A romantic comedy with a Kiwi-Asian twist, “My Wedding and Other Secrets” follows a young couple, Emily and James, who have to overcome the expectations of Emily’s parents in order to bring happiness to themselves and those around them. The film takes you on a journey through a cultural minefield, navigating the divide between the traditional values of immigrant parents and the contemporary aspirations of their children in a new land. Here’s a synopsis:

Funny, touching and heartfelt, “My Wedding and Other Secrets” is the contemporary story of Chinese New Zealand-born over-achiever Emily Chu, raised to believe she can get anything she puts her mind to. Even if ‘anything’ is at odds with her traditional Hong Kong born parents’ wish for her to become a doctor like her two older sisters. Everything is coming up roses – until she meets James, a European New Zealander, and accidentally falls in love with him. But if her father finds out, she will face disownment.

By the time Emily realizes that she’s sacrificing the respect of her family to follow her heart, James, too, has fallen irrevocably in love and there’s nothing for it but to try and keep their relationship a secret. Happy endings don’t come easy, if at all, but that doesn’t mean they don’t happen. But for Emily to get one, she needs to show James and her family that she has learned a lesson about the selflessness of love.

It’s based on the real-life cross cultural romance of first-time feature film writer/director Roseanne Liang. Michelle Ang (Outrageous Fortune, No.2) stars in the lead role of Emily while Matt Whelan (Go Girls) stars as her love interest James. Kenneth Tsang and Cheng Pei Pei, two of Asia’s most famous film stars, play Emily’s parents, Dr and Mrs Chu.

My Wedding and Other Secrets is slated for a nationwide New Zealand release on March 17, 2011, but it may make its way to an Asian American film festival near you.

My Wedding and Other Secrets