Photo: Arowana Films Inc
Snakehead
Q&A with dir. Evan Jackson Leong and cast: Shuya Chang, Jade Wu, Perry Yung
Evan Jackson Leong’s narrative feature debut pits two smart, ambitious women against each other and lets the sparks fly. Based on real events surrounding the Chinatown-based snakehead syndicate, the film follows the fortunes of Sister Tse (Shuya Chang), a newly arrived would-be immigrant, as she navigates the shortest path to paying off her debt to the smugglers. Tse’s determination and competence are quickly noticed by Dai Mah (TV veteran Jade Wu), the ferociously strong matriarch of the crime family responsible for her passage. Soon, Tse is running major trafficking operations and her debt’s nearly clear… until Dai Mah’s son Rambo (Sung Kang of Fast & Furious, Better Luck Tomorrow) makes a few discoveries about her past. Let the fireworks begin.