''Keye Luke'' is a 2012 American short film directed by

Timothy Tau Timothy Tau (born Timothy Tau Hsieh ( ); Chinese: 謝韜; pinyin: Xiè Tāo) is a Taiwanese-American writer, engineer, attorney, law professor and filmmaker. Tau won the 2011 ''Hyphen magazine, Hyphen'' Asian American Writers' Workshop Short St ...

, written by Timothy Tau, Ed Moy and

Feodor Chin Feodor Chin is an American actor, producer, writer and director. Chin starred as the antagonist "Benny" in Juwan Chung's ''Baby'' opposite David Huynh, the protagonist. ''Baby'' won a Special Jury Award for Best Feature Length Film, Narrative at t ...

, and produced by Timothy Tau.

Synopsis

The short film is a documentary and narrative hybrid

bio-pic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

focusing on the earlier life and work of

Keye Luke Keye Luke (, Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Cant ...

during the 1920s-1940s, a pioneering Asian American actor and painter most known for his roles as the Number One Son, Lee Chan, in the popular

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alter ...

films of the 1930s, and as the very first Kato in the 1940s Green Hornet, decades before

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

. Luke shares a hometown with Lee (

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

) and has several other similarities with Lee as well. Luke also played Detective James Lee Wong in the ''

Phantom of Chinatown ''Phantom of Chinatown'' is a 1940 American mystery film directed by Phil Rosen starring Keye Luke. This is the last of the Mr. Wong films and the only one to star Luke in the role originated by Boris Karloff. Plot After participating in an ex ...

'' (1940), taking over the role of " Mr. Wong" (played by

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...

) and becoming the first leading Asian American detective character in U.S. cinematic history. This role is covered in the film, as well as Luke's work in films such as ''

Secret Agent X-9 ''Secret Agent X-9'' is a comic strip created by writer Dashiell Hammett ('' The Maltese Falcon'') and artist Alex Raymond (''Flash Gordon''). Syndicated by King Features, it ran from January 22, 1934 until February 10, 1996. Premise and publ ...

''.

plays

Archie Kao Archie David Kao (born December 14, 1969) is an American actor and producer. He is best known to American audiences for series regulars roles on ''Chicago P.D.'', ''Power Rangers Lost Galaxy'' as well as long-running hit ''CSI: Crime Scene Inve ...

plays Edwin Luke, the brother of Keye Luke, and

Kelvin Han Yee Kelvin Han Yee (born June 14, 1961, San Francisco, California) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films such as '' Destroyer'', ''Milk'' (as Gordon Lau), '' Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star'' (as Vietnamese Crime Boss), '' Lucky Yo ...

plays Lee Luke, Keye Luke's father. Other actors play various real-life historical figures that were Luke's colleagues or family members, such as Elizabeth Sandy playing Luke's wife, Ethel Davis Luke.

Cast

as Edwin Luke *

as Lee Luke * Mei Melancon as

Lotus Long Lotus may refer to: Plants *Lotus (plant), various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: ** ''Lotus'' (genus), a genus of terrestrial plants in the family Fabaceae **Lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant also ...

Elaine Kao Elaine Kao is a Taiwanese-American theatre, television and film actress, best known for her roles in '' Bridesmaids'' (2011), '' Funny People'' (2009) and ''Red Doors'' (2005). Early life Kao was raised in the San Fernando Valley. She graduated ...

as Marianne Quon/Lai Yee *Jolene Kim as Suzanna Kim *

David Huynh David Huynh (born February 5, 1983) is a Canadian actor. Early life Huynh was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, briefly studied at the University of Manitoba focusing on a major in theater and a minor in film studies. Huynh continue ...

Benson Fong Benson Fong (Chinese: ; October 10, 1916 – August 1, 1987) was an American character actor. Born in Sacramento, California, Fong was from a mercantile family of Chinese extraction. After graduating from high school in Sacramento, he studied ...

*Britt Prentice as

Warner Oland Warner Oland (born Johan Verner Ölund; October 3, 1879 – August 6, 1938) was a Swedish-American actor. His career included time on Broadway and numerous film appearances. He is most remembered for playing several Chinese and Chinese-American ...

(

segment) *Robert Factor as

Sidney Toler Sidney Toler (born Hooper G. Toler Jr., April 28, 1874 – February 12, 1947) was an American actor, playwright, and theatre director. The second European-American actor to play the role of Charlie Chan on screen, he is best remembered for his p ...

(

segment) *Burl Moseley as

Mantan Moreland Mantan Moreland (September 3, 1902 – September 28, 1973) was an American actor and comedian most popular in the 1930s and 1940s. He starred in numerous films. His daughter Marcella Moreland appeared as a child actress in several films. E ...

(

segment) *

Becky Wu Becky Wu is an American actress of film, television and the stage. She plays the recurring character Amy Yamada on multiple episodes of ''Desperate Housewives'', and Jan Carnes on ''Greek (TV series), Greek''. She has also appeared on TV shows suc ...

as Florence Ung (

segment) * James Huang as

Victor Sen Yung Sen Yung, later known professionally as Victor Sen Young (born Sen Yew Cheung; October 18, 1914 – c. November 9, 1980); one source lists his given name as Victor Cheung Young with the birth year 1915)) was an American character actor, best kn ...

(

segment) *Jennifer Chang as Iris Wong (

segment) *Hedy Wong as Frances Chan (

segment) *Elizabeth Sandy as Ethel Davis Luke *

James Wong Howe Wong Tung Jim, A.S.C. (; August 28, 1899 – July 12, 1976), known professionally as James Wong Howe (Houghto), was a Chinese-born American cinematographer who worked on over 130 films. During the 1930s and 1940s, he was one of the most soug ...

*Chris Cusano as Gordon Jones (Britt Reid/The Green Hornet) (

Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media ...

segment) * Cynthia San Luis as Lenore "Casey" Case (

segment) *

Jessika Van Jessika Van is an American actress, singer-songwriter, pianist and dancer. Van is most known for playing "Becca," the ringleader of the Asians or the Asian mafia in Season 2 and Season 3 of MTV's '' Awkward.'' She also played Kim, a Hong Kong Po ...

as Nabura/

Victoria Horne Victoria Horne (November 1, 1911 – October 10, 2003) was an American character actress, appearing in 49 films (uncredited in 25 of these) during the 1940s and 1950s. Early years Horne was born on November 1, 1911, in New York City, to Ig ...

(

segment) *Narisa Suzuki as Takahari (

segment) *Jennifer Field as Dr. Raymond (

segment) *Chadd Stoops as

Lloyd Bridges Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...

(

segment) * Ina-Alice Kopp as Jan Wiley (

segment) *Louie Yee (bulldog actor) as Louie "Guai Low" Luke

Production

The film was initially made under a

Visual Communications Visual Communications (also known as VC) –– is a community-based non-profit media arts organization based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1970 by independent filmmakers Robert Nakamura, Alan Ohashi, Eddie Wong, and Duane Kubo, who were st ...

"Armed With A Camera" Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists, and a five-minute abbreviated version premiered at the 2012

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications (VC). It was established in 1983 by Linda Mabalot as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific Ameri ...

.Christopher Stipp, /Film, This Week In Trailers: Keye Luke, Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap, Here, I Wish, The Angels' Share, http://www.slashfilm.com/week-trailers-keye-luke/Todd Brown, Meet The Original Kato in Short Film Biopic Keye Luke, Twitch Film, http://twitchfilm.com/news/2012/04/meet-the-original-kato-in-short-film-biopic-keye-luke.php Many questions about the film's production are also answered in an extensive and in-dept
Q&A
done by the film's co-writer Ed Moy with director

.Ed Moy, Writer's Journey: Q&A with 'Keye Luke' Director Timothy Tau, http://edmoy.blogspot.com/2012/04/q-with-keye-luke-director-timothy-tau.html

Awards and Screenings

Awards

The film won an Audience Award for best narrative short at a February 2014 monthly screening of the 2014

HollyShorts Film Festival The HollyShorts Film Festival is an annual Academy Award®-qualifying independent short film festival located in Hollywood, California. History Founded in 2005, the yearly festival programmes feature an eclectic mixture of short films of various ...

. The film also won a "Best Original Score" award for

George Shaw George Shaw may refer to: * George Shaw (biologist) (1751–1813), English botanist and zoologist * George B. Shaw (1854–1894), U.S. Representative from Wisconsin * George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), Irish playwright * George C. Shaw (1866–196 ...

's music, and also a Honorable Mention award for Best Ensemble Cast from the 2013 Asians on Film Festival. The film has also been nominated for Best Documentary by the

Dragon Con Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. , the convention draws attendance of over 80,000, f ...

Film Festival.

Screenings

The film has also screened at over a dozen film festivals worldwide, including the

, the Asian American International Film Festival in New York, the

, the

Independent Film Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, the

Gen Con Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...

Indy Film Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana, the

Boston Asian American Film Festival Boston Asian American Film Festival (BAAFF), a production of the Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW), includes a program of independent cinema highlighting recent, significant works by and/or about Asian Americans and the Asian diaspora. BAAF ...

, the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon, the Austin Asian American Film Festival, the ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards in Malaysia, and the 2013

Seattle Asian American Film Festival The Seattle Asian American Film Festival was founded in 1985 and has been revived over the years by different producers. The current iteration was founded in 2012 and made its debut in 2013 by co-founders Kevin Bang and Vanessa Au. It is a reviva ...

, where it was the Closing Night film. The film also screened at a

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

event in May to honor

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (, officially changed from Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month) is observed in the United States during the month of May, and recognizes the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and ...

, alongside other films such as ''Aoki'' (a documentary on activist

Richard Aoki Richard Masato Aoki ( or ; November 20, 1938 – March 15, 2009) was an American educator and college counselor, best known as a civil rights activist and early member of the Black Panther Party. He joined the early Black Panther Party and was ...

by Ben Wang and Michael Chang) and ''Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words'' directed by Yunah Hong. The film also can be viewed online at

DramaFever DramaFever was a video streaming website owned by Warner Bros. that offered on-demand streaming video of documentaries, movies, and TV shows with subtitles. DramaFever's content offering was both ad-supported for regular users and available in ...

Reception

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. It first ...

said that the film was "a quality short film, period" and "a mix of stage play, Hollywood re-enactment and historical lesson." The London Film Review has stated that the film was "an entertaining, informative and fun short film" and a "brief, well constructed and poignant look at an actor at a certain period of his life," also adding that "a lot of film biographies could learn useful lessons from this short." Rogue Cinema also commented that the film is "a glorious short made with depth and passion" and "a fabulous cinematic experience

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

should be mandatory viewing for all Cinephiles." The film's trailer was also featured on

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle con ...

and

/Film ''/Film'', also spelled ''Slashfilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005. Podcasts Six podcasts have run on the site. ''The /Filmcast'', hosted by David Chen, De ...

. The film and filmmaker

were also profiled in Seattle Metropolitan Magazine when the film was the Closing Night film of the 2013

.Seth Sommerfeld, Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, Kickstarting Kato: Timothy Tau Discusses His Short Film About Keye Luke, http://www.seattlemet.com/arts-and-entertainment/film/articles/timothy-tau-discusses-his-short-film-about-keye-luke

Future plans

Tau has plans on extending the short film into a feature film about

and other pioneering Asian American actors of his generation including

Sessue Hayakawa , known professionally as , was a Japanese actor and a matinée idol. He was a popular star in Hollywood during the silent film era of the 1910s and early 1920s. Hayakawa was the first actor of Asian descent to achieve stardom as a leading man i ...

Anna May Wong Wong Liu Tsong (January 3, 1905 – February 3, 1961), known professionally as Anna May Wong, was an American actress, considered the first Chinese-American movie star in Hollywood, as well as the first Chinese-American actress to gain intern ...

and

Philip Ahn Philip Ahn (born Pillip Ahn (), March 29, 1905 – February 28, 1978) was an American actor and activist of Korean descent. With over 180 film and television credits between 1935 and 1978, he was one of the most recognizable and prolific Asi ...

External links

''Keye Luke'' on IMDb''Keye Luke'' Trailer on VimeoTimothy Tau Discusses His Short Film About Keye Luke
* ttp://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2012/05/laapff-12-keye-luke-original-asian-american-hollywood-star LAAPFF '12: Keye Luke, the Original Asian American Hollywood Starbr>Slashfilm: This Week in Trailers - Keye Luke

References

{{Reflist 2012 films American biographical films American drama films Films about Chinese Americans Films about Taiwanese Americans Films about filmmaking Films about interracial romance Films set in Los Angeles Films set in Seattle 2010s English-language films 2010s American films