Folks looking to attend the Urban Action Showcase can expect to catch film multihyphenate, actor/director Robert Samuels (H.K.S.A.) among the talent line-up emerging for this year’s seventh installment in New York City this November.
Going forward, two shortfilm projects will make their way to the floor this year from Samuels’ R4 Films, LLC. banner – firstly with El Hombre De Tijuana (The Man From Tijuana), starring actor Jorge E. Guevara in the title role.
The title alone speaks to its inspiration, so you can expect to catch Peralta in similar form taking on that of a fearless, enigmatic badass-on-a-mission. He’s here to rescue a young girl from the clutches of an evil duo, and he’s resigned to fending off a mansion full of soldiers to do it.
Storied and produced by R4 partner Robert Jefferson, El Hombre De Tijuana is wall-to-wall action serviced with a neon-lit evening backdrop and a bed of new retro wave music to boot. It’s an action-packed martial arts noir with minimal dialogue, albeit carried notably by a worthwhile debut from Guevara with fight choreography by Art Camacho protege, Miguel Alexandro Peralta.
Second on deck here is Final Contact: Episode III which continues the harrowing, bang-up journey of protagonists assigned to the transport of a single package containing a mysterious item. The series initially launched last year with two canonical parts starring Raymond Blong, Andrew Kim, Orlando Luis Candelario and Koji Nishiyama, followed by actress and martial artist Roxalinda Vazquez in a prequel outing subtitled Zero with a special appearance by kung fu cinema legend Lu Feng.
Martial arts laureate, actor Lamar Bumbrey leads the chase this time with featured performances by returning actor Nishiyama, and with actress and YouTuber Angela Jordan joining the fray in a role that could certainly carry over to future episodes if that’s the plan. Jordan previously shared the screen with Samuels and Art School Dropouts duo Joey Min and Stephanie Pham on feature kung fu comedy, Yes, Auntie!, which had its big screen debut in January at the Museum Of The Moving Image. The film is now available on Amazon Prime.
Samuels will also be featured opposite newcomer Jay Kwon and the likes of action legends James Lew and Lo Mang in the forthcoming premiere of his recent feature martial arts mob comedy, Made In Chinatown at the Newark International Film Featival on September 7.
The Seventh Urban Action Showcase and Expo kicks off on November 9 in the heart of New York City at AMC Empire 25 in Times Square. Head to the official website and follow all the requisite social media pages to keep track of the event.