Some people might say an Asian person playing country music is about as American as mayonnaise with apple pie. But that’s probably because they haven’t seen “Yellow Rose” yet.
Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Diane Paragas, “Yellow Rose” tells the story of Rose Garcia (Eva Noblezeda), a young girl living in smalltown Texas who strives to pursue her dream of becoming a country music star, while facing the possibility of deportation. It’s a touching, modern story that explores themes of identity and belonging through the eyes of an innocent, but passionate heroine. The film garnered a landslide of critical praise on the festival circuit (it certainly brought a tear or two to our eyes), and earned a number of awards like the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the 2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, the 2019 Bentonville Film Festival and the 2019 CAAMFest Asian American Film Festival. Broadway star Noblezeda also cinched the award for Best Breakout Actor at LAAPFF. On July 25, the film will kick off this year’s Asian American International Film Festival in New York City.
“Throughout our screenings, we’ve been touched by how the film resonates with so many different people no matter their background,” Paragas said in a press release. “We look forward to bringing our film to a wider audience in the months to come.”
