Season 5, Ep. 8: The Rebel (with Anderson Le)

Saturday School Podcast

Thanks to film programmer, producer, YOMYOMF writer Anderson Le for being our guest on this week's episode of Saturday School.

This semester, we're exploring Asian Americans in Asia, and this week, we're talking about the 2007 film, "The Rebel," directed by Charlie Nguyen starring Johnny Nguyen and Veronica Ngo. Turns out it's much more than a fun martial arts action period film with beautiful people doing high-flying scissor kicks and acrobatic headlocks.

Anderson tells us about how 10 years ago, a group of Vietnamese Americans from Orange County -- who cut their teeth in Little Saigon's Paris By Night scene -- went back to Vietnam, and, with the success of "The Rebel," transformed an entire film industry that had been primarily state-owned to becoming a booming privatized, commercial industry.

Out of all the various Asian Americans from different countries who have gone back to Asia to work in entertainment, Vietnamese Americans have probably been the most successful. They've been able to consistently knock out mainstream box office hits for the local Vietnamese market.

Basically, Brian and Ada always learn so much from talking to Anderson, and we're excited that this time, he let us record it so we could share it with you!