Meet Kenneth Lui | Writer/Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kenneth Lui and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kenneth, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
It’s an interesting question because for me, the end goal is a moving target. It’s like asking me what my favorite food or song is because it changes with my mood. The end goal? It’s multifaceted. My first instinct is to say the end goal is to express myself. To add something new to the conversation of cinema, throw myself in the current zeitgeist. Whether it’s exploring a fun storytelling technique or expressing a human truth that’s relatable or something that can spark conversation, or simply making something never seen before, ultimately the goal, like with any artistic endeavor, is to find catharsis for myself and hope it can be entertaining. Where do I want to be professionally by the end of my career? The END? I would like to think I could look back at a body of work, be proud of it, and say “Wow, that was really cool!” Hopefully made some things that people take joy from.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

What sets me apart from others? Hard to say without sounding weird. What floats to mind is my ability to NOT take no for an answer. All artistic endeavors, especially film which has so many moving parts, require the “art of being unstoppable” which starts with any negativity from yourself including perfectionism. I’m never just building the film I’m working on, I’m also growing the filmmaker inside as well. Success is a practice not a destination. One has to cultivate the ability to take the spirit of an idea, wade through the challenges, improvise, and using some of the idiosyncratic and unexpected elements that come with making it happen in the real world, make them add to that spirit of the idea. (a lesson I took from Francis Ford Coppola who is particularly good at this.) Over the years I’ve developed my own skills and garnered relationships that mitigate the obstacles. Do good work, don’t be a jerk, build your team, rinse, repeat.

What I’m most proud of or excited about? I’m proud of the fact that I have friendships with artists who I respect, who respect me, and when I have a project that’s exciting, I can enlist fellow “wizards” I can have fun creating with. It’s like getting a team together for a heist in “Ocean’s 11”! That’s what happened on my short films, music videos, commercials, and I carried that philosophy and talent pool to my first feature project which was a very modest production with lots of fun ideas and talented performances. It went on the festival circuit where it won numerous awards not just for writing, directing, and cinematography, but also best cast, which I’m very proud of, and will be streaming sometime soon. All we had were my crazy ideas, a camera and talented actors that trusted me, I gave them permission to go nuts and we got a fun project.

How did I get to where I am today professionally? Not quitting. That’s the first agreement. Not quitting means never stop creating, never let any one person get in the way, never stop looking for the next story to tell. There’s a lot of power in not quitting. HOW did I get where I am? By striving to do good work by outdoing myself with each endeavor, and being a good leader. I’m a student of leadership, which means I also look at the pitfalls of bad leadership. Good leadership isn’t about bossing people around, it’s about having a plan, a vision, and inspiring people to do their best work IN that vision. To “nuture nuttiness” and make artists feel safe to go to “crazy town”. To give other artists permission to lose their minds and trusting you to make them look good. I look for good ideas, put together the team that I think would have a fun time executing their angle on ideas making them better, and having the leadership skills to wrangle all assets towards the ultimate goal. It’s like proposing a potluck dinner that has a specific irresistible theme. It’s not easy but not being easy is what makes it great. (That’s what Tom Hanks said in A League of Their Own! And I thought it was brilliant.)

How to overcome challenges? Something I like to say to myself whenever I hit a challenge, “Don’t get mad, get better.” Which means a bunch of things: -Don’t lose your temper. Emotions can influence you to make bad decisions. – “Get better” can mean a change of personnel or a change in your vision, in a lot of cases especially in film your “original vision” may seem compromised by real life limitations but maybe your original vision could use some heterogeneous energy, so the thinking isn’t so single-minded and adds complexity. An example I’m thinking of is the casting of the iconic Terminator we all love played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Originally that character was written as someone innocuous but Arnold stands out, which doesn’t make story sense if he’s supposed to blend in. But from a dramatic/operatic point of view, the casting of Arnold made sense and forever cemented that actor to that character. Sometimes getting EVERYTHING YOUR WAY, in the end isn’t what’s best for the project. -“Get Better” can also mean, ME getting better at something, wearing a new hat so to speak.

What do I want the world to know about me or my brand and story? I want the world to know that we are all in the same boat and we all share the same humanity in aesthetically interesting ways, and I hope my stories can help that. Like all artists, I just want to connect, share catharsis and beauty. For me that involves stories with a lot of monsters, beautiful people and monsters that ARE beautiful people.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oooh. Everyone’s idea of the best time ever is different. But I’ll give it a go. Foodwise: all the eclectic gems that serve the best authentic cuisines in LA. Delicious Food Corner for Hong Kong diner food (cha chaan teng). Cocary for Taiwanese shabu shabu. Pho N Mor for the best Bun Bo Hue in town. Angel’s Tacos Estilo Tijuana, best al pastor on the planet. Taqueria los Anaya, everything is BOMB! Nicole’s Market and Cafe for charcuterie. Carousel for the best middle eastern ever. Corporate gems: In-N-Out burger, Portos Bakery, Zankou Chicken. Just off the top of my head. We’d hit a few bookstores including The Iliad, Skylight Books, Dark Delicacies, Golden Apple. If possible, catch a live music show at the Hollywood Bowl or Disney Hall. A classic film at the Egyptian is always a good time. A hike on Runyon Canyon. The Academy Museum is pretty dope.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is dedicated to all artists and allies (actors, painters, musicians, digital graphic artists, CGI artists, your uncle who lends you his taxi cab, your mom who lets you shoot in her yard) people who have the vision, courage, and generosity to support the ones with big elaborate crazy visions. The unsung support network that makes so many artistic endeavors possible: the cousin that helps paint the set, your buddy who comes in for a couple hours to man the fogger. I dedicate my shoutout to the people that make shoutouts possible.

Website: kennethlui.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mental.pictures.productions/, https://www.instagram.com/acrazymaker/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MentalPicturesProductions

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-clcGT1l-8X9MYda-RCDhw

Other: https://linktr.ee/mentalpictures artistsinagony.com

Image Credits
Temma Hankin