“Yellow Rose” Film Co-Starring Dale Watson Sets Theatrical Debut

A film co-starring Dale Watson about a 17-year-old Filipino girl with dreams of making it big in country music will finally be making it’s theatrical debut in over 800 theaters on October 9th. Directed by Filipino-American Diane Paragas and distributed by Sony Pictures, Yellow Rose has been a long time coming, first covered here on Saving Country Music back in 2014, and is now earning wide distribution following favorable reviews and numerous awards at film festivals.

Rose Garcia (played by Eva Noblezada) is a sensitive, introspective girl who is teased as “Yellow Rose” for her Filipino heritage mixed with her love of all things traditional country music. Rose Garcia finds solace in the music, and spends her nights studying classic country, practicing guitar, and writing country songs.

One night rose slips into a honky tonk in Austin where she meets Jimmy Redburn (played by Dale Watson). When Rose’s mother is picked up by immigration agents, Rose flees the scene to try and save her mom and herself by pursuing her country music dreams. Anxious to rekindle his own country music career, and surprised by the talent of Rose Garcia, Jimmy Redburn decides to take the young girl under his wing.

Yellow Rose has already received some 13 awards, and currently holds an 8.67 out of 10 rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Austin Chronicle saying, “If left in less deft hands, the film could’ve teetered into a too-on-the-nose commentary on America’s current immigration debate. However, the lean screenplay and Paragas’ focused creative vision makes for a singular directorial feature debut that feels like nothing else happening in film right now.”

Eva Noblezada sings her own parts in the film, and is a Tony Award nominee in her performance in Miss Saigon in 2014. Austin landmarks such as The Broken Spoke also make it into the film.

Often film projects either centered around or involving cool country artists are rumored or announced, but it seems rare they actually get made, or when they do, that they’re worth paying attention to, or receive wide distribution. Yellow Rose might be one of the rare exceptions.

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