There’s very little of old New York left that folks currently in their late thirties and older may remember. Part of that legacy inherently includes Chinatown of the 1990s which filmmaker Patrick Chen hopes to capture following his current kickstarter for shortfilm/pilot, A Father’s Son.
The project is spun from the successful line-up of crime novels from author Henry Chang who serves onward as executive producer. Centered on NYPD Detective Jack Yu, the early 90s Chinatown tale sees our hero investigator in search of a nondescript immigrant family in the wake of a young boy’s murder surrounding a local turf war among the gangs, offsetting a mark of self-discovery between himself and his own father.
Chen, a Queens native like myself, hopes to capture the tempestous milleu honing in his craft with a crime noir touch akin to Johnnie To‘s PTU (2003) and Election (2005). He’s also eyeing veteran actors Tzi Ma (Netflix’s Wu Assassin) and Perry Yung (Cinemax’s Warrior) to topline the cast and carry on representing diverse Asian screen talents going forward.
Head over to Kickstarter to learn more about the project, Chen and Chang, as well as the rest of the crew and the production. There’s 19 days left as well, and so with two-thirds of the project funded, there’s still time to donate, or even share the campaign with friends who look toward seeing a new character brought to life on screen.