LUCKY GRANDMA

Official Selection, 2019 Tribeca Film Festival

A chain-smoking grandmother learns October 28 is an auspicious date for her—so much so that she takes all her life savings to the casino that night in an effort to rebuild her life and independence after the death of her husband.

At 85 years young, Grandma Wong (played by legendary Tsai Chin of Joy Luck Club and You Only Live Twice) has modern desires but is still fueled by the age-old routines and superstitions. After an unpredictable night out, grandma soon gets into trouble with a local triad in New York City’s Chinatown, and must hire a bodyguard from a rival gang to stave off two goons who tail her at every turn. Becoming fast friends with her new protector Big Pong (Corey Ha)—procured at a steep discount—Grandma Wong never abandons her sass in spite of the danger all around and the growing realization that she may be in way over her head. How will grandma turn her luck around?

Sasie Sealy’s comedic feature debut is a lively love letter to all the nooks and crannies of Chinatown, from casino buses, mazelike bodegas, and the sights, sounds, and smells hiding unknowable spaces and quite possibly, a duffel bag of cold hard cash.

–Wilda Wong

Co-Presented by Chinese School of San Diego, San Di-Asians, The Cosmos