Uncaged continues it's special newsletter for #NYAFF2025 with exclusive chats, programmers choices and a look at our opening weekend!
by Stevie Wong
We are one week into the New York Asian Film Festival's 24th edition! For those working on this festival it's been a culmination of months of planning, intense programming decisions and endless slack conversations (and sub conversations) that now seem like a distant past since the festival started on July 11th.
In just a quick week, we've already shown 31 feature films (many to sold out audiences) from all over Asia, world premiered 3 of them, threw a packed night market opening event and also dressed ourselves up for the Gala which gave out the Vanguard and Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award to the iconic legend Lisa Lu.
photo credits left to right: @raymond_tisch, @weiwei_lin, @raymond_tisch
Lisa Lu at the NYAFF Gala (left to right: @chriskammerud, @elena_dagan, @raymond_tisch)
And we're just beginning. This coming weekend film fans get to celebrate the work of Toshiaki Toyoda as he brings his classic cult films Blue Spring and 9 Souls as well as his latest opus Transcending Dimensions to our screens.
Dir: Toshiaki Toyoda - Blue Spring, Tadanobu Asano in Ravens
Plus Golden Globe and Critics Choice winner Tadanobu Asano (Shogun), shows us a different side of him in his latest film Ravens. But first, let's talk to some of our opening weekend guests!
Natalie Hsu @Chris Kammerud
Screen International Rising Star Asia Award recipient
Natalie Hsu - Pavane for an Infant, Last Song for You
Natalie Hsu may be a relative newcomer, but in a short amount of time, she's built an impressive track record as an actress. Kicking things off with the 2021 China teen film The Day We Lit Up The Sky, Natalie followed it up with roles in award-winning films like Fly Me to the Moon (dir: Sasha Chuk), Pavane for an Infant (dir: Chong Keat Aun), and Last Song for You (dir: Jill Leung). In just 5 years, Hsu has quickly become the go-to actress of her generation, someone who can hold her own alongside powerhouse co-stars and still leave a lasting impression on screen. We caught up with Natalie this week as she came to receive the Screen International Rising Star Award at the New York Asian Film Festival.
UNCAGED: On behalf of NYAFF welcome to New York! Growing up, what did New York mean to you?
Natalie Hsu: New York was Hamilton! Like every kid, I was obsessed. I was lucky enough to see it in San Francisco. But before I saw it, like a lot of Hamilton fans, I already knew the soundtrack by heart. That was definitely me. I played it so much that I think even my mom and dad know how to sing it. So yeah, when I thought of New York it was Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton.
Because a lot of my friends are here for university, when I was landing at the airport, I was like, wow, this is their home. It felt so trippy and surreal that this is the place my friends have been living in for three years, and yet I had never stepped foot into it.
UNCAGED: And then you get here, and you probably have a list of things to do.
Natalie Hsu: SO many lists. From many different people. And not enough days. So, we went with convenience. We got tacos, and it was close to the High Line. So, we walked the High Line. But my boot broke. I was wearing my mom's old cowboy boots and the whole sole fell off. So, my dad and my sister had to run to CVS to get me tape and glue. We were literally sitting there on the High Line gluing my shoe back together. Now it’s wrapped in tape. (laughs)
Photos by Natalie Hsu
UNCAGED: Your mom, Ann Bridgewater, was a popular actress in the ’90s. Is it interesting for you to see her experience your career through her eyes? I imagine it must have been a very different experience for her back then.
Natalie Hsu: That’s a really lovely way to put it in perspective. My mom only did it for a few years before going back to studying. And because back in the day, there was no WhatsApp or social media, she kind of lost contact with everyone.
So, with me filming, she’s been able to reconnect with so many people. What’s sweet is that so many of the crew, directors and even actors, are still around. She comes to set sometimes, and people will be like, “I did your makeup 10 years ago!” But bless her, she forgot many of their names. Some of them she was close with have now become my friends, and she’s like, “You’re stealing all my friends! They like you more than me.”
UNCAGED: You’re like, “I remember them!”
Natalie Hsu: (laughs) Yeah, I know their names. She doesn’t!
UNCAGED: Has having a parent who used to work in the industry helped you with career decisions?
Natalie Hsu: Yeah, she helps. But not because she did it before. Back then it was so different. She didn’t even have agents and they didn’t see scripts until the day of. Sometimes there wasn’t even a full script, just a piece of paper handed to them on set.
Also, back then, roles for women weren’t as developed. If you were pretty, you were just placed in the scene. So, I wouldn’t say her experience helped in that way, but she helps because she’s awesome and smart and supportive.
My Cantonese isn’t perfect, I grew up speaking English, and I learned Mandarin in school. So, when I started filming in Hong Kong, the Cantonese was hard. Nine tones vs four! She would record lines for me, and I’d listen to them. But she gives me space and doesn’t hover unless I ask.
UNCAGED: You’ve done pretty well in the short span of your career, and the roles are so varied.
Natalie Hsu: I think I’ve been really, really lucky. I did my first film in China [The Day We Lit Up The Sky], and when I came back to Hong Kong, I was still considered new.
It was during COVID too, but despite that, I did maybe three or four films that year. I didn’t realize how lucky I was because I thought that was the norm.
Also, there aren’t many new female actors around my age in Hong Kong. There’s a small pool, so if there’s a role for someone my age, they see all of us.
The Day We Lit Up the Sky, Last Song for You, My First of May
Funny enough, two of my bigger roles didn’t even require casting. Last Song for You and another upcoming one with Aaron Kwok called My First of May, for both, I just met the directors and they said, “Let’s do it.”
My manager Kim (Chou) also helps me with my choices because she really sees the long-term. I don’t trust myself; I want to do everything! But she’ll say, “You have so many years ahead. Do you really need this one?”
UNCAGED: I’ve noticed that there’s been a lot of strong female performers coming out of Hong Kong lately. It’s been fascinating to observe, does it feel like you’re part of a creative sisterhood? Please tell me there’s a WhatsApp group.
Natalie Hsu: There isn’t a group chat, but I really should start one. I agree, there definitely is something. And this year especially, female roles in Hong Kong films have been so strong. It’s amazing.
But Hong Kong’s culture is so hustle-focused that we don’t take enough time to reflect. Even when you said that just now, I was like, “Oh, you’re right.”
Fish Liew (Pavane for an Infant), Yoyo Tse (Fly Me to the Moon)
I’ve built amazing relationships with the women I’ve worked with. Fish (Liew) from Pavane For An Infant, she’s my favorite person. She didn’t know “slay,” so I taught her. Now she says it all the time. She’s anxious like me, and we support each other constantly, reminding each other, “You’re fine, you’re amazing.” Yoyo (Tse) from Fly Me to the Moon is the sweetest. My mom sees our chats and goes, “You’re lucky to have a relationship like that.”
UNCAGED: You mentioned Last Song For You, in the film, your character allows for a washed up 90’s pop star, played by Ekin Cheng, to think about the bigger themes of life. When you worked on this film, did you find yourself thinking about these themes as well, and what was that like?
Natalie Hsu: To be honest with you, I thought more about it through seeing how others reacted to the film once it came out. Like my dad, he was so emotional. He bought the soundtrack and listens to it. He said, “Play this at my funeral.”
I haven’t experienced the kind of midlife crisis that Ekin’s character goes through. But seeing people who have, or are going through it, made me think, “Wow, I need to make the most of my time.”
It also made me think of my middle school friends. That’s when the characters in the film first meet. It reminded me how important those friendships are and how they shaped who I am. People say you become your three to five closest friends, and it’s true!
To read the full interview, please go to UNCAGED
Lisa Lu by @Raymond_Tisch, Lisa Lu & David Wilentz by @Lucy_Soutter
AANHPI Vanguard Award and Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award
Lisa Lu
With a career spanning almost six decades, NYAFF invited the legendary actress Lisa Lu to not only world premiere her autobiographic documentary Lisa Lu Plays Herself (dir: Chen Mei-Juin) but to receive not one but two awards celebrating the work and contribution Lisa has brought to cinema. Watching her enjoy the evening was a real treat and we also managed to get our programmer David Wilentz to ask her a few questions.
David Wilentz: How do you feel now, looking at your career and sharing it with everyone?
Lisa Lu: Seeing all these people sharing in my career, I’m so honored to be recognized for my lifetime achievement and to be here at the New York Asian Film Festival. Thank you for inviting me.
David Wilentz: Miss Lisa, how did you maintain a balance between your acting career and family life?
Lisa Lu: I was very fortunate to have my mother help take care of my three young children. My children were very supportive. When they were young, I took them with me to work. They worked as extras. If you ever hear a crying voice in my movies? That’s my daughter!
David Wilentz: When you were young, did you always want to act or perform?
Lisa Lu: Yes. I acted in school plays. My mother once told me I shouldn’t be in the acting business, she said, “You have a simple mind. You’re too naive. Even if you get to the top, you won’t know how to handle the environment.” But I don’t think that’s true. If you’re honest with everybody and a good person, people won’t cheat you twice. It doesn’t give them pleasure. That’s what saved me.
David Wilentz: Is there a role you really wanted but never got to play?
Lisa Lu: I once said I wanted to fly on rooftops and be a great sword woman. But that was two years ago, now I think I’m too old for that.
David Wilentz: Did you get close to that kind of role at Shaw Brothers? Did you ever get to do action?
Lisa Lu: I wanted to do action movies at Shaw Brothers, but Mr. Shaw said he couldn’t afford the insurance.
David Wilentz: What was your time at Shaw Brothers like?
Lisa Lu: I really miss those days. Everyone was so talented in every field. We all lived on set, and everyone worked so hard, actors, crew, even construction workers. One day I walked by a laborer, he was using cement, and within minutes, he shaped it into a dragon. Such amazing skill. Every field had top-tier talent. It was truly a pleasure to be part of that.
David Wilentz: What was the biggest challenge in your career?
Lisa Lu: Every role is a challenge. But I think the boldest thing I ever did was when I went to an audition, and the director asked, “Can you ride a horse?” I said yes. Then I went straight to Burbank to the horse riding school. I learned to ride in a week. And when filming started, I rode in like I was an expert.
David Wilentz: Did you enjoy riding horses?
Lisa Lu: Oh yes. It was a joy.
David Wilentz:
Of all the characters you’ve played, which one did you learn the most important lesson from?
Lisa Lu: It’s hard to say which one I learned the most from, because each gave me something different. They enlightened me about acting, about movies. I enjoyed every role, and I learned from every experience I’ve had. Every time I’m given the chance to act in a movie, I appreciate it. And I hope I still have more chances to act in another movie!
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