20th New York Asian Film Festival

Aug 6-22, 2021

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Photo: © Kings Road Pictures Project 801 LLC

New York Premiere

A Shot Through the Wall

Q&A with director Aimee Long and actor Kenny Leu

The compelling feature debut of Aimee Long, this troubling, fact-based film touches on of-the-moment themes that have become part of the national dialogue—from racial politics to the role of the media in manipulating public sentiment and meting out justice. When a young Chinese American cop, Mike Tan (Midway’s Kenny Leu), accidentally shoots an innocent Black man in Brooklyn, the police close ranks. His family and even his Black fiancée encourage him to get over his feelings of guilt and remorse…until his rock-solid case begins to unravel. Based loosely on a 2014 case that ignited local tensions, A Shot Through the Wall forces audiences to consider the soul of the perpetrator, rather than that of the victim, and is given added emotional resonance due to the recent escalation of Covid-related anti-Asian racism.

Director: Aimee Long
Cast: Derek Goh, Tzi Ma, Fiona Fu, Ciara Renée, Kenny Leu
Languages: English and Mandarin with English Subtitles
2021; 90 min.

SCHEDULE:

Sunday August 8, 9:15pm
Film at Lincoln Center

AVAILABLE: Aug 8, 9:15 PM - Aug 8, 11:15 PM

Aimee Long

Aimee was raised in Paris, Beijing and San Francisco; after studying mathematics, she decided to dedicate herself to directing films by attending the UCLA film school. In 2016 she founded the production company Kings Road Pictures with the aim of developing and producing feature films with a socially useful message. After directing several short films, A Shot Through the Wall(2020) is Aimee Long's first feature film.

Kenny Leu

Kenny Leu is an up-and-coming actor & renowned martial artist, quickly becoming one of the leading Asian American performers in the industry. The only son of hardworking immigrants in California's Bay Area, Kenny excelled in academics and sports. He attended UC Berkeley, majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Chinese. It was at Berkeley that Kenny began a distinguished career as a martial artist: he was invited to compete all over the world, and was selected to join the United States Wushu team, eventually winning the Pan-American Wushu Championship in Mexico (2012). After graduating, Kenny worked in Silicon Valley, co-founding two venture-backed tech startups that paid off, allowing him to transition fully into film and television. Kenny's breakout lead role will be in the independent feature A Shot Through the Wall by Aimee Long. He plays a young Asian-American cop who is responsible for accidentally shooting and killing an innocent Black man, through a wall. The film tackles a topic that is dangerously relevant in 2020, and it is Kenny's "quiet tumult [that] roots the film". Early reviews glow: "... compelling [in] the way indie filmmaking can be at its best." (Awards Daily). The film is an official selection at Bentonville Film Festival, Whistler Film Festival, with more to come. Kenny and the film earned a nomination for Best Actor & Best Narrative Feature at Beaufort Film Festival. With a leading man's looks but a character actor's talent, Kenny's unique presence is paired with a natural charisma and relatability that transcends the screen, regardless of genre or medium. In addition to his on-camera talents, he continues to train extensively in martial arts.