Dim Sum Funeral debuts at Pusan International Film Festival

A few months back we wrote about a movie called Dim Sum Funeral with Kelly Hu and Bai Ling. The film recently debuted in Korea. Dim Sum Funeral has lots of Asian American celebrities fueling this film. Kelly Hu, Bai Ling, Steph Song, Russell Wong, Françoise Yip, and Lisa Lu. This is the trend for the past few years as we see more collaboration between the Far East and USA/Canda. The film was shot in HD earlier this year in British Columbia for a budget of under $5 million. We expect this film to make the Asian American film festival circuit next year. Keep an eye out for this one.

Director Anna Chi is originally from China, and now lives in Los Angeles. She has worked on numerous films, including “THE JOY LUCK CLUB”, “NIXON”, and “KILLING ME SOFTLY”. Last year, she directed the Chinese language scenes in Wayne Wang’s award-winning “A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYERS”. Chi says “DIM SUM FUNERAL is about family, wrapped in and around a traditional Chinese funeral.

An Irish funeral has what’s called a wake.

A Jewish funeral has what’s called sitting shiva.

A traditional Chinese funeral is something else entirely …


In a stately home, sixty-something Mrs. Lu lies in her bed, immobile, eyes shut. Her longtime housekeeper and, some might say, her only friend, Viola Gruber, a force of nature who’s been with the family since the kids were in diapers, must now call each of the four children to inform them their mother has passed away.

Eldest daughter Elizabeth lives in Maui and is stuck in a marriage that is falling apart. Son Alexander is in Manhattan. A successful dermatologist, he’s married to a former Miss Taiwan and cheating on her. Middle daughter Victoria lives nearby. Victoria can’t stop nibbling on chips and chocolates … and can’t stop being angry with her mother. Youngest daughter Meimei is the star of B-grade Hong Kong martial arts films. She’s gorgeous, funny, and a bit of a princess. She’s also a lesbian. Meimei left home the second she could …


All the Lu children had issues with their mother. She was domineering, manipulative, controlling, imperious, meddlesome, selfish, secretive, rigid, and a bitch. The kids have issues with each other as well. Mrs. Lu had made them compete for her affections, pitting one against the other, and, so, they came to view one another as opponents. And they still do.

Now, here they are, gathered in the mansion built by their late father … to bid farewell to their mother. Mrs. Lu’s dying wish, Viola says, was to have a traditional Chinese funeral.


Coming together, albeit reluctantly, to carry out this traditional funeral, the four Lu children discover each other all over again … and come to know their mother in ways they never fathomed, in this touching and funny look at family life.

Steph Song featured on FHM