(L-R) Dexter Darden, Bloom Li, Zoe Renee, Mardy Ma, Ben Wang, Chase Liefeld, Eric Anthony Lopez and … [+]
Jingyi Shao got his start in the film industry through directing commercials in China for global brands like Levi’s, Johnnie Walker and Cartier. Yet, Shao knew he would eventually move into narrative filmmaking. One of his screenplays rose to the top spots on the Black List in 2020 and soon, he was off to a pitch session with Disney. This screenplay became Chang Can Dunk, which premiered on streaming platform Disney+ earlier this month. Shao also has projects currently in development for Amazon
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It has been a whirlwind few years for Shao, ever since his first meeting with Disney. “I had been trying to make my first film for a number of years. To write a script, have it picked up by Disney and then very quickly, put into pre-production and then shoot it — all within three years — it’s amazing,” Shao says.
While the primary relationships in Shao’s original script were left intact, he admitted that the story was written with an older audience in mind. “When I was writing, I was thinking of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, like a modern coming-of-age story,” Shao shares.
Shao’s film follows Chang, a 16-year-old, Asian-American high school student in the marching band. Chang makes a bet with the school’s basketball star, Matt, that he can dunk by homecoming, despite being just 5’ 8″. Chang Can Dunk features cast members Bloom Li, Dexter Darden, Ben Wang, Zoe Renee and Chase Liefield.
Chang Can Dunk was shot on-location at Westhill High School in Stamford, Connecticut. “That was really challenging because they had school,” Shao says. “It’s exciting for the students but logistically, we could only shoot on the weekends and we had to follow all these…
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