CHECKING INTO THE MOTEL
Director Michael Kang Interviewed

A lot has happened to director/screenwriter Michael Kang since he sat down to talk with Visual Communications staffer Abraham Ferrer to talk about his debut feature-length directing effort THE MOTEL at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Premiering to warm response at its World Premiere, THE MOTEL has gone on to win accolades at numerous worldwide film festivals including the Best Narrative Feature awards at the San Diego and San Francisco Asian film festivals, the prestigious Humanitas Prize, and (closer to home) the Grand Jury Prize for best Narrative Feature at the recently-concluded VC FILMFEST. With a coveted distribution deal sewn up with Palm Pictures last summer, the MOTEL is slated to check into movie theaters beginning June 2006. Not bad for a filmmaker who has busied himself for the last five years adapting the well-regarded Ed Lin novel Waylaid for the big screen, as well as attending to a variety of other film projects. At the time we sat down with Michael, he was understandably nervous ñ his film would receive its World Premiere screening later that evening, he was exhausted from conducting a round of print and broadcast interviews, and most stressful of all, he and his crew were busy seeking attention from prospective buyers for his debut feature. However, with the increased attention being paid to Asian American-produced works (Alice Wuís well-regarded SAVING FACE made its U.S. premiere screening the preceding Saturday), Michael was well-positioned to comment on not only his film, but the state of Asian American independent cinema as well. In the following chat, Michael gives a glimpse into the process of making THE MOTEL as well as his thoughts on the changing landscape of APA cinema. MICHAEL KANG INTERVIEWED Part One AF: How long has THE MOTEL been gestating in your mind and just how did it come to realization? MK: Probably a couple of decades ago when I started noticing changes in my body, hair growing in new places. It stems from a bad puberty. But literally I started working on it maybe 8 years ago -- that was the first spark of an idea, and it took me awhile to get to the first draft. And it was right around 2001 when everything started to snowball, and when the idea actually became the film. Your lead character, Ernest (Jeffrey Chyau), seems to be going through the puberty from hell in the film. How much of the film is autobiographical, and how much has been gleaned from observing other people you have known? I think it comes from a mixture of both. Definitely I had an awful puberty, probably like a lot of people, and hopefully other people can relate to that. I donít know if anything is directly autobiographical, but probably somewhere deep within my psyche. THE MOTEL director Michael Kang and cinematographer Lisa Leone (Photo: Tom Legoff) Why an hourly rate motel? One of the things that was really important to me was to make Ernest -- who we usually see as a comic relief in a movie, like those chubby Chinese kids -- a three-dimensional character with a real sexual identity. And to do that, I really wanted to put him in a setting that would draw those characteristics out of him, which is just surrounded by sex, anonymous sex at that, and how his sexual identity emerges from that. The motel seemed so rich with opportunities to really explore those issues. While developing the project, you hooked up with director/producer Miguel Arteta (STAR MAPS; CHUCK & BUCK). How did that come about and how helpful was he in realizing this film. Miguel was amazing, amazing. I actually met him in 2002 at the Sundance Filmmakers Labs where he was one of our advisors. And of all the advisors, I felt like he was the one whose material really spoke to me. The way he dealt with characters and story, with such care and love -- I felt that was exactly what I was tying to go for in my film. When I met him, I just wanted him to like me as a person. Hopefully he would be my friend, and give me any kind of wisdom. And he went the extra mile and said, ìI really want to help you produce this [film]Öwhatever I can do to make this happen.î And from there, he really [mentored me], without a heavy hand, and made sure that I had the right environment to make the film I wanted to make. Garnering the NHK Screenwriting award was a very crucial step in helping you as well. How rigorous was applying for that award and how was it helpful to you? On many different levels it's been an amazing thing. To me, one of the things that I feel is incredible is that, as an Asian American, to have a Japanese television company recognize me as an American filmmaker, as a representative of the American voice, really meant a lot to me. [The award signified that we] as Asian Americans have a valid voice that deserved recognition. And then on the business level has been really great. I didnít know what [the award] was before I got it, but it has been so helpful having that moniker and the status.   PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3