Brush with Danger

[GeneChing]

A new indie that's getting some U.S. theatrical distribution next month.

[GeneChing]

Martial Indie gets U.S. Theatrical Distribution! Read Livi Zheng on BRUSH WITH DANGER by Gene Ching.

[GeneChing]

The L.A. premiere is tonight.

Review
'Brush With Danger' mixes art and martial arts


A scene from "Brush With Danger."
By Michael Rechtshaffen
'Brush With Danger' mixes art with the martial arts in an upbeat way, thanks to its sibling lead character

Though not entirely an original concept, this vibrantly shot, East-meets-West fusion of Wushu and Washington never feels like a cheap forgery

The seemingly divergent worlds of art and martial arts intersect colorfully in "Brush With Danger," a thriller co-written and co-directed by its likable young leads, siblings Livi and Ken Zheng.

As brother-and-sister undocumented immigrants who sneak into Seattle via shipping container, kickboxer Ken and aspiring artist Alice are convinced they're living the dream when her work attracts the eye of a smarmy gallery owner (Norman Newkirk).

Naturally, it turns out their unbelievably generous patron is less interested in Alice's originals than he is in her talent for copying masterworks — particularly a long-lost Van Gogh. Despite her initial reluctance, the con is on.

The storytelling has all the dramatic complexity of a paint-by-numbers set, and you know exactly where all this is headed from the get-go. But unlike any number of bleak cautionary tales dealing with those who come to America in the quest for a better life, the Zhengs' take on the subject remains undauntedly upbeat.

It will never be mistaken for a true original, but thanks to the siblings' youthful, idealistic approach, neither does this vibrantly shot, East-meets-West fusion of Wushu and Washington ever feel like a cheap forgery.

"Brush With Danger."
No MPAA rating.
Running time: 1 hour, 28 minutes.
Playing: Downtown Independent, Los Angeles.

[GeneChing]

I'm still impressed that this film is getting as much distribution as it is for what it is.

Originally published September 29, 2014 at 2:47 PM | Page modified September 29, 2014 at 5:32 PM
Martial-arts film ‘Brush with Danger’ shot in Seattle
An interview with Livi Zheng, a UW graduate who produced, directed and starred in a martial-arts inflected action film shot in Seattle, “Brush With Danger.”
By Dusty Somers
Special to The Seattle Times


COURTESY SUN AND MOON FILMS
Livi Zheng, right, is director, producer and star of “Brush With Death” a martial-arts film largely shot in Seattle. She studied economics and film at the University of Washington before moving to Los Angeles.

Now showing
‘Brush with Danger’
At Pacific Place, 88 minutes, not rated. See seattletimes.com/movies for showtimes.

You need a lot of hyphens to describe the filmmaking abilities of 25-year-old Livi Zheng, the director, producer and star of “Brush with Danger,” a martial arts-inflected action film shot largely in Seattle.

That’s quite a few above-the-line credits for one person, but Zheng is quick to heap praise on others, including stunt coordinator and second-unit director David Boushey and her co-star brother, Ken Zheng, who also wrote the script.

“I think filmmaking is very collaborative,” she said. “It’s hard to do it by yourself no matter how good you are.”

Not that long ago, Zheng was an economics student at the University of Washington, pondering her future as she applied to graduate programs in both economics and film. She had done stunt work in her native Indonesia and some film production on the side at UW, but knew she would have to devote herself full-time if she wanted to be serious.

Then, she got the news she’d been accepted to USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. That was a clear sign.

“Of course I decided film,” she said.

By the time preproduction began on “Brush with Danger,” Zheng was already living in Los Angeles, but she flew to Seattle almost every weekend to plan the film before dedicating nearly a month to shooting across the city, from Volunteer Park to Alki Beach.

Much of the action takes place in Pioneer Square, a picturesque setting but not the easiest place to shoot, given stadium events and other restrictions, Zheng said.

“We had to really fight to get it shot there,” she said.

“Brush with Danger” tells the story of a brother and sister who arrive in Seattle in a shipping container, forced to use their kickboxing and karate skills to navigate a criminal underworld.

Though Zheng cites a love for Bruce Lee — a fellow UW student and actor/director himself — it’s clear her dad is a primary influence.

“He loved martial arts,” Zheng said. “Every Sunday, the whole family would go to train together, including my mom.”

Actor Nikita Breznikov found that out the hard way when Zheng’s mom doubled for her in a close-up and put him in a surprisingly effective arm lock.

“Afterwards, I said, ‘Liv, Mom’s good with martial arts,’” Breznikov said. “She said, ‘Ken and I can’t beat her.’ I went, ‘Wow.’”

Zheng has already wrapped shooting on her next project, which she directed but does not star in — probably a likely career trajectory, she says. But co-starring with her brother was a special experience.

When she was in 11th grade and he was in 5th grade, the pair moved to China for school without their parents.

“It was just me and him,” Zheng said. “Naturally, you get really close. You don’t really have anybody else to rely on.”

That closeness is evident in the film as the fictional brother and sister display a bond that was forged in real life.

“I have a really strong connection with the material,” Zheng said. “This is my passion project, and I (was) lucky enough to get it made.”

Dusty Somers: dustysomers@gmail.com

Brush with Danger Opens To Full House In Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Brush with Danger, produced and directed by Livi Zheng, opened to a full house. Several dignitaries were in attendance, including the Acting Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia, Don Hall, Industry Veteran and former Governor of the Oscars, President of OCA, Executive Director of Asia Society and Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

The seemingly divergent worlds of art and martial arts intersect colorfully in "Brush With Danger," a thriller co-written and co-directed by its likable young leads, siblings Livi and Ken Zheng. —- Los Angeles Times

Brush with Danger's theatrical run is on-going in Los Angeles and Seattle and will soon be opening in several other markets including San Francisco and San Jose, which open October 3rd; Austin and Dallas, October 17.

The martial arts crime thriller marks the theatrical motion picture debut of filmmaker Livi Zheng, who co-wrote, directs, produces and stars in "Brush with Danger." The 25-year-old multi-talented filmmaker fills a unique niche in Hollywood no one else occupies -- a skilled, experienced stunt woman and actress who writes, directs and produces her own action films. It also marks the big screen debut of 19-year-old internationally ranked martial artist, Ken Zheng, who co-wrote the screenplay and co-stars in the film with his sister.

Livi Zheng attends at least one screening in each market where she answers questions and poses with guests for photos.

[GeneChing]

...in Jakarta.

The Zheng siblings invade Hollywood
Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Feature | Wed, July 29 2015, 10:04 AM


In character: Alice Qiang (Livi) walks on her hands to earn a living after arriving in Seattle while her brother Ken Qiang (Ken) looks on.(Courtesy of Livi Zheng)

Inspired by the Coen brothers, two Indonesian siblings are doing their best to achieve success in the competitive world of Hollywood film.

The siblings, Livi Zheng and Ken Zheng, recently managed to produce, direct and launch an action thriller entitled Brush with Danger.

Brush with Danger tells the story of two illegal Asian immigrants, Alice Qiang (Livi) and her brother, Ken Qiang (Ken) in the US. Being homeless as soon as they arrive in Seattle inside a shipping container, the two siblings try to make ends meet by becoming street artists and performing paint sketching art and wushu.

The two siblings are then recruited by Justus Sullivan, an art gallery owner with sinister motives. Their involvement with Sullivan leads them to fight for survival in the dangerous criminal underworld in the US.

Brush with Danger is the feature movie debut for the siblings. Livi plays the role of director and Ken plays the role of scriptwriter. In the United States, the movie was launched in September 2014 and has been featured in several major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Dallas and also in the Midwestern state of Ohio.

Livi says that the reception in the US toward her movie has been positive.

“Brush with Danger was featured for at least two months in theaters across the US,” Livi said during a recent press conference at the NAM Hotel in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.


Sibling cooperation: Livi and Ken Zheng discuss production details at the set.(Courtesy of Livi Zheng)

The success of Brush with Danger has allowed both Livi and Ken to work together on another action-thriller project, which is yet to be named and involves several Hollywood actors and actresses such as Tony Todd, Madeline Zima and Sean Patrick Flannery.

Being successful filmmakers in Hollywood is something that Livi and Ken have been dreaming about since they were children, despite the fact that their backgrounds positioned them at a remote distance from the glitz and glamour of the film industry.

Livi, who was born in Blitar, East Java on April 3, 1989, spent most of her early childhood and teenage years learning kung fu and wushu. Her skills in martial arts brought her for the first time into the movie industry by becoming a stuntwoman for several Indonesian movies and television shows when she was 15.

At age 16, she went to China and attended the martial arts academy at the Shi Cha Hai Sports School in Beijing. Throughout Livi’s martial arts career, she has won at least 26 trophies and medals in various competitions in the US.

After senior high school, Livi then took on economics at the University of Washington-Seattle where she graduated in just three years. Her impressive performance at university led her to be invited to become a member of the International Honors Society in Economics.

Livi, who had kept alive a passion for filmmaking since her stuntwoman days, decided not to pursue a career as an economist and took a post-graduate degree in film production at the University of Southern California.


Livi Zheng - JP/Wendra Ajistyatama

“I realized that filmmaking was not a part-time job,” Livi said.

“I used to help film crews when I took my bachelor degree and their job could last at least 18 hours. Therefore, I decided to fully pursue a career in film by attending a university that has produced great filmmakers such as George Lucas and Robert Zemeckis.”

Livi, while completing for her post-graduate degree in Southern California, began to step into the real world of filmmaking and started to face heavy challenges in producing her first project.

“The most difficult challenge for me at that time was to find professional crews who trusted me and were willing to work with me. I was still a rookie and yet I had to make sure that everyone I worked with shared the same vision,” she said.

Livi started the Brush with Danger project when she was 23 and one of her first recruits was her own younger brother, Ken, who is also a professional wushu athlete for the Jakarta provincial team.

Livi trusted Ken with the movie script even though that he had no prior experience or formal education in script writing.

“Ken loved to write stories when he was a kid and they were great. I wanted him to write the script for this movie,” says Livi, who took care of 11-year old Ken when he was also sent abroad to China.


Attention to detail: Livi Zheng (second left) observes a scene on a display screen attached to a camera at the set.(Courtesy of Livi Zheng)

It took Ken about one year to finish the script for Brush with Danger.

“I want to create a strong story for an action film,” he said.

Ken says that the experience of living with his sister as young cubs in China, both of whom barely spoke any Chinese, had developed a strong bond between them and had created a great sibling chemistry that they would use in their film projects.

“I really like working with my sister,” Ken says.

Livi describes their chemistry like the Yin-Yang symbol.

“He is good at what I am not good at and vice versa[…]we complement one another,” she says.

For the future, Livi says that she and Ken would like to continue working together on other movie projects and that these did not necessarily have to be in the action genre.

“I would love the opportunity to direct movies from other genres such as drama and romantic comedy,” Livi says.

Both siblings are excited to introduce Brush with Danger to Indonesian moviegoers.

“We are still working on the bureaucracy. I’ve already taken care of my tax identification number,” Livi says.

“Hopefully we can complete all the requirements to bring out our first movie here by August and September and after that, Indonesians can finally enjoy our work,” she added.


Highly trained: Livi Zheng and her brother Ken Zheng are both accomplished wushu athletes.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)