Ng 
| Directed by: | Timothy Jieh |
|---|---|
| Written by: | Timothy Jieh |
| Starring: | West Liang |
| Country: | U S A |
| Created: | 2006 |
| Runtime: | 9 min. |
| Member: | timj |
Average rating: 4.64 by 28 users
Film Description:
Synopsis
An unconventional short film based on the true crimes of Charles Ng, the first Chinese serial killer in America.
Forms: Experimental, Narrative Fiction, Short
Genres: Alternative, Drama, Underground, Thriller, Avant-garde, Crime, Cult, Film Noir, Independent, Post Modern, Period/Historical, Docu-Drama
Niches: Asian American, Mature/Adult
Screenings & Events
Austin Asian Film Festival
Film Festival
Austin, TX, U S A
December 2006
Spokane International Film Festival
Film Festival
Spokane, WA, U S A
January 2007
Blue Dandenongs Youth Film Festival
Film Festival
Melbourne, Australia
February 2007
Show Off Your Shorts Film Festival
Film Festival
Hollywood, CA, U S A
February 2007
Boston Underground Film Festival
Film Festival
Boston, MA, U S A
March 2007
Garden State Film Festival
Film Festival
Asbury, NJ, U S A
March 2007
Nashville Film Festival
Film Festival
Nashville, TN, U S A
April 2007
Beverly Hills Film Festival
Film Festival
Beverly Hills, CA, U S A
April 2007
VC FILMFEST: The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Film Festival
Los Angeles, CA, U S A
May 2007
Lakedance International Film Festival
Film Festival
Sandpoint, ID, U S A
September 2007
Hawaii International Film Festival
Film Festival
Honolulu, HI, U S A
October 2007
Cast & Crew
Michael Velasquez (Coproducer), Rick Kleinsmith (Producer), Stefanie Quinn (Coproducer), Timothy Jieh (Director, Producer, Executive Producer)
WritingTimothy Jieh (Writer, Story By)
PerformanceEden Newman (Supporting Actor), Kenn Woodard (Supporting Actor), West Liang (Lead Actor)
CameraMichael Velasquez (Additional Photography), Rick Kleinsmith (Cinematographer/DP, Camera Operator)
Art DepartmentRick Kleinsmith (Assistant Art Director)
Post ProductionTimothy Jieh (Picture Editor)
It's been quite a while since we blogged about our project and we hope you have all been well. If anyone is interested, NG, our short film, is now viewable online (please see below).
The film made a successful run on the film festival circuit, getting accepted to some really great festivals, such as (but not limited to!) Hawaii International and the crown jewel of the run, the NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL, which is a long running (40 years!), established, ACADEMY NOMINATING festival. Of course we didn't expect the film to win and qualify to be nominated for the Academy Awards, but just to be accepted to the festival was a HUGE honor and unexpected but a very pleasant surprise indeed!
I encourage you to watch the film and leave a comment - we love getting all sorts of feedback... the good, the bad or even the ugly! We are very proud of this short and hope you will take the time to check it out - at a little under 10 minutes, it won't waste TOO much of your time!
It's been a while since I've had the chance to blog here because things have been so crazily busy!
March proved to be a good one for NG with two East Coast screenings - one at the GARDEN STATE FILM FESTIVAL in Jersey and the other at the BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL in Boston. Unfortunately, neither I nor any of the cast or crew were able to attend, but we hope the audience enjoyed the film... or, at the very least, we hope it left some sort of impression on them. On a slightly off track side note, I read about GSFF's Festival Director, Diane, in the Message Boards and the sad recent events she's experienced and I wish her well - our thoughts are with her.
April also proved to be a really exciting month for our little film that could with a local area screening at the BEVERLY HILLS FILM FESTIVAL, that I was able to attend, along with my co-producer and DP/Producer. A couple of other Producers and Investors we invited attended, so that was encouraging. The most recent screening of NG was at the NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL, which we are still amazed and honored to have been accepted to. It was VERY unfortunate that none of us were able to attend the NaFF as I'm sure it would have been a blast - but alas, plane tickets to and hotel rentals in Nashville were just not in our budgets for this year.
However, we did get some, what I would consider, "good" press from someone who reviewed the film at the NaFF. Stephen Lackey, Columnist for mania.com (Mania Movies) had this to say about NG:
"NG is a short based on the real serial killer Charles Ng who was convicted of killing 11 women. Along with his accomplice Leonard Lake, they videotaped themselves with women they held captive in their survival bunker built in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. This is some of the grittiest and most disturbing 11 minutes you’re likely to see this year. The film is shot on video and the quality is deteriorated so it looks as if you are watching one of the duo’s actual tapes."
(Excerpt from: http://www.mania.com/54449.html)
Although some people may think that is not necessarily a "good review," I think the fact that he thinks that "...this [film] is some of the grittiest and most disturbing 11 minutes you’re likely to see this year..." is a compliment since that was the aim of the movie - to be dark and intense without being gory or grisly. At the very least, it seems to indicate the fact that the movie left an impression on him, and hopefully on other audience members.
Lastly, we have an upcoming screening this weekend at VC FILMFEST 2007. The VC FILMFEST is in its 23rd year and is a major U.S. showcase for ethnic-based media, that fulfills a unique and valuable mission in illuminating the visions and voices of Asian Pacific peoples and heritage. We are delighted to be screening at this festival as well. For any of you in the Los Angeles area, I invite you to join us and attend this screening - don't forget to say "hi" to us if you do come!
VC FILMFEST 2007
Sunday, May 6th @ 10pm
http://www.vconline.org/festival/program.cfm?program_id=43
http://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festival_id=5506
Laemmle's Sunset 5
8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood
(corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights)
http://nashvillefilmfestival.org/
http://www.gsff.org/
Just a little update about how this "little film that could" is doing... it was screened at the SPOKANE INT'L FILM FESTIVAL at the end of January and although the Festival Director had flattering raved about the film to us when it was accepted, it was not well received by the Audience in general at the SpIFF and one critic of a local area online news outlet mentioned NG on his news blog:
http://www.spokane7.com/blogs/moviesandmore/archive.asp?mon=Jan2007
(Posted under "'Recycled Life' salvages Sunday SpIFF program," on Jan 28th).
Ouch! We're all about people's right to their opinions but give us some CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, buddy! "I was not in the mood for this docu-drama..." is not helpful in our quest to improve our filmmaking skills because we cannot base future projects on your mood! Hah... oh well, given the area that it screened (more on the conservative side), it is to be expected. We knew from the get go that this film would meet some resistance... it is, after all, not a feel good, uplifting piece - sometimes audiences don't like to be made uncomfortable. If it got people talking and if they remembered the film, then at least we're doing something right, even if they didn't like it much.
This past Saturday is screened at the SHOW OFF YOUR SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL in Hollywood. It was a smaller crowd but it was the first time that we got to see the film on a big screen. It's incredible that even after the number of times we have watched the film and know exactly what is going to happen, it was still uncomfortable for US to view the film on such a big screen. The co-producer, Stefanie, said that her heart was pounding during one of the most climatic scenes on the film... and she's probably seen it at least 50 times by now! So it's not as though she didn't expect what came next... but seeing it in a theater on an actual screen does give the film a different feel, even after repeated viewings.
We couldn't stay for the entire screening block but we did hear a few gasps and one "What the...?" from the audience towards the end of the film... so it definitely elicited some (what I assume to be) unconscious reactions. And even though it sounds odd, it is exactly the type of reaction the film is suppose to evoke, so it's a good sign we did our job with the film? I'd like to think so anyway...
NG will have it's Australian Premiere this coming Friday at the BLUE DANDENONGS YOUTH FILM FESTIVAL (just made the 26 year old cut off age to qualify for this festival).
http://www.bdyff.org.au/aboutentries.htm
(Third one from the top).
If any of you fellow Aussie WABees live in or around Melbourne, please check it out and leave me a message about what you thought of it! Thanks!
Lastly, I'm excited to announce that NG has also been accepted to the BEVERLY HILLS FILM FESTIVAL in April. It's not up on the festival's website yet but I am happy to report that it is an official selection!
Thanks for taking the time to look at the NG updates and hope to meet/see you guys at one screening or another!
We've recently been selected to be screened in film festivals from the northwestern corner of the country, The Spokane International Film Festival all the way to the outback of Australia, The Blue Dandenongs Festival (Belgrave) and then back to LA again for the SOYS Fest. You can get the all screening dates off our website at http://www.ngshortfilm.com under the screenings section. From there you can also click to each festival website for more info and ticketing. If you haven't visited the site yet, you can read up on the synopsis, background info on the true story, and even add us on mySpace (http://myspace.com/ngthemovie).
With the acceptances, I've also had to read through the rejections, which aren't as fun to read. But so far, the for every rejection I've had an acceptance, which is a great batting percentage .500. I hope we can keep that up. I will be attending the SOYS fest coming next month which is being hosted at Raleigh Studios (across from the Paramount Lot) and you're all welcome to join me. Ng has been submitted in over 44 festivals already and counting (thanks to Withoutabox.com and my credit card) so stay tuned for more updates to come.
Best wishes!
SCREENINGS
01/28/07 11:00AM Spokane International Spokane, WA
02/10/07 05:00PM Show Off Your Short Los Angeles, CA
02/16/07-02/17/07 SCREENING TIME COMING SOON Blue Dandenongs Belgrave, Australia
How can you do a movie on this? How can you portray what these evil men did? I lived in Wilseyville when this happened and this is pretty much upsetting to see that someone wants to bring all this crap back and make money on it. I guess it is not too much different than the Scott and Laci Peterson stuff but geeeezzzz....I guess this hits home and there is more to visualize with what these monsters did. I could not imagine acting as if I were one of the evil creeps that hurt these innocent people. Well, just wanted to give you my feelings...
Here's my response:
Much respect goes out to the families of those affected by the events surrounding Charles Ng and Leonard Lake. As a message to them, I intended only to present a story of great significance to the human condition. ..Ng.. is cautionary tale to what evils exist in human nature. For only human beings are capable of murder, not animals, not any other living organism on this planet. And yet, Charles Ng and Leonard Lake somehow were able to rationalize their actions, and no one was able to stop them from taking over 25 lives. As with Columbine, and recent violent acts in schools across the country, much of it occurring in rural America, there is much to be discussed about the disconnection of troubled people in our society. We have to address these issues head on in order to prevent similar events from repeating in the future.
My intent is not to upset anyone for the sake of doing it... I want to start a dialogue about not only this tragic series of events but ones similar to it in hopes of evoking a change and perhaps preventing future incidents of the same nature.
This is a tough subject to tackle but I do hope to leave an impression on the viewers and to spark discussion. Sometimes that requires a film that leaves people feeling a bit unsettled and uncomfortable. At least that is a sign that the film (and hopefully its message) will not be that easily forgotten...
AUSTIN ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL, a festival in it's third year, had found NG on its MySpace page and asked for a preview copy and later accepted the film and screened it in one of their shorts program in November. that was NG's North American premiere and unfortunately i was not able to make it. but the fest director told me that it was well received and he himself really liked the film. so that's good... and the fact that they found the film and asked to screen it is a good sign as well.
on another good note, today i got an early acceptance notice for SHOW OFF YOUR SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, held in early February and screening films at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. should be a great networking event.
things are starting to happen and it's pretty exciting. here's hoping the film stays on the positive path that its on!
The real Charles Ng.
Still frame from "Ng".
Still frame from "Ng".
Publicity Poster
Publicity Still
Ratings
evilguest
Like a home video clip from Hell, Ng had the "found tape" quality needed to portray such a disturbed and horrifying side of humanity.
klutch
A great story and even better cinamatography. Visually this Ng is you of the best entries i'v seen in the short film category. the visuals for me really was the lead character driving the story. I highly recommend this film!
sarahsue
Chilling and unsettling, this short managed to give me the willies in under 10 minutes - a difficult feat indeed!
b-man
this is a wild ride, to think that it's based in truth. west truely captured the vacancy of ng. the shooting (cinematography) was superb and tastey.
tykerobin
I hope a lot of people see this to understand the horrors that these guys commited. It was well put together too.
joannefilmbuff
West was really cute and wished he would have had his shirt off like Ng in the real footage. Other than that, film was super sweet. Look forward to more of Timothy's work
Marie14
Well done and very professional. The story is worth telling and people should be aware of it. I definitely give it two thumbs up!
miketoole
Very creative camera work, excellent acting, and spectacular visual effects. Can't wait to see the feature!
captainwacky42
This film is very well-crafted and left me feeling accutely disturbed. I experienced a sensation of visceral discomfort when I saw it, which I think is a testament to the effectiveness of the film. The ending reveal was excellent.
kinoeye
Short and sweet, yet has a beginning, middle and end. If this is the precursor to a feature, I can hardly wait. Creative use of camera, much more "cinematic" than most digital films of today. Sound design also plays a big role in the suspense.
lizd
i think this is one of the most compelling pieces i've seen in years. it is formally stunning, with its long single take and haunting video image quality. we're very excited to try to screen it down here in new orleans.
stefanie
NG is a well crafted, haunting short. It left a strong impression and made me want to research the true story that inspired this film.
23 Comments about Ng
Jun 04, 2008 12:01PM
I thought it was just ok - a tad bit overrated - like the 1986 Houston Astros, good but not that good.
Apr 08, 2008 04:08AM
A really good 10 minutes history, it play whit emotions and questions. You get involved with people not knowing that later they are going to break your principles.. This is a big question about life and death. It is not apology of crime, but a question of human nature. Thanks for your work.
Apr 05, 2008 04:52PM
Great review of Ng by Brian Morton of Rogue Cinema.
"COOL & AMBITIOUS"
http://www.roguecinema.com/article-1291--0-0.html
May 26, 2007 07:11PM
how can i view this film in its entirety?? the first two minutes looked great.
May 07, 2007 07:29AM
Your film sounds intriguing - best of luck!
Apr 10, 2007 05:52PM
Haven't seen the film but I love your publicity stuffs. I'm from Melbourne and I'm miffid I missed it at the Dandenong. Good luck
Feb 26, 2007 07:48AM
Wow your film looks great and I love the poster very nice work it would be great if you could send us a copy of your film to our film festval in london. We show short experimental films and animations at the Renderyard Film Festival from 1st oct - 1st Nov 2007.
Thanks, Mark Reid - Renderyard Director
www.renderyard.com
Feb 21, 2007 01:48PM
Yo. Good going and good luck.
Feb 18, 2007 04:33PM
My gut reaction to your trailer and blog is "no guts, no glory." You certainly have the first and I hope you acheive the latter! If you're into politically incorrect humor, you can check out my trailer at www.donttalksodumb.com. I am thrilled that it has been invited to the Pumelo Film Festival in India!!! But then again, every film made and not made that is listed on WAB has been invited to this "festival." I hope I'm not bursting any bubbles here but I am downright angry about these clowns taking advantage of independent filmmaker's hopes and aspirations. Now, I could be wrong and I hope I am but you can check these guys out on the WAB message boards by typing "Pumelo" into the search engine. Some people have done some research on them and they are highly suspicious. Something for nothing still holds true. Best of luck to you on what looks like a very courageous film.
Burnley
Feb 12, 2007 03:31PM
Welcome to "featured film" world! We are impressed by the amount of activity on your page, as well as your blogs.
Nov 08, 2006 04:49PM
congrats on being accepted to austin asian! that's great!
Nov 08, 2006 09:41AM
This short film is big on ideas. Interestingly, one leaves a screening wondering what one just saw, as the line between real and surreal, real life and expressionism, blur. But I found this compelling, eerie, and unnerving, and think any viewer would, too.
Nov 07, 2006 07:10PM
newly customized myspace page is up. check the blog entry on myspace to learn how to customize your own myspace to look like our design and join the effort to spread to word about "Ng"! http://www.myspace.com/ngthemovie
Nov 06, 2006 04:43PM
the AUSTIN ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL has accepted NG to the festival and just provided its time slots for the festival programming. if you live in the area or have friends in the austin area, please encourage them to check out the festival and NG!
http://cinemaasiaaustin.org/
Friday, November 10, 2006 @ 4pm - Hideout Theater (Part of Shorts Program)
Sunday, November 12, 2006 @ 12pm - Millennium Theater (Part of Shorts Program)
thanks for all your support!
Nov 06, 2006 11:52AM
our new website is up at www.ngshortfilm.com. make sure to hit up my blog section for recent updates, in addition to our Audience page, of course. also, in addition to this page, there's an faq section on the film's website, where you can submit your own questions that i'll be trying my best to answer. definitely feel free to use this Audience page as well!
Oct 19, 2006 10:14AM
Sure did, Tim... great reaction to the film... even if it was mostly stunned silence. :P It's almost Halloween, we're doing our job of creeping people out...
Oct 18, 2006 11:35AM
the cast and crew screening went great! hope everyone had fun at the wrap party!
Oct 17, 2006 02:51PM
I think many people from the Bay Area (SF) have heard of the story of Charles Ng and Leonard Lake. We used to hear about them all the time on the local news broadcasts. The images of these killers were unforgetable to me because these horrible acts of violence occurred right in my own community. Charles Ng lived and went to school at the College of Notre Dame, a school located right in the middle of the town I went to high school in. And for the Asian community, I think we were all shocked to see that one of our own was responsible for these cruel and inhuman autrocities. When these kinds of things occur in our society, it makes us all think... what went wrong? What did we do wrong as a society, and how can we prevent this from happening again? - TJ
Oct 11, 2006 01:11AM
just heard that we were featured last week on a cool blog site called http://thekillerblog.com --- make time to hit that up (i think we're now on page 4) and give them your comments too. thanks!
Oct 06, 2006 11:08AM
urls about charles ng -
http://www.mugshots.com/Criminal/psychos/Charles+Ng.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ng
http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial/ng/
http://www.francesfarmersrevenge.com/stuff/serialkillers/miranda.htm
http://www.cybersleuths.com/features/features1099-2.html
Oct 01, 2006 06:56PM
we haven't even had our cast and crew screening yet and people are already inquiring about the film. the power of the internet still amazes me. after i uploaded the 2 min clip of "Ng" to our myspace page (myspace.com/ngthemovie) the director of the Austin Asian Filmfest requested a copy of the short. He said that despite that submissions were already closed, he would do his best to fit it in their fest this november if he likes the rest of the film. the whole fest submission process can be a bit daunting with all the fees, scrambling to assembling press kits, and making all the deadlines. but its the initial responses from complete strangers that makes this period so exciting. i can't wait till i get the first wave of fest submission responses in the next coming months!
Sep 26, 2006 05:11PM
Crazy guy- Excellent film.
Sep 22, 2006 04:19PM
Wikipedia article about Charles Ng:
Charles Chitat Ng (Chinese: ; born December 24, 1961) is a American serial killer who committed his crimes with Leonard Lake.
He was born to wealthy parents in Hong Kong and partly educated in England. As a child he was harshly disciplined by his father at every opportunity. Ng eventually moved to the United States and briefly served in the Marine Corps before he was dishonorably discharged for theft, for which he served time in prison. In the early 1980s he hooked up with Leonard Lake. The pair are suspected of murdering up to 25 people at Lake's ranch in California, mostly women whom they filmed themselves raping and torturing.
The crimes came to light in 1985 when Lake committed suicide after being arrested for a firearms offense, and police searched his ranch and found human remains. When Ng was identified as Lake's partner in the crimes, the FBI named him on June 15, 1984 as the 387th Fugitive added to the Ten Most Wanted list. Ng fled to Calgary, Alberta, Canada where he was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on October 4, 1984 and convicted of shoplifting. After a long extradition battle (see Reference re Ng Extradition), Ng was finally handed over to the U.S. authorities. Ng stood trial on 12 counts of murder in 1998. He was convicted of 11 of the murders, those of six men, three women and two baby boys, and was sentenced to death. He is currently on death row. (from wikipedia.com)
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