The Search for Weng Weng Book/DVD signing with Andrew Leavold

October 2, 2017 Matt Desiderio Events 0

Forbidden Planet and Wild Eye Releasing are proud to present The Search for Weng Weng DVD and Book release party with director/writer Andrew Leavold!

Leavold takes the Americas by storm with a tour to support the release of his book and DVD The Search for Weng Weng. Follow in detail the amazing journey of one man’s obsession with exposing the truth behind the two-foot-nine James Bond of the Philippines. Join us at Forbidden Planet on Friday October 13th at 7PM and meet the man himself… no, not Weng Weng… Andrew!

Friday October 13th 7PM
Forbidden Planet
832 Broadway
New York, NY 10003

About the Book:

It sounds like the bizarre plotline of one of Leavold’s most favored cult films, but in the case of his documentary feature The Search For Weng Weng, reality does indeed kick fiction in the nuts, then runs between its legs.

With Weng Weng’s real story buried under more than thirty years of faulty memories, urban myths and forgotten pop culture, it seemed a Herculean task. Was he really a black belt, super-spy, stunt king, ladies’ man, living saint, and plaything of the Marcos family? What was his real name, how many films did he make, and was he possibly still alive?

It took Leavold seven years to complete the film, against seemingly impossible odds, and then screen the film all over the world, including Weng Weng’s front yard.

But that was just the start of the story.

This book is the definitive search for Weng Weng, an even wilder and woollier tale told by the film-maker himself, as he travels from Imelda Marcos’ birthday party to the poorest slums of Manila, on the trail of one the Philippines’ most unlikeliest heroes – and most heartbreaking stories.

Weng Weng’s tale of exploitation, greed, and fragile humanity is pieced together fragment by tantalizing fragment, all the while revealing a detailed, never-before-told history of the Filipino Action Film, as told by a cast of actors, stuntmen, Weng Weng’s family and colleagues, historians, midget waiters, and Imelda herself.

Plunging head-first into the heart and soul of the Philippines’ culture and history, Leavold also tells his own story of transforming his own life from fan to film-maker, all the while experiencing the most surreal adventure of a lifetime.

It’s part detective story and midget bio, part gonzo travelogue, part Filipino B Film history lesson, and part magical Quest for the Holy Grail – if the Grail is a two foot nine James Bond of the Philippines.

About Matt Desiderio 268 Articles

Matt D has been a manager, buyer and event coordinator at Forbidden Planet since 2005 or maybe it was 2006. Who can remember? We didn't even have computers back then. A native New Yorker from the borough of Queens, raised on Sunday Funnies, Monster Movies and Rock N' Roll. What better place to end up than Forbidden Planet where he can use his position to influence the city's pop culture. A responsibility he takes seriously more now than ever due to New York's consistent change for the worse. The last thing NYC needs is another cafe or bank so thank whatever it is you believe in that Forbidden Planet is here to stay. Beyond the walls of FP, Matt is a publicly recognized expert in cult and horror cinema with a focus on VHS. He is the founder of Horror Boobs a collective that books screenings and distributes weirdo films, the producer of the documentary Adjust Your Tracking: The Untold Story of the VHS collector, the publisher of the Blood Video zine, and is regrettably responsible for resurrecting the career of schizophrenic Shot-on Video director Carl J Sukenick. E-mail him at Mattdfpnyc@gmail.com Follow him on various social media at @horrorboobs