Welcome to the World will screen at the 12th Annual Long Island International Film Expo on Sunday, July 15, 2018, at 3:45pm (Day 3, Screening Block 2), at the historic Bellmore Movies in Bellmore, New York. Albert, who co-directed and acted in the film, is scheduled to be in attendance. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors/children/students and are available here.
Welcome to the World is a daring film about a troubled man who records a video message for his pregnant sister. Drawing its power and immediacy from its first-person, confessional style, the film presents, in one continuous 7-minute shot, the journey of one man’s awakening from isolation back to humanity. The film stars Albert and is directed by Albert and Anthony Grasso.
Richard Propes (The Independent Critic) gives it four stars and writes, “RIVETING… CHAN’S PERFORMANCE IS DEEPLY MOVING… LINGERS IN YOUR BRAIN LONG AFTER THE CLOSING CREDITS”. Kirk Fernwood (One Film Fan) praises the film as “INTELLIGENT, INVENTIVE, AND INSPIRED… CHAN DOES A FANTASTIC JOB… DRAWING YOU IN WITH EVERY WORD… THE FINALE IS A STROKE OF CREATIVE BRILLIANCE AND ARTISTRY”. Max White (OC Movie Reviews) raves, “CHAN GIVES A GRIPPING, HEARTFELT AND SINCERE PERFORMANCE WHICH PLUNGES YOU INTO THE MURKY WATERS OF MODERN HUMANITY AND MASCULINITY… HOW HE SQUEEZES SO MUCH RAW EMOTION INTO A SINGLE SHOT MAKES THIS THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY TO SPEND–AND PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE–THE NEXT SEVEN MINUTES OF YOUR LIFE.”
Presented by the Long Island Film/TV Foundation and the Nassau County Film Commission, the Long Island International Film Expo has been named one of the Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World by MovieMaker Magazine. This year’s festival will include over a hundred short and feature-length independent films from all over the world. Past guests include Ed Asner (Mary Tyler Moore Show), Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Billy Baldwin (Backdraft), Ed Burns (Saving Private Ryan), Danny Aiello (Moonstruck), Edie Falco (The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie), Steve Guttenberg (Cocoon), Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid), Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Perfect Storm), Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years), Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray, Huge), Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club), and Robert Vaughn (Man from U.N.C.L.E.).