Every great marriage could use a good divorce. Such is the witty logline of Jhett Tolentino’s directorial film debut, Asian Persuasion, which premiered at the Soho International Film Festival in New York City on September 16th and 17th. Written by Mike Ang, the film tells the story of a down-on-his-luck Chef, Mickey de Los Santos, who cooks up a crazy scheme to marry off his ex-wife, Avery Chua, by creating a fake online dating profile for her, to avoid his substantial alimony obligations.

Dante Basco plays the role of Mickey de Los Santos while KC Concepcion plays the role of Avery Chua. Additional cast members include Paolo Montalban, Kevin Kreider, Geneva Carr, Jax Bacani, Rachel Alejandro, Scarlett Sher, and Celia Au.

Set in New York City, the movie pays homage to its most iconic landmarks and highlights some of its lesser known, less frequented enclaves. “For those of us who love this amazing town, we know all too well the unexpected magic that can only happen here,” says Tolentino.

EARLY BEGINNINGS

In late February 2021, Jhett was doing final edits for Life Is What You Make It at Planet X Studios in downtown Brooklyn, where Mike Ang is a part owner of. “On my break, Mike took me to lunch and told me that he had written a script,” Jhett recalls. Uninterested at first, Jhett responded with “Mike, you know I’m so busy and my scripts to read are piling up!” 

Jhett thought Mike was caught off-guard by his response and that’s when he asked Mike to tell him more about the script. As Mike eventually did, Jhett responded, “You should just watch Chef by John Favreau on Netlfix, it’s the same story.” 

A civil engineer by trade, Mike Ang is a first-time screenwriter and Asian Persuasion was his first screenplay. “So, while Mike was driving home, he had this nagging feeling to persuade me to read it. He emailed me the script after using the friend card,” Jhett recalled. 

In March 2021, Mike Ubered a chicken adobo meal that he made himself. It was nicely prepared in a Japanese picnic set, according to Jhett. This is when Jhett discussed his notes and thoughts on the script to see if Mike was a collaborate artist. The rest is history.

ASIAN REPRESENTATION AND INCLUSION

The film also prioritized hiring Asians, female department heads, LGBTQIA+ crew and filmmakers. In total, 21 Asian countries were represented in this production: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam.

Jhett made sure representation is addressed from the get-go. 

“One of the things I discussed with Mike before I committed myself to the project was that we must walk the talk. I don’t really appreciate projects that have Asians for optics only. When you pull the curtain, you’ll realize not one Asian is at the helm. So, we decided to provide this opportunity for our Asian American communities. Because if we don’t, no one else will do it for us,” he said.

At the World Premiere, Dante spoke about the importance of Asian representation in TV & Film, but he also highlighted the equal importance of “inclusion within our own community as Asian diaspora.”  

“I love how Jhett includes everyone, and how inclusion is also really important on top of representation” adds Basco. 

KC Concepcion, on the other hand, expresses how great it is to “come in as a Filipino,” given the many different roles and ethnicities one could be playing in a Hollywood movie.  

“To come in for the first time as a Filipino really means a lot to me and I know it will mean a lot to people who wanted to be represented,” adds KC.

KC attributes her “love for 90s romcom” as one of the factors that drew her to the project. I asked her what her favorite rom com movies are and she named “Sleepless in Seattle,” and “You’ve Got Mail,” as top of her list.

KEY MESSAGE AND NEXT STEPS

Jhett also discussed what he wanted the audience to take away from the film.

“Asian Persuasion is a new concept for the Philippines since it is the only country in the world with no divorce law. Women empowerment is what I would like the audience to take away with. I hope our Kababayans will welcome it with open minds. And open arms for KC Concepcion’s comeback after 10 years since her last movie. It’s a comedy! “

After its premiere at the Soho International Film Festival, Asian Persuasion will also be screened at the Richmond International Film Festival, which is happening from September 26 to October 1; and in San Diego, California on October 8. It will be theatrically released in the Philippines nationwide, premiering on November 27 at SM Megamall (Cinemas 1 and 2), on November 29 in Cebu, on December 1 in Iloilo, Bacolod City (December 2) and Clark, Pampanga (December 5).

Jhett’s next film has been announced already, “Re-Live” by Emmy nominee Rain Valdez. It will star Maricel Soriano, and he will be producing it with Rosario Dawson.

About the Creators

Jhett Tolentino (Director/Producer) has a decade-long experience in commercial producing. Since 2012, he produced 13 Broadway and 5 Off-Broadway shows in 7 years, winning 3 Tony Awards and a Grammy. In 2018, filmmaking captured his interest after wrapping his auto-biographical short documentary Life Is What You Make It. The following year, he produced Lingua Franca which premiered at the 76th Venice Film Festival. He just recently concluded his feature directorial debut in Asian Persuasion. Jhett is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Iloilo under the scholarship grant of Meguko Society of Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. He has been based in New York City since 2004.

Mike Ang (Writer/Producer) is an Asian American lifestyle and entertainment entrepreneur. Born into a Chinese-Filipino family in Manila and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. An engineer by trade, he spent much of his life traveling back and forth to the Philippines for vacations and then, later, business. These formative experiences instilled in him a true love of the Filipino culture at an early age and a unique perspective of “being Filipino” from the lens of the American experience. Through his various business endeavors, Mike is a tireless advocate of advancing culture and creating greater opportunities for both women and minorities, particularly in the creative industries. Mike currently resides in the New York area and is a Managing Partner at Planet X, an international multimedia production and product marketing agency with studios in Brooklyn, NY.

For more information about Asian Persuasion, please follow their Instagram account @asianpersuasionfilm.