WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016
RED DEER EXPRESS 3
She Has A Name releases first film teaser Red Deer native Andrew Kooman’s first feature film opens in December Mark Weber Express staff
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eeing one’s successful theatrical production be transformed into a film would be a dream come true for anyone. For native Red Deerian Andrew Kooman, that personal vision is about to be realized with the upcoming release of She Has A Name, the movie based on his remarkably powerful play of the same name. She Has A Name, which is about a human trafficking incident in Thailand, released its first poster and teaser trailer online to mark the United Nations’ International Day of the Girl earlier this month. The teaser can be viewed at www.shehasanamefilm.com. “To see what I envisioned come to life on the big screen is tremendous - just amazing, actually,” said Kooman. “We’ve put together a beautiful film with strong performances - I couldn’t be happier. And I think that audiences who know the play will just be blown away with not only the production value, but also the scope of the story. We’re telling things in a way that you just can’t do on the stage. “With film you can tell a bigger story. She Has A Name on the big screen can get into some of the back story of the characters, and put it into the context of global corruption. So there’s a challenge of how do you stick to the heart and the truth of the original story and yet tell it in a new and fresh way that is faithful to the original? There were some challenges, but it was an exciting, creative challenge to tackle.” The Unveil Studios’ film stars an international cast of actors including Will Yun Lee (The Wolverine, Hawaii Five-O, Eugenia Yuan (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Sword of Destiny, Memoirs of A Geisha) and Gil Bellows (The Shawshank Redemption, Ally McBeal). The film pairs these actors with up-and-coming stars - Vancouver-based actor Giovanni Mocibob, New York’s Teresa Ting and Singapore’s Vanessa Toh. The film focuses on an investigation into a shocking human trafficking incident in southeast Asia and explores the layers of corruption that enable the global commercial sex trade to thrive, at the expense of young girls’ and women’s futures. The story is also based on an incident in Thailand where a storage container transporting more than 100 people ran out of gas and was simply abandoned. Ultimately about 50 people lost their lives. That tragedy was a kind of a trigger for the plot. Jason poses as a john to build a case against a brothel trafficking girls into Bangkok. He must win the trust of a young girl forced to work as a prostitute who is known as ‘Number 18’ and convince her to risk her life to testify for the sake of justice. As part of the film’s distribution strategy, global anti-trafficking agencies will be distributing the film through their networks to ‘Fund Freedom.’
DREAM REALIZED - Native Red Deerian Andrew Kooman’s acclaimed play She Has A Name is about to hit the silver screen. Organizers are gearing up for a December release, and a first trailer has just been unveiled as well. photo submitted A portion of the proceeds from the accomplished cast. ▾ the sale of the film through the “I could not be more proud “TO SEE WHAT film’s web site will go directly to of their performances,” he said. I ENVISIONED support the work of agencies to “Giovanni Mocibob brings such rescue and restore victims of a power to the role of Jason. I COME TO LIFE ON human trafficking, Kooman said. think people will really be able THE BIG SCREEN to relate to him. The film was directed by IS TREMENDOUS Kooman’s brothers Matthew “He can play an ‘everyman’ - JUST AMAZING, Kooman and Daniel Kooman. and yet he has this screen presACTUALLY.” Principal photography took ence that just commanding. He place in November and could totally play that role of a Andrew Kooman man thrown into circumstances December of last year in various locations throughout Thailand. completely beyond his experi▴ “Matt and Dan understand the ence and show a compassion story, and I have a total level of trust that I could and a gravity within the situation that his charhand it over to them with confidence knowing acter is in. “And Teresa Ting is just a revelation. I think that they will bring something to it that will add to it,” said Andrew, who wrote the screenplay and her characterization of 18 is heartbreaking. She also serves as one of the producers of the film. brings an innocence and yet sort of a boldness “Directing of a story is so different from writing to the character of 18 - she really captures your it. You can get so familiar with something as a heart and she’s so believable,” he said. “You will writer that it’s helpful to have another lens to root for her - you will root for both of them. have a look at your work. They really humanize the story in a way that’s “To me, it’s all about trust. Trusting they will really profound. I think audiences will be abcare for it and fight for it as much as you have solutely blown away by their performances. We as the writer. And that’s what Matt and Dan are proud to have them in the film.” For Matt, seeing his brother’s vision come to really bring to the table as directors.” Andrew is also completely impressed with life has been, and continues to be, an amazing,
enriching experience. “The bones of the story had been tested theatrically,” he explained of the play’s enormously successful run. “That was a large ‘litmus’ test that was very helpful. I also think Andrew writes quite visually, so in a lot of ways I think his writing is probably best suited for the screen; for film, so I think the story lended itself well to being adapted to a screenplay.” Indeed, it’s a lengthy process of pre-production not to mention the intricacies of nailing down the best locations, selecting a top-notch cast and capturing the sensibilities of the story as finely as possible. “Even when we were in Thailand there were moments when I’d think, wow, we have a long road ahead of us,” he recalls with a laugh. “But to be here - it’s been a joy and pleasure to work on. And it’s so fun to see something you have worked so hard on be finished,” he said, adding he’s thrilled with how many more people will be able to be reached via the film in all its future available formats. And ultimately, the strengths of any film stem from a common source. “Where do you start? With a good story.” For updates and further details about the film’s release, check out www.shehasanamefilm.com. mark.weber@reddeerexpress.com