Filipino-American high school student Ben (Dante Basco) works in a comic book shop to earn money to pay his way into Cal Arts. His father, a postman, is determined that his son--who has won a pre-med scholarship to UCLA--will become a doctor. The eighteenth birthday party of Ben's sister, Rose, sets off a comedic and touching series of events and family struggles that will in turn determine young Ben's future. This fresh independent production from Gene Cajayon presents a lighthearted and warm coming-of-age tale filtered through the eyes of an American subculture rarely seen on film.
| Release Date | May 18, 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Released | |
| Original Title | The Debut | |
| Runtime | 1h 28min | |
| Budget | $1,000,000 | |
| Revenue | — | |
| Language | English, Tagalog | |
| Original Language | English | |
| Production Countries | United States of America | |
| Production Companies | Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)National Asian American Telecommunications Association | |