The Visual Communications (VC) Film Festival / Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) is the largest film festival in Southern California dedicated to showcasing films by and about Asians & Pacific Islanders around the world. The annual Film Festival features a robust lineup of in-person programming, along with virtual programming for our audiences at home in Southern California and beyond, and honors our cultural and movement workers who create worlds of truth and imagination.
In our continued work to create spaces for expression, engagement, and empowerment, despite times of social, cultural, and political divisiveness, we celebrate diverse storytellers who believe in the power of our stories to initiate change. When media is weaponized to destroy, these filmmakers build and connect communities. From presenting the stories of our ancestors and beloved elders, to stories unbounded by youthful energies, we bridge present and emerging generations of storytellers to living histories, so they understand that they are part of a movement. A movement rooted in rebellion towards liberation.
Established in 1983 by Visual Communications, the first non-profit organization in the US dedicated to the honest and accurate portrayals of the Asian American and Pacific American peoples, communities, and heritage through the media arts, the Festival has since presented over 6,000 films, videos, and digital mediaworks by Asian & Pacific Islander artists, and features seminars, panels, in-person guest appearances, and filmmaker awards.
The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is a proud Academy Award®-qualifying film festival for Short Film Awards. Recipient(s) of the Film Festival’s Golden Reel Award for Narrative/Animated and Documentary Short Films will be eligible to submit in the Animated Short Film/Live-Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards®.
Call for entries for the 2027 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival will open in January 2027.
LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL HISTORY
Visual Communications, the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American (APA) media arts center, established the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) in 1983 to promote APA cinema by showcasing the latest new works by established and emerging filmmakers and video artists and hosting filmmaker seminars, panel discussions and symposiums on topics relevant to Asian Pacific cinema.
The Festival has grown exponentially since, reflected not only by increases in both number of total works and artists, but also by substantial increases in attendance from a weekend-long series into a major annual showcase presenting the best of APA and Asian international media. From initially being housed in the then-Japan America Theatre, the Film Festival is now ensconced across Los Angeles and Southern California in various venues which include, the Aratani Theatre, Directors Guild of America, the Japanese American National Museum, CGV Cinemas, Japanese American Cultural & Community Center Regal L.A. LIVE, and more.
The Film Festival serves as a crucial launching ground for APA cinema through the premiere screenings of important new works as well as the development and nurturing of emerging talents via innovative programming initiatives including Digital Histories, the Armed With a Camera Fellowship, and C3: Conference for Creative Content. Past initiatives have included the VC Digital Academy, Project Catalyst, and the Visual Communications Film Development Fund.
AWARD WINNERS
The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival has conferred filmmaker awards beginning in 1995, when short films were recognized. The impact of short film and video on the growing Asian Pacific cinematic community was confirmed when, in 1998, the awards were named the King Hu Award (later the Festival Golden Reel Award) to recognize overall excellence in the short subject format; and the New Directors/New Visions Award in recognition of innovative and original use of cinematic language and vision. The New Directors/New Visions Award was augmented in 2004 to recognize the efforts of former Visual Communications Executive Director Linda Mabalot to nurture and develop emerging Asian Pacific filmmaking talents.
Beginning in 2004, after a five-year break, the Film Festival resumed handing out awards for feature-length film and video works. Recognizing the growing technical accomplishment and vision of our communities’ cinematic artists, the Festival in 2006 instituted Grand Jury and Special Jury Awards in both narrative and non-fiction feature-length film. Complementing these awards are the Festival Audience Awards recognizing the Festival audience’s favorites in both narrative and non-fiction; and Special Jury citations for excellence in Acting.
PAST FESTIVALS
