Kara Rada – 2024 Feature Screenplay Finalist
American Chop Suey
During the WWII era, a young woman challenges her traditional Japanese family to become a dancer in the first Chinese-American nightclub in San Francisco with her ambitious counterpart, while going through the trials of a racially charged war, falling in love, and growing up in the process.
American Chop Suey is a love letter to the first East Asian American nightclub performers in the United States, who helped pave the way for contemporary AAPI artists now. It is inspired by the real history of the Chinatown nightclubs that opened in San Francisco and New York City during the late 1930s -1940s.
This story explores their struggles to go against not only the strict tradition of their families, but also their fight to carve out a space in American culture that was reluctant to let them in. It also tackles the various degrees of racial and sexual identity in a time where tolerance wasn’t as upheld.
This feature will also touch on a market that finally seems to be creeping its way to the mainstream audience, and is way past overdue for screen time, which is more diverse Asian American representation in TV/Film.
Kara Rada is an independent filmmaker and screenwriter who is focused on creating stories that will amplify Asian American voices in the industry. Her past scripts have placed in the ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition (2022) and the ScreenCraft Short Screenplay Competition (2017) Her films have been screened at The Montclair Film Festival (2013), The NJTC Film Festival (2015), and The Rahway International Film Festival (2015).
Currently, she is in production for her upcoming documentary film about a notable Filipino jazz pianist from the 1970s-1990s.
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