'Comedy Invasion: Rez Style' Nominated for Canadian Screen Awards 2024

Writer and Star Keith Nahanee in 'Comedy Invasion: Rez Style' ● Photo Credit: Asian American Movies

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 14, 2024 (VSNewsNetwork.com) - The stand-up comedy TV series "Comedy Invasion," produced by Asian American Movies / AAM.tv, has been nominated for Best Comedy Special at the Canadian Screen Awards 2024 for its episode "Comedy Invasion: Rez Style." This marks a significant achievement for the series, which is the first all-diverse Canadian content stand-up comedy TV series created by a diverse team and was initially turned down by every Canadian broadcaster.

"Comedy Invasion: Rez Style" features B.C.’s Squamish Nation comic Keith Nahanee, who shares humorous insights into his life on an Indigenous reservation. The episode is particularly meaningful as it is dedicated to Nahanee's late mother, who attended his last comedy show before passing in 2022.

Despite facing rejection from Canadian broadcasters, Quentin Lee, the creator of the series and a queer API non-binary single-parent immigrant born in Hong Kong, self-financed and distributed the series through the niche streaming platform Asian American Movies / AAM.tv. The series has since been distributed globally through Amazon Prime, The Roku Channel, and Tubi by U.S. distributor Viva Pictures.

“I am most thrilled and grateful to receive this Canadian Screen Awards nomination, which truly validates my vision as a television creator,” expressed Quentin Lee, reflecting on the nomination's significance.

Cindy Au Yeung, also nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards 2024, highlighted the team's dedication to showcasing diverse, BIPOC Canadian stand-up comedians. “We truly believed in the importance of creating this show and a platform to showcase diverse, BIPOC Canadian stand-up comedians, as it is often a space that is ignored. Everyone worked very hard to make this show happen and we are so excited to be able to celebrate this acknowledgement, and it exemplifies how important it is to keep carving your own path,” said Au Yeung.

Following their collaboration on "Comedy Invasion," Nahanee, Lee, and Au Yeung founded Rez Comedy Ltd., a majority Indigenous-owned company, to produce "Rez Comedy," a new stand-up comedy television show featuring all Indigenous and Canadian comics. Despite initial support, the project faced challenges in moving into production, leading the team to adapt the concept into an independent feature film, currently seeking crowdfunding support.

“This Canadian Screen Awards nomination of our episode couldn’t come at a better time … and hope you will support our new venture Rez Comedy as you’re our only lifeline now,” Nahanee stated, emphasizing the importance of community support for their upcoming project.

For more information on "Comedy Invasion" and the team's future projects, visit http://comedyinvasion.ca and http://www.rezcomedy.ca.

Source: Asian American Movies / AAM.tv via Newswire