Today is the first day of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and for their opening night feature, they shall be screening the world premiere of the first feature-length film from Wong Fu Productions; “Everything Before Us.”
In a world where all relationship activity is documented by a DMV-style agency called the Department of Emotional Integrity, two couples must deal with their conflicts and differences under their surveillance; a young high school couple who are about to attend separate colleges, and an older, former couple who must come together to settle a score from their previous relationship.
Here’s the trailer for “Everything Before Us”:
I decided to take today to write up this post in honor of this monumental event that’s about to take place tonight for Wong Fu Productions. I’ve been a big fan of them ever since my freshman year of college and my admiration for them remains as strong as ever before.
I remember the first Wong Fu video I saw. It was in 2010 when they released their 35-minute film “Agents of Secret Stuff;” a comedy-adventure starring YouTube comedian Ryan Higa and Arden Cho (now of “Teen Wolf” fame). I thought it was a funny 35-minute film that very much hit all the points of a Ryan Higa-infested comedy and at a very high production value. Then about six months later, Wong Fu once again popped under my radar when it was announced that Harry Shum Jr. had collaborated with them on three comedy sketches. I watched all three of them, again finding them all very funny, and from there on out, I’ve been a fan of them ever since.
Beyond the comedy sketches they make, I’ve also fallen in love with their many other film projects and endeavors as well. From their romantic dramas, to their music videos, their webseries, and even their ongoing Wong Fu Weekend series, they always aim to deliver a high quality narrative that are very much relate-able for me as well as many of their fans; often focusing on the genesis of the rest of a person’s life (i.e. college life, first love, first jobs, pondering about life, etc.). They also have their own clothing brand called Nice Guy Design (in homage to an early film they did called “Just a Nice Guy”) as well as a collection of Awkward Animal plushes (of which I am guilty of owning three of them). They are also the co-founders of International Secret Agents; an entertainment company that creates webseries, hosts concerts and such, showcasing the best and brightest in Asian American entertainment.
They’ve done a lot within the 12 years since their founding, but as one can imagine, their premiere of their feature-length film tonight is a stepping stone to the next chapter as a company, and as a fan, I couldn’t be more happy for them. I’ve mentioned before how inspirational they have been to me as storytellers; in going in-depth on one-on-one interactions and how they can be taken to another place. They see and understand what it’s like to be someone in my position and age; to be lost and confused, to be hopeful and excited, and all at once craving direction of sorts as we are the emerging generation that’s taking on the world. Their films capture how beautiful, terrifying, and funny that can be, with the kind of grace and authenticity that I don’t see otherwise as well captured in the more mainstream films and shows. That’s why when they announced their Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for this great, grand endeavor of theirs, I was more than willing to donate to.
As a fan and a storyteller, I wish the members of Wong Fu an evening worth remembering at their world premiere of “Everything Before Us.” This is something that’s very much worth celebrating.
Check out Wong Fu Productions on YouTube for all their cutting edge, heartfelt projects.
Lola By The Bay 
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