We all know and love The Karate Kid. But, what if Mr. Miyagi was a women and the Ralph Macchio character was gay kid who was being tormented just like Lawrence King and all of the other kids who are teased, taunted and beaten for being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered?
That's one of the many questions examined in the new film The Sensei by Diana Lee Inosanto.
The Sensei is about a lonely gay teen named McClain Evans (Michael O'Laskey) growing up in a small town in Colorado during the dawn of the AIDS epidemic. Constantly the target of hate and bullying, after a near fatal beating by three school mates, he finds himself the secret student of a woman "sensei" named Karen Nakano - O'Neil (D. Lee Inosanto) who teaches him the martial ways to protect himself and the path to inner peace. But there are some lessons in life that don't come easy.
The film will have its world premiere the 24th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The details are below.
Sunday, May 4th, at 4:00pm.
Hosted by Visual Communications
For ticket information visit www.vconline.org
or call: (213) 680-4462
LOCATION:
Directors Guild of America
7920 Sunset Blvd
(cross street Fairfax Ave.)
Comment on this entry
Oh, I sensed it; it's always L.A. and San Francisco. Talk about preaching to the choir.
Lucrece | March 29, 2008 6:37 PM
Small independent films get shown wherever they can. They generally don't have major studio backing or the clout to be shown 3,000+ like the upcoming Speed Racer movie.
That they show mostly in major cities in not the fault of the filmmakers.
Michael Crawford | March 29, 2008 8:17 PM
this looks like a good movie to me. i will want to see it... but i always cheer for the underdog. even when they are the bad guys. go figure.
jerindc | March 29, 2008 11:22 PM
Beating the hell out of bullies is amazingly effective. I'm a MTF TS and when I was growing up the redneck boys around me used to beat me up for being girlish. My father suggested that I fight dirty.
Thanks Dad! Once this was clarified I ended up putting three guys in the hospital and injuring a number of other guys over the years. All with minimal injuries to myself.
For the most part bullies are cowards. If beat up physically or financially via lawsuits they'll back down.
Nerissa
Nerissa | March 30, 2008 6:09 AM
To help avoid spam, all comments from unregistered users are held for moderation.