Lloyd Lee Choi’s Feature Adaptation ‘Lucky Lu’ to Begin Filming in New York City Later This Year

Lloyd Lee Choi’s feature adaptation “Lucky Lu” will begin filming in New York City later this year.

Based on Choi’s live-action short, “Same Old,” “Lucky Lu” tells the story of a Chinese delivery driver in New York City who discovers his e-bike has been stolen. With his family en route after many years apart, Lu must contend with a community that has turned its back on him while he tries to replace the only thing promising to keep his family afloat.

Taiwanese actor Chang Chen (“Dune”) has been cast to play the titular character. Nina Yang Bongiovi, Destin Daniel Cretton, Ron Najor, Jeyun Munford, Asher Goldstein and Tony Yang are on board as producers.

Speaking at Gold House’s A Filmmaker’s Creative & Financing Journey during Sundance Film Festival Asia, Bongiovi discussed the financial journey behind “Lucky Lu.” She said, “Navigating film financing is always an emotional roller coaster. But when you have a super team of producers alongside a visionary director, you get to build and weather the tough times together, with the ultimate goal of bringing a meaningful story to audiences worldwide. It’s a worthwhile and rewarding process to launch a talent [like Lloyd] into the narrative feature universe.”

“Same Old” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Palme d’Or competition and also screened at TIFF, New York Film Festival and Raindance, where it won best short. With “Lucky Lu,” Choi, who makes his feature directorial debut, said “Raising financing for any independent film is such a daunting mountain to climb, especially for a first-time feature filmmaker. But this film has come together in the best possible way, with a dream team of producers that have both inspired and willed this into existence.”

In addition to Cretton and Bongiovi on board as producers, the production is also supported by Gold House’s Creative Equity Fund, which was established to build upon the parent company’s existing accelerators and services for fast-rising filmmakers by investing in independent films and media companies, most recently in Sean Wang’s “Dìdi.”

Said Christine Yi, General Partner, Gold House Creative Equity Fund, “‘Lucky Lu’ is a perfect example of Gold House’s mission: deftly blending critically acclaimed stories with commercial appeal while progressing our culture forward together.”

Choi, who was in the Gold House 2022 Film Fellowship, is a full circle moment for the company
that co-produced Choi’s short “Closing Dynasty.”

Said Yi, “To bring ‘Lucky Lu’ to life alongside long-time partners of Gold House like Nina Yang Bongiovi and Destin Daniel Cretton. No two filmmakers’ journeys are the same, but they all take time and benefit from an ecosystem of support — and it’s a continuing honor to witness and be a part of Lloyd’s.”

Cretton’s production company Hisako Film Lab will produce the project along with Significant Productions.