2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Celebrates Short Filmmaking Presenting over 130 Short Films

/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT
FRANCISCO SANCHEZ - FSANCHEZ@TCDM-ASSOCIATES.COM
VINCE JOHNSON - VJOHNSON@TCDM-ASSOCIATES.COM

SHORT FILMS STARRING JON JON BRIONES, WHOOPI GOLDBERG, DANIEL K. ISAAC, RYAN JAMAAL SWAIN, TESS PARAS, KIEU CHINH, AND MING-NA WEN WILL BE FEATURED IN NUMEROUS PROGRAMS

THE FRIDAY NIGHT FEST HIGHLIGHT WILL BE THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE HBO ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN VISIONARIES SHORTS WINNERS

WINNER OF THE GOLDEN REEL AWARD QUALIFIES FOR ACADEMY AWARDS® CONSIDERATION

FESTIVAL SPECIAL MUSIC SIDEBAR CINEMA MUSICA

April 18, 2019 - The 2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, presented by Visual Communications, will feature over 130 short films during the nine day fest from May 2 - May 10. These cinema gems from around the globe featuring stories about love, family, heartbreak, friendships, and self acceptance are all part of the exciting line up.

This year’s unique programs of shorts will feature brilliant talent both in front and behind the camera including actors such as: Academy Award® winning actress/TV Host Whoopi Goldberg (GHOST/THE VIEW); Andrea Bang (KIM’S CONVENIENCE); Jon Jon Briones (MISS SAIGON/THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE); Daniel K. Isaac (BILLIONS); Ryan Jamaal Swain (POSE); Kieu Chinh (THE JOY LUCK CLUB; NCIS-LA); Tess Paras (CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND); Jake Choi (SINGLE PARENTS, THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR); Ming Na-Wen (AGENTS OF SHIELD; THE JOY LUCK CLUB); and others. Renowned directors include Bertha Bay-Sa Pan; Hao Wu; Trevor Jimenez; Chris Nguyen; Akira Boch; Eugene Suen; Elizabeth Sung and more.

LAAPFF is proud to be an Academy Award® qualifying festival for the Short Film Awards. With over 100 eligible films, the winner of the Grand Jury Prize for LAAPFF’s Golden Reel Award for Narrative Short Film will be eligible for consideration in the Academy Award® Animated Short Film/Live Action Short Film category . Additionally, the Festival gives out a Golden Reel Award for Excellence in Documentary Short Films.

“LAAPFF has a rich legacy of storytelling in our shorts programs,” states Senior Shorts Programmer Eseel Borlasa. “Over the years the Festival has shown fantastic works, including: SOUR DEATH BALLS by Jessica Yu and GRIN by Tanuj Chopra. From the world premiere works in Armed With A Camera to the re-imagined presentations in the Re-Scored program, this year’s batch of shorts and episodics continue that legacy, with varied perspectives, forms, and visual style.”

SHORT FILM HIGHLIGHT - THE PATIENTS (WORLD PREMIERE)

This year, one of the special highlights of the shorts programs is the world premiere of THE PATIENTS - the directorial debut from actress/filmmaker Tess Paras (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) who wrote, directed and stars in this drama. It raises the question, “How do you explain #MeToo to your immigrant parents?” Paras co-stars with Jon Jon Briones (FX series American Horror Story; FX series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story) Eugene Cordero (Kong: Skull Island), Melody Butiu, Lilan Bowden (Disney Channel’s Andi Mack) and Jake Choi (Single Parents). THE PATIENTS premieres Sunday, May 5th at 7:00 PM at Downtown Independent as part of the I Gotchu Fam, Always shorts program.

THE HBO APA VISIONARIES SHOWCASE

HBO continues their celebration of Asian Pacific American storytellers this year with their HBO ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN VISIONARIES showcase. In a unique filmmaker support initiative between Visual Communications and HBO, LAAPFF will present the winning entries from the HBO APA Visionaries Short Film Competition, in which Asian Pacific American artists bring to light their worlds, their visions, and their voices. This year's winners are HALWA directed by Nirav Bhakta, MOONWALK WITH ME directed by So Young Shelly Yo, and ZOETIC directed by Julie Zhan. These films will have their World Premiere on Friday, May 3rd at the Pacific Design Center, and will be available exclusively on HBO platforms in May.

AWARD WINNING SHORTS JOIN THE LINE UP

Three award winning films join this year’s shorts as examples of excellence in filmmaking.

  • WEEKENDS, an animated narrative short directed by Trevor Jimenez was nominated for an Annie award and also an Academy Award® nominee for Best Animated Short.

  • WAYWARD EMULSIONS an experimental short from director Tina Takemoto recently won the Experimental Shorts Grand Jury Prize at the 2019 Slamdance Film Festival.

  • Director Danech San brings his award winning film A MILLION YEARS to Los Angeles after winning the Best Southeast Asian Short Award at the 2018 Singapore International Film Festival.

CINEMA MUSICA presents COUNTERFLOW: CURRENTS IN NEW FILIPINO/A MUSIC and RE-SCORED: A FILM AND MUSIC PERFORMANCE.

As part of Visual Communications’ effort to celebrate the interplay of sight and sound, LAAPFF is presenting COUNTERFLOW: CURRENTS IN NEW FILIPINO/A MUSIC and RE-SCORED: A FILM AND MUSIC PERFORMANCE as part of its CINEMA MUSICA programming. COUNTERFLOW is a visual mixtape experience featuring against the grain music from the Philippines from artists redefining and reworking the contemporary Filipina/o music landscape.

Counterflow: Currents In New Filipina/o Music
This special music/film program is a visual mixtape experience featuring against the grain music from the Philippines from artists redefining and reworking the contemporary Filipina/o music landscape. A video companion to the Counterflow: Currents In New Filipina/o Music playlist.

RE-SCORED celebrates the contributions and artistry of film composers in the APA community and, through a live performance setting, it is also an experiment in capturing that moment when music and image embrace into one, evoking emotions and creating indelible memories. The program is a mixed-media event featuring groundbreaking composers, emerging talent, and legendary artists who will perform alternative live scores for short films from Visual Communications’ award-winning filmography. Composers/ performers for this event include Winston Raval, Diwa de Leon, Joy Ngiaw, and Kyoko Takenaka.

RE-SCORED utilizes moving images from Visual Communications’ Archives and is a partnership with VC’s CENTERING THE MASSES, a series of free pop-up events and programs at 341 FSN, in the heart of Los Angeles Little Tokyo. The nine-week series running from April 5th to May 30, 2019 brings together artists, cultural workers, entertainment professionals, and civic personalities to celebrate and explore all the ways that motion pictures and media artworks impact our lives.

THE FULL 2019 LAAPFF SHORTS PROGRAMS DESCRIPTIONS BY PROGRAM

Armed With a Camera vol. 2019
Visual Communications is proud to guide the next generation of storytellers in visualizing their amazing stories through the Armed With a Camera Fellowship. Watch these films that range from a documentary on a mother’s reconciliation with her cancer prognosis, to a visionary experimental representation of toxic masculinity, to a narrative of estranged brothers coming together for the first time in wake of a family crisis.

Blooming Colors
With a myriad of new voices emerging in queer cinema and a deep desire to move beyond the traditional coming out narrative, LGBTQ filmmaking is breaking new ground. Sexy, heart breaking, visceral, and even funny, this program immerses the viewer into these colorful worlds.

Digital Histories 2019: Ideas, Observations, and Inspirations
H.G. Wells said that “Human history, in essence, is the history of ideas.” Digital Histories brings the unique perspectives of our older adult filmmakers and allows them to share their personal, yet universal ideas through their art. Death, camaraderie, displacement, personal passions, belonging, and the appreciation of the little things are given light through imaginative, thoughtful, and sometimes experimental ruminations on life lived today.

Special Tribute - Elizabeth Sung, From Actor to Icon
Even as she was hard at work carving out a career on both the big and small screen, Elizabeth Sung (1954-2018) actively sought opportunities to transcend her one-dimensional persona as an actress, the better to become an all-encompassing artist and auteur. From her early work with future acting colleagues and an extended career on daytime network soap operas, a pivotal invitation to the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women set the stage for Elizabeth’s development into a multi-hyphenate artist: as actor, director, writer, producer, and even mentor. In this special tribute program, we recognize Elizabeth’s wide-ranging career and, in particular, her impact on generations of Asian Pacific American cinematic and performing talents who would follow her.

Episodics
Once again LAAPFF will spotlight new episodic works from directors utilizing this new content online viewing platform for their works to be seen. Carving new paths of storytelling, these works lead you to provocative moments of wit, laughter, and intimacy.

From Visions to Reel: Finding Home
Nathan Ramos (Club Mickey Mouse; As We Babble On) will present a short keynote prior to the opening of this program. Is home a place, a person, a moment in time, a favorite meal? Finding Home showcases the Asian and Asian American experience from the point of view of young, emerging filmmakers. Find out what home means to the next generation of must-see Asian American and Pacific Islander talent.

I Gotchu Fam, Always
It’s the terror of knowing what the world is about, don’t be alone when you find out. These selections of shorts take the audience there.

Itsy Bitsy Shorts
LAAPFF once again brings treats for the younger audiences. Wonder, discover, and be captivated at this eye popping and ear perking hodge-podge of sights and sounds for all ages. Selected by the family team of Glenda Gamboa, Children’s Librarian and mom, Kamayo Quizon, Pre-Teen Movie Aficionado and son, and Joel Quizon, the dad.

Kids Shorts (Not the Kind You Wear)
Stories of courage, determination, fascinations, and plain old hunger. The will of the young and the young at heart is strong. Selected for younger audiences by the family team of Glenda Gamboa, Children’s Librarian and mom, Kamayo Quizon, Pre-Teen Movie Aficionado and son, and Joel Quizon, the dad.

#LIFE
This curated program provides a cinematic invitation to step into contemporary perspectives on family, culture, and career.

Pacific Cinewaves
The culture and stories of Oceania have been carried on, from one generation to the next. These works highlight contemporary storytelling from 3 regions of Oceania diaspora: Hawaii, Micronesia and Guam.

Parentals
How do parents and children take on the complexities of today’s world?

Reel Sports
These short documentaries follow the lives of athletes on the futbol field, beyond the basketball court and within the sumo wrestling ring.

The Space Between
It’s more than a lyric in a Dave Matthews song – it’s the name of a short film program line-up! More importantly, it defines the emotional rhythms and themes reverberating through these films; each featuring mysterious forces that attract and repel us, sometimes affecting disparate beings in the most unlikely ways.

The Tipping Point
Little things can make a big difference. Watch how these female-driven films – although short – will make you laugh, cry, gasp, or fall out of your chair. Your evening won’t be the same.

WWYD (What Would You Do?)
Pixelated glimpses of some of the intimate moments of life. From a panicked search for a missing child, to the remnants of loss and war; this collection of live action, experimental, and animated works poignantly asks, “What would you do?”

Tickets and more information on this years shorts is now available online at festival.vcmedia.org.  

The Festival opens May 2nd with the World Premiere of YELLOW ROSE directed by Diane Paragas and starring Broadway legend Lea Salonga and emerging star Eva Noblezada. Two acclaimed festival favorites will screen as the Centerpiece Films at the Festival; GO BACK TO CHINA directed by Emily Ting and MS. PURPLE directed by Justin Chon. The closing night film is the world premiere of EMPTY BY DESIGN directed by Andrea A. Walter premiering on Friday, May 10.  Tickets for the Festival are now on sale.

For ticket purchase, program information and a complete listing of sponsors and partners, please visit festival.vcmedia.org.

ABOUT VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS

Visual Communications’ mission is to develop and support the voices of Asian American and Pacific Islander filmmakers and media artists who empower communities and challenge perspectives. Founded in 1970 with the understanding that media and the arts are powerful forms of storytelling, Visual Communications creates cross cultural connections between peoples and generations. The organization turns 50 in 2020. Learn more at vcmedia.org.

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL

Presented by Visual Communications, the 35th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) will take place MAY 2 - MAY 10, 2019 at select cinemas in the Los Angeles area. LAAPFF is the premiere showcase for the best and brightest of Asian Pacific American and international cinema. The largest festival of its kind in Southern California, LAAPFF is also a proud Academy Award®-qualifying film festival for the Short Film Awards.  For program information, a complete listing of sponsors and partners, and to purchase tickets, please visit festival.vcmedia.org.

The Festival is proud to be partnering with the following screening venues across Los Angeles and Southern California:

  • 341 FSN: 341 E 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

  • Aratani Theatre @ JACCC – Little Tokyo (DTLA): 244 S San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

  • Aratani Central Hall at JANM (Japanese American National Museum): 100 N Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012

  • Tateuchi Democracy Forum @ National Center for the Preservation of Democracy: 111 N Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012

  • Downtown Independent – Downtown L.A. (DTLA): 251 S Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

  • Pacific Design Center: 8687 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069

  • Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center: 1000 W Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90015

The 2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is sponsored by:

PLATINUM LEVEL
COMCAST NBC Universal
HBO

GOLD LEVEL
Nielsen

SILVER LEVEL
Sony
Taiwan Academy
Warner Bros. 

BRONZE LEVEL
ABS-CBN
City National Bank
Directors Guild of America
Flash Cuts
Flipcause
IW Group
Motion Picture Editors Guild
Pechanga
SAGindie
SAG-AFTRA
The Famous Group
MUFG Union Bank

STAR LEVEL
Academy for Creative Media System, University of Hawaiʻi
Cathay Bank
CAPE
Cinematografo
Gold House
JINS Eyewear
LA Philharmonic
Metro
Pacific Islanders in Communications
Stage 13
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Writers Guild of America West

GOVERNMENT: National Endowment for the Arts; California Arts Council; Dept. of Cultural Affairs; Los Angeles County Arts Commission; Historical Community Neighborhood Council (HCNC);

FOUNDATION: Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Aratani Foundation; Asian Pacific Community Fund; SAG-AFTRA Producers Industry Advancement & Cooperative Fund, KEIRO, Little Tokyo Service Center

MEDIA: Character Media; A-DOC, Angry Asian Man; Go Little Tokyo; Long Distance; This Filipino American Life; Potluck Podcast Collective; Pacific Rim Video Press; International Documentary Association; Giant Robot Media, YOMYOMF

IN KIND: AAAZA; AFC Soyfoods; Asahi; Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience, Brewyard Brewery; Boos Philly; Cafe 86; Cafe Dulce; IsaMADE; Chef Kryssie Tinsay; Chung Jung One; Creme Caramel; Far Bar; Echo Park Film Center; First Street Catering; Found Coffee; GoGo squeeZ; Harmless Harvest; HiFi Kitchen; KIND; LT Vibes; Mark Redito; Meiji; MFK by Aysee; Ninong’s Pastries & Cafe; Oculus; Passion Planner; Primo Water; Simple DCP; Spitz; Southern Glazers Wine and Spirits; The Freezin’ Point; The Park’s Finest; Wolf and Crane; Yelp

VENUE: 18 Social; Downtown Independent; Japanese American Cultural & Community Center; Japanese American National Museum; Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center; 341 FSN, Pacific Design Center

HOTEL: Hotel Indigo

###