LUCKY STAR: Terry Chen Grapples With Gambling, Family, And Fatherhood In The Official Trailer

A gripping new Canadian drama is coming next month with Lucky Star, from Chinese-Canadian writer/director Gillian McKercher. The Calgary-BC co-production stars Terry Chen and Olivia Cheng, and many more featured in the trailer out this week.

Ahead of Asian Heritage Month, Game Theory Films is handling the film’s Canadian theatrical rollout and subsequent North American VOD releases. The banner has an official trailer out which you can view below along with a round of stills from the film, and screening dates and locations in Canada.

Vancouver, BC (April 23, 2025)— Game Theory Films announced today that Chinese-Canadian writer/director Gillian McKercher’s sophomore feature film LUCKY STAR will be debuting in theatres across Canada starting May 2nd in celebration of Asian Heritage Month. The film will also be available to audiences across North America on VOD starting May 13th, 2025. In Canada, the film will screen in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Saskatoon with more locations to be announced. McKercher and members of the cast will be attending select screenings.

A Calgary-BC co-production, LUCKY STAR brings together a production team and a cast of Canadian heavy-weights, including Vancouver-based actors Terry Chen (House of Cards, Almost Famous), and Olivia Cheng (Warrior, See) who are originally from Alberta and are also executive producers on the film. The film also features Toronto-based actors Conni Miu (Priscilla) and Andrew Phung (Kim’s Convenience). LUCKY STAR has had a successful festival run with screenings in the US at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and sold out screenings at home in Canada at the Vancouver International Film Festival, Reel Asian Film Festival in Toronto and at the Calgary International Film Festival where it took home the Audience Choice Award.

Deep in debt, with a house and a university-bound kid, plus a marriage on the rocks, reformed gambler Lucky (Terry Chen) sees his luck run out after getting scammed in a tax-fraud scheme. Ashamed and desperate to keep it from his family, he returns to underground backroom gambling dens, playing for big payouts to relieve the debt and win back his family’s favour. Meanwhile, each family member, unaware of Lucky’s troubles but feeling the money crunch, too, resorts to unsavoury means to dig out of their hole.

Gillian McKercher is a Canadian writer, director, producer, and co-founder of Kino Sum Productions. Gillian’s first feature film as writer/director, Circle of Steel, won an Audience Award at the 2018 Calgary International Film Festival. She developed her sophomore feature film, Lucky Star, while a director resident at the Canadian Film Centre and with the additional support of the CFC/Netflix Project Development Accelerator and Harold Greenberg Fund. Orphaned, a documentary on oil well cleanup which she wrote, directed, and stars in, is streaming on CBC Gem. McKercher was selected among Playback’s 10 to Watch in 2024; a list of Canada’s most promising and influential up-and-coming film and TV talent. Through Kino Sum, she has produced numerous short films, music videos, and documentaries for other filmmakers, premiering at festivals like Fantastic Fest, Vancouver International Film Festival, and imagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival. Gillian’s work often explores family, labour, and the intersection of energy and the environment. She has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary, and was awarded a Young Artist Prize from the Alberta Foundation from the Arts when she was an emerging filmmaker.

LUCKY STAR is produced by Kino Sum and Notable and distributed by Game Theory Films. The film is written and directed by Gillian McKercher, produced by Guillaume Carlier (Circle of Steel), Amanda Verhagen (A Nice Indian Boy), Matt Drake (The Wedding Banquet), Nicola Waugh (Events Transpiring Before, During, and After A High School Basketball Game) and executive producers are Terry Chen (Wild Cards), Olivia Cheng (I Am Raquel Welch) and Sidney Chiu (Finding Mr. Right). Charles Hamilton is the director of photography and Rebecca Brunton & Meredith Bates wrote the original score for the film.

LUCKY STAR was made possible with support from The Harold Greenberg Fund, CFC/Netflix Project Development Accelerator, CFC/Netflix Calling Card Accelerator, Telefilm Canada, Creative BC, Calgary Arts Development, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.

SCREENING DATES AND LOCATIONS: 

Calgary Screening: May 2nd 
Lucky Star at FascinAsian Film Festival in Calgary
Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall – Calgary Central Library
800 3 St SE, Calgary, AB T2G 2E7
*with Gillian McKercher & Terry Chen in Attendance

Edmonton Screening: May 9th
Lucky Star in Edmonton at FascinAsian Film Festival
Landmark Cinemas 9 Edmonton City Centre
10200 102 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 0W9
*with Gillian McKercher in Attendance

VOD LAUNCH: May 13th, 2025
Lucky Star releases on VOD across North America 

Toronto Screening: May 15th @ TIFF Bell Lightbox 
*with Gillian McKercher & Olivia Cheng in Attendance

Winnipeg Screening:  May 23rd
Lucky Star in Winnipeg at FascinAsian Film Festival
Ilipvik Learning Steps – Qaumajuq – Inuit Art Centre at the WAG
300 Memorial Blvd, Winnipeg, MB R3C 1V1
*with Gillian McKercher in Attendance

Vancouver Screening:
Lucky Star will also open in Vancouver at the VIFF Centre

Saskatoon Screening: May 25th at the Roxy