I recently had the chance to meet filmmaker Jonathan Lim, whose dramatic feature film “Pali Road” is opening in theaters in 20 U.S. cities across America later this week. Jonathan wrote and directed the film, which was entirely shot on-location in Hawaii and is the first Hawaii-China co-production in history. While Jonathan describes it as a mystery and a romantic thriller, here’s how it’s introduced by the programmers of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, who have chosen the film to close the festival’s 32nd edition, this Thursday night, 28 April:
“…As stylish as it is mysterious, ‘Pali Road’ by Jonathan Lim echoes the most daring and challenging of classic Hollywood mysteries. If you look closely, you’ll find a hint of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 romantic mystery “Rebecca” starring Joan Fontaine; and maybe even espy a nod to George Cukor’s legendary “Gaslight” (1944) starring the great Ingrid Bergman…”
Jonathan is a graduate of Beijing Film Academy and New York Film Academy. In 2009, he wrote and directed his debut feature film “SLAM,” which was acquired and distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures Television, and released theatrically in Mainland China. In 2010, Jonathan co-wrote and directed the Sony Pictures release “Sophia’s Diary,” an interactive web/TV drama series which successfully attracted over 100 million viewers in Mainland China.
The principal cast of “Pali Road” features Taiwanese actress Michelle Chen, “Twilight” actor Jackson Rathbone, and “Fast Five” actor Sung Kang, along with veteran actors Tzi Ma and Elizabeth Sung. In a recent interview with NBC News, Jonathan discussed his desire to bridge his cross-cultural experiences with this film. “It’s all about the decisions we make in our life,” he said. “Who you choose to love also has a huge impact on what life you live, and if you’re choosing for the right reasons or not is really important.”
For more information, visit https://crimsonforestfilms.com.
