In March 2006 I told you about one of the highlights of the 24th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, a spunky indie musical called Colma: The Musical.  With catchy lyrics by H.P. Mendoza, this is the story of a trio of friends just after their graduation from high school in the town of Colma.  No more than a speck on the map on the outskirts of San Francisco, Colma is known primarily as a town of cemeteries, a mall, and two Target stores.

Mendoza and director Richard Wong have struck a limited distribution deal with Roadside Attractions and will make an initial run in five cities: San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, and Austin.  The run will start with a single week but will be extended if it finds an audience.

• The San Francisco run will be the week of June 22nd at the Embarcadero Center Cinemas.
• The New York run will be the week of July 6th at The Quad on 13th Street.
• Other dates and locations to be announced.

This is a really fun film.  I encourage you to see the film and help spread the word.  There is a lot of power in word-of-mouth marketing.  This is the type of film (and the type of film-makers) that mainstream studios are hesitant to support because they don’t know if there is a market out there.  But history has shown that when the word gets out, an audience will find good films.