: Michelle Ang, Matt Whelan, Kenneth Tsang, Cheng Pei Pei, Celeste Wong
