Information

Release DateMay 18, 2000

Runtime1h 28m

StatusReleased

Budget$1M

ProductionCenter for Asian American Media (CAAM), National Asian American Telecommunications Association

LanguagesEnglish, Tagalog

5.4

7 votes

Popularity2

The Debut

"One night can change a lifetime."

Drama

Synopsis

Filipino-American high school student Ben (Dante Basco) works in a comic book shop to earn money to pay his way into Cal Arts. His father, a postman, is determined that his son--who has won a pre-med scholarship to UCLA--will become a doctor. The eighteenth birthday party of Ben's sister, Rose, sets off a comedic and touching series of events and family struggles that will in turn determine young Ben's future. This fresh independent production from Gene Cajayon presents a lighthearted and warm coming-of-age tale filtered through the eyes of an American subculture rarely seen on film.