Filipino-American high school student Ben (Dante Basco) works in a comic book shop to earn money to pay his way into Cal Arts. His father, a postman, is determined that his son--who has won a pre-med scholarship to UCLA--will become a doctor. The eighteenth birthday party of Ben's sister, Rose, sets off a comedic and touching series of events and family struggles that will in turn determine young Ben's future. This fresh independent production from Gene Cajayon presents a lighthearted and warm coming-of-age tale filtered through the eyes of an American subculture rarely seen on film.
Release Date | May 18, 2000 | |
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Status | Released | |
Original Title | The Debut | |
Runtime | 1h 28min | |
Budget | $1,000,000 | |
Revenue | — | |
Language | Tagalog, English | |
Original Language | English | |
Production Countries | United States of America | |
Production Companies | Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)National Asian American Telecommunications Association |