Colma the Musical Opens in SF Friday

Melissa Hung
June 20, 2007

The story takes place in Colma, which is a suburb of SF where the dead outnumber the living 1500 to 1. It folllows best pals Rodel, Billy, and Maribel, who find themselves in a state of limbo. Fresh out of high school, they're trying to figure out how to weather the ups and downs of early adulthood.

Yes, it's a musical. I know some of you might be opposed to the idea of a musical, but get over it. I've heard this is a really really good film. We interviewed the directors in issue 10 of Hyphen (our music issue, naturally).

Screening & Party Info

COLMA: THE MUSICAL Opening and After-Party

Exclusive Engagement: Landmark Embarcadero Theatres from June 22
One Embarcadero Center, San Francisco
June 22 - 28 showtimes: Daily at 12pm / 2:30pm / 5pm / 7:30pm / 10pm

AFTER-PARTY: CAAM (that's Center for Asian American Media) will be hosting an informal after-party after the 7:30pm and 10pm screenings on Friday, June 22 at:

FRISSON
244 Jackson Street (two blocks from the Landmark Embarcadero)
9pm - 1am (immediately following the evening screenings)

More Info About the Film
COLMA: THE MUSICAL world premiered at the 2006 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and won the Special Jury Award. Catchy melodies, thoughtfully funny lyrics, and appealing teenage protagonists bring South SF’s cemetery town to life in this
highly original musical about… Colma! Three best friends sing, dance and dream their way through a city where the dead outnumber the living.

The film, directed by Richard Wong and featuring H.P. Mendoza, who wrote the script and music, went on to become a favorite on the festival circuit and earned IFP Gotham Award and Independent Spirit Award nominations.

Missed it at the SFIAAFF? Don't miss the chance to catch what critics are calling "[a] giddy, unexpected pleasure" (LA Weekly) and "one of the most entertaining films we've seen in a long time" (SFist).

If you've seen it once, come see the new theatrical version, re-edited by Oscar winning editor Lisa Fruchtman.

For more information about the film, visit their website. For more information about Landmark Theatres and show times, click here.

Tickets
Advance tickets available here.

And New York, you're next. Colma opens July 6th at The Quad 34 (W 13th Street New York City).

Contributor: 

Melissa Hung

Founding Editor

Melissa Hung is the founding editor of Hyphen. She was editor in chief for the magazine's first five years and went on to serve in many other leadership roles on the staff and board for more than a decade. A writer and freelance journalist, Melissa has written for NPR, Vogue, Pacific Standard, Longreads, and Catapult. She grew up in Texas, the eldest child of immigrants.

Comments

Comments

lisamac wrote on Wed, 06/20/2007 - 4:25pm
i've seen it, it's a cute idea, the filmmakers are really nice, and it starts out good - but nothing to jizz over
seng wrote on Wed, 06/20/2007 - 4:43pm
I just bought my tickets! Take that, all the residents of Colma who shut me out of the SFIAAFF showings! See me at the after party for a personal brush-off.Let me also take a moment to chastise those who didn't shut me out of any showings at SFIAAFF- for all those who think that showing up for a movie doesn't matter in the grand scheme of supporting AA artists in the mainstream, you couldn't be more wrong. Lack of ticket sales is why AAs get lumped in with whites in marketing movies (if we factor at all), ie why there the people controlling the purse strings in Hollywood don't register anything vaguely AA as marketable and therefore not worth financing. This is true of AA movie execs as well as others- as much as those individuals might like to support non-White cinema, it's a business first and it's their jobs to make sure films make dollars, not cultural change.I'm not saying to support bad movies- the bottom line for the audience is whether the time spent was enjoyable. Just be a little bit more generous toward those independent projects that need your support. When was the last time you saw a really good movie of any budget or background in a theater anyway?
randl wrote on Wed, 06/20/2007 - 6:28pm
Besides, this film is really worth seeing, not just because it's Asian American but because it's really smart and entertaining. I dare you to watch this film without being utterly seduced by the music. This is the first "real" musical in a long time, low budget or Hollywood.
momo wrote on Wed, 06/20/2007 - 6:58pm
i remember watching Colma at the SFIAAFF and thoroughly enjoyed it. i thought it was refreshing and have been recommending it to folks. i also like that this is an indie film made by APIs that has a chance to play in the theaters. i hope folks go out to see it. think of all the hundreds of thousands of people who go see (and support) terrible or mediocre Hollywood films. i'm really rooting for the Colma people!i also think we as APIs are sometimes too hard on ourselves. just like Hyphen - is it perfect? nope. but as someone who works on it, i have to say that i am really glad people continue to support us and give us a chance to improve.
Melanie wrote on Wed, 06/20/2007 - 11:07pm
Attention: Hyphen readers & Colma fans!I'll also be interviewing the filmmakers. So if you have questions for Richard Wong and the rest of the crew --- post them in the comments and I'll ask for you.see you Friday!
seng wrote on Mon, 06/25/2007 - 2:34am
I saw it on Friday and it was quite entertaining. I've still got the opening tune, Colma Stays, running through my head, which is unforunate because I only remember the music and can't really sing along to it (though, of course, I could buy the soundtrack and find out). Plenty of out loud funny moments. I really liked how the blocking made moving into musical choreography seem almost normal. Apparently, they cut out almost twenty minutes from the version that went to film festivals and they maybe could have cut out a bit more and tightened up the structure and tone a bit, but overall it's worth checking out. I'm glad I got my ticket early because it was sold out, but I'm still annoyed because they served most of the appetizers at the afterparty before people arrived (most important being me and my empty stomach, of course).