The following is a list of the top most-asked questions about "White on Rice." If you have any other questions not covered here, go to our CONTACT page and Director Dave Boyle will be happy to answer them.

First off, what's up with the title? "White on Rice"? Is that racist? It sounds racist!

The title is not meant as a racial reference at all. It comes from a very common colloquialism: "They were all over him like white on rice," or "I'm gonna be on you like white on rice!"

It means to be close to something, or to pursue something with great persistence. In the film, Jimmy's family is always trying to get rid of him but he sticks to them...like "White on Rice."

Movie titles based on rather esoteric idioms run the gamut... other examples include "Without a Paddle" and "Wag the Dog." While the phrase "White on Rice" is probably more common in rural areas, I hope that the movie will help bring it back.

Our friend Goh Nakamura wrote a very entertaining song inspired by the movie which also references and explains the title. You can watch it here.

OK, so what's with the white guy making this Asian movie? Is there something wrong with you?

Well...no. I think that this movie is a pretty universal story, and I really wanted to cast Hiroshi Watanabe in the leading role (when you see the movie, I think you'll understand why). Once he came on board, my co-writer Joel Clark and I tailored the role specifically for him and most of the supporting characters became Asian or Asian American as a result. Happily, I was able to work with wonderful actors like Nae, Lynn Chen, Mio Takada, James Kyson Lee, Joy Osmanski, Justin Kwong, Cathy Shim....(the list goes on and on)

Going back a bit further, my first film "Big Dreams Little Tokyo" (www.bigdreamslittletokyo.com) was also partially in Japanese and had many Asian American and Japanese characters. That movie was based on my experiences learning to speak Japanese as an LDS missionary in the Japanese community in Sydney, Australia (I've never been to Japan but I speak Japanese).

It was during production on that film that I first met Hiroshi, as well as "White on Rice" co-stars Mio Takada, James Kyson Lee, Pepe Serna and many others. I was so impressed with what Hiroshi did with his small supporting role in the film that I instantly decided he had to play the lead in my next film. I haven't looked back since.

So are you just going to make Japanese/Asian American themed movies for the rest of your life?

I want to make all kinds of different films, and I really don't know what I'm going to work on next. Like many filmmakers, I enjoy working with the same people multiple times and I certainly would love to work with any and all of my "White on Rice" cast members again.

That said, I'm not sure that "White on Rice" really is an Asian American "themed" movie. I am not Asian American, and to me, it's just a movie that happens to star Asian and Asian American characters. If a movie has a mostly white cast, is that a Caucasian American movie? I dunno...

OK, so how do I see this thing anyway? Can you send me a DVD?

We are currently in the middle of a multi-platform theatrical release. I am self-distributing the film through my company Tiger Industry Films with the help of my sales agent Nguyen Tran and New York based Variance Films. We've already opened in theaters and are slowly making our way around the country in limited release. Check our THEATERS page for current and upcoming theaters.

At the same time, we've teamed up with Range Life Entertainment to do a college tour with the movie over the next several months. Range Life has an assortment of great films including "White on Rice" that they screen in one-night only events around the country. These events are included on our THEATERS page under "Sneak Previews and Film Festivals."

Last, but not least, we're still playing at many wonderful film festivals and doing special event screenings as often as possible.

The world of independent film distribution is pretty messed up right now, which is why we're throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks! Luckily, the reaction to the film has been great so far, and we've sat in as audiences from all over laugh along with Jimmy Beppu et al.

As for DVDs, we will definitely release the film on DVD and BluRay sometime in the near future. However, to maximize our theatrical exposure and take the time to come up with an awesome special edition DVD, I'm holding off for now. I would like to get the movie on VOD (Video on Demand, or Pay Per View) sometime soon as well so that people everywhere can see it.

Well that didn't help at all. Just tell me when the movie's coming to my local theater!

Soon...I hope. Fact is, you can help us bring the movie to your town/college campus/local theater. Visit our page at Eventful and request a screening. Or, send me an email through our CONTACT page and we'll start working on it!

It also helps if you contact your local theater and ask them to book the film! (Let us know, and we'll follow up.)

How long did it take you to make the movie? What format did you use, and what formats do you screen it on?
We shot the movie in 35 days, but the whole process from script to finished product was about a year and a half. The film was shot on Super 16mm, and we finished with an optical blowup to 35mm. In theaters, you'll definitely see it in 35mm. We do screen it on various digital formats for campus screenings and some festivals. I like watching it on film a little better, but in the end it's the same movie.

What was the budget?

Whatever the movie was worth to you, that's the budget! Movies made outside the Hollywood system are usually made with mostly sweat equity and it's almost impossible to calculate the actual cost given all of the volunteer labor that goes into them. I've never talked about the actual budget in public mostly because I'd hate for it to become the focus of attention when I'd rather people talk about other things. Suffice to say, it was low.

Why make this movie? Why tell this story?

I'd say my main desire in making this film was to bring the central family in the story to life. I thought about these characters for a long time, and when I finally met the actor who would eventually portray Jimmy on film, something clicked.