A RENEWAL OF THE LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL
CHAPTER 1: VC Values and the LAAPFF Programming Team
linda interviewing a protestor at an anti-marcos rally
“How can we utilize media as a form to empower our communities?”
The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF), as part of Visual Communication’s (VC) year-round programming, intends to engage communities in reflections and conversations that empower and inspire. To build stronger connections to communities we serve, we are adding individual chapters to this Festival Renewal page, to shed light on our process and the values that inform our process. The VC values enacted through the festival are:
JOY: As we continue to work towards dismantling oppressive structures, we cultivate Joy as a foundation of wellness and as a means to deeply connect with each other and our allies in the work. We value a sustainable, thriving, and happy culture of work.
WELLNESS: When we are in good physical, mental/emotional and financial health, we can support each other with the honesty and care that we each deserve.
IMPACT AND INSPIRATION: We value diverse Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander stories that create impact and storytellers who inspire. When these stories can reach diverse audiences, we grow the opportunity to build solidarity and strengthen connections to each other.
COMMUNITY: The foundation of VC was fueled by the burgeoning Civil Rights and Anti-War movements; movements led by fellowship of diverse leaders. We continue the work in that spirit, and are grateful to be in community with those whose efforts work towards dismantling oppressive systems. We center ethics and accountability to the Community, as we create programming. And we continue to grow our practice of community listening and learning; as a way to build stronger solidarity with each other.
CROSS CONNECTIONS: We value creativity, inclusion and equity through Cross Connections; the intersections and convergences of thought.
We use these values to build the 39th edition of LAAPFF, which will be comprised of:
Film presentations that utilize storytelling to prompt reflections of wellness and opportunities to heal and/or grow abundance.
Panel discussions that hold space for artists and audiences to converge around issues and move towards solutions.
Social gatherings that create time for festival audiences, artists and staff to re/connect with each other and build regenerative relationships.
Each program of the festival is connected by a renewed intention to center the communities that we serve. LAAPFF 2023 will be a place where regenerative programming fosters wellness and joy. We hope that audiences who experience the festival will be moved to model similar values in their personal and professional lives.
Visual Communications builds LAAPFF program and the LAAPFF team utilizing:
JOY: As a festival team, we value a sustainable, thriving, and happy culture of work. We welcome opportunities to cultivate Joy in our connections to each other, by centering each other’s lived experience of happiness and care. Together, we will build a festival program that amplifies that Joy.
WELLNESS: To cultivate a sustainable and happy culture of work, we remunerate for the efforts of our Programmers. This includes time spent to watch & rate films, and time for team meetings. We will amplify this value through our festival programming.
IMPACT AND INSPIRATION: We grow our Programming team with folks who value diverse Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander stories that create impact and storytellers who inspire. We welcome diverse perspectives to enrich our understanding of how stories can impact different audiences. We look forward to audience and artist connections that generate an additive impact for our communities.
COMMUNITY: We center ethics and accountability to the community, as we build programming. The Festival Programming team builds LAAPFF by utilizing lived experience, an awareness of Asian and Pacific Islander communities in this nation and abroad, an understanding of the Visual Communications history and programming legacy, and a desire to activate VC’s mission. We disrupt the idea that a Film Festival Programmer’s role is to uphold an expertise in film studies, media studies or film industry experience. We lean away from a gatekeeping experience of Film Festival spaces built on the perceived expertise of a Programmer/Programming team. LAAPFF Programmer’s practice includes building relationships with the communities that we serve to better understand their concerns/needs, and developing programming that may yield a positive and regenerative impact on the audience. We welcome community feedback, especially during the festival, to deepen our relationship with various audiences.
CROSS CONNECTIONS: As a Festival team, our diverse perspectives yield Cross Connections on creativity, inclusion and equity. With each film viewing, we gather insight from our individual lived experiences. We hope the festival lineup will inspire similar reflections and spark regenerative impact.
CHAPTER 2: The Value of Community
Linda in Community during a Chilivisions event
“We didn’t have access to the major museums to exhibit works; so our organization, as well as other organizations, took on the responsibility of showing and exhibiting these [Asian and NHPI] films. Because we felt they were important. Our community of filmmakers have something to say.”
Visual Communications is an organization founded on Community. As media producers, we amplify the voices of the communities that we serve. As exhibitors, we bridge audiences to stories that can inspire communities to catalyze change. When we gather around film presentations and panel discussions, we look to our values to help us connect to audiences in a most meaningful and impactful way.
JOY: As we create programming and select venues, we reflect on the neighborhoods that bring joy to our audiences and look for venues that have joyful relationships with the patrons that frequent their space.
WELLNESS: When we select venues, we continue our journey of how to make our programs accessible for everyone. We look for venues that have intentional access offering for folks with varying access needs.
IMPACT AND INSPIRATION: We deepen our practice of programming in venues that have a legacy of cultivating connections with the communities. We desire to present programming that compliments that legacy, helps strengthen solidarity and activates storytelling towards impact.
COMMUNITY: We center the value and the locations of the communities that we serve. As we look for venues for film presentations, we welcome the opportunity to activate non-theatrical venues that are more meaningful to our audiences.
CROSS CONNECTIONS: We desire to be in community with artists who are willing to disrupt the dominant opinion of a theatrical exhibition. When we welcome alternate ways to exhibit films for our audience, we foster new ways to imagine how our stories impact communities and ultimately imagine a brighter future for us all.
We will continue adding more chapters of insight to this renewal page. In doing so, Visual Communications encourages feedback and/or correction from community members like yourself. We value the dynamic nature of building community with you. You can send questions/comments/concerns HERE.
