Surrender

Triggered and wanting to escape her past trauma, Naomi, a young Asian American female, falls into the world of blackjack to regain a sense of control but finds herself addicted to the game.

A Feature Film by Jess Dang

Screenings

Up Next: Houston Asian American Film Festival

Please stay tuned for additional announcements.

For educational screenings, please contact our team using the form.

Film Synopsis

In this poignant and gritty debut feature film, Surrender follows Naomi, a young Asian-American woman whose life is disrupted by her secret gambling addiction. As she navigates her struggles, Naomi confronts feelings of denial and shame, which affect her relationships with family, colleagues, and herself. Ultimately, she reaches a breaking point and must decide between a path of destruction or one of self-love.

Surrender is an exceptional dramatic story that warns of the dangers of gambling addiction. It sneaks up on you with style, empathy, and raw honesty, anchored by Andrea Bang’s quietly endearing yet tragic performance. Ultimately, it’s a grounded and compassionate portrait of a woman caught between ambition, obligation, and the thrill that threatens to undo everything.

-Alan Ng, Film Threat

Read the Article Here

Project Supporters

Surrender explores themes such as: Asian family structures & responsibilities, intergenerational identities and trauma, addiction and its connection to mental health.

Gambling is a way of buying hope on credit"

-Alan Wykes, Journalist

Short Film Screening Highlights Include:

World gambling statistics show that around 26% of the population gamble. That means around 1.6 billion people worldwide gamble and 4.2 billion gamble at least once every year.*

*Source: casino.org