Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) announced that it has acquired all worldwide rights, excluding the Philippines, to the film Yellow Rose, directed by Diane Paragas in her narrative feature debut.
Awarded the 2018 NYWIFT Ravenal Foundation Feature Film Grant, Yellow Rose is a timely story about a Filipino teen from a small Texas town who fights to pursue her dreams as a country music performer while facing the threat of deportation. The film stars two-time Tony Award Nominee Eva Noblezada (Hadestown, Miss Saigon) in her feature film debut, Tony Award Winner Lea Salonga (Once on this Island, Miss Saigon), Princess Punzalan (Mula Sa Puso), Dale Watson (Friday Night Lights), Gustavo Gomez (The Walking Dead), Libby Villari (Boyhood), and Liam Booth (Ghosts Never Sleep).
“Yellow Rose has been a labor of passion for over 15 years and I’m thrilled that we can now share this very relevant story with the world,” says Paragas. “We have the added honor of representing the real experiences of Filipino Americans, Asian Americans, and all immigrants seeking a better life in America.”
The film premiered at this year’s Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival where it received the Grand Jury Award and the Breakout Performance Award for Noblezada’s outstanding performance. Already having won a total of five Grand Jury Awards, the film is scheduled to screen at Austin Film Festival Monday, October 28 as well as the Hawaii International Film Festival in November.
Eva Noblezada and Dale Watson
This marks a huge milestone for diverse Asian American representation in Hollywood. Yellow Rose is the first Filipino and Filipino American film to be acquired by Sony Pictures for theatrical release in the U.S. It will be distributed in theaters in the Philippines by ABS-CBN.
Speaking on the impact of the film, Paragas says “It’s no coincidence that the film finally got financed in this era when anti-immigrant tensions are at an all-time high. At the same time, there is a hunger for Asian-American stories like never before… My hope is that Yellow Rose puts a human face on the plight of Dreamers, while entertaining the audience with original Americana music that they might not have listened to before.”
Yellow Rose has been hailed as the “immigration film for our times” by Character Media and “affecting on almost every level” by The Hollywood Reporter.
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies.
Congratulations to the entire cast and crew behind the making of Yellow Rose! And Happy Filipino American History Month!
Watch the official trailer now on Youtube:
