“We got a lot of pushback about our all-minority leading cast,” says Al’n Duong, a 36-year-old father and filmmaker based in Kent, who is a producer on the film. The story surrounds three former martial arts prodigies (two Asian American, one African American). Now middle-aged, the estranged pals must upend their “civilian” lives to avenge their possibly murdered kung fu master. Duong recalls the standard studio reaction: “They’d say, ‘We love it. Maybe we could do it with just one Asian guy.’ ”

Update: Filmmakers released the first official trailer for The Paper Tigers on May 8, 2020. Take a look.

The Paper Tigers team was determined to make the film as originally envisioned. Long before the blockbuster success of Crazy Rich Asians (which grossed $238 million worldwide), they felt certain there was an audience for their kind of movie.

(L-R) Second assistant camera Alex Farias, director of photography Shaun Mayor, and producer Al’n Duong on set in Shoreline. (Photo by Jesse Amorratanasuchad)

“We knew it was marketable, so we ran with it,” Duong says.

They took to Kickstarter and raised $124,000. That success, combined with a slick proof-of-concept trailer and a coveted slot at Cannes Film Festival’s networking program for movies in development, grabbed the attention of key investors. Thanks to several big donors (including a lifelong local who studied under Seattle transplant Bruce Lee), they were able to drum up the $1 million shooting budget — and have as many Asian characters as they pleased.