Ten years ago, film editor Bao Tran dreamed of writing and directing his debut feature, a warmhearted kung fu comedy set in Seattle and centered on three childhood best friends who reunite in middle age to avenge their murdered master. “The Paper Tigers” finally arrives in theaters and online Friday – after a not-always-smooth journey. When Tran began pitching his screenplay to financiers years ago, the reaction was often discouraging.
“We pitched it around Hollywood and Los Angeles and the production studios – they needed star power,” said Tran, a native of Olympia who now lives in Seattle and has worked in the film industry here and in Vietnam.