Senior in Motion: Digital Histories Fellow Michi Tanioka

Senior in Motion: Digital Histories Fellow Michi Tanioka

A veteran of the Digital Histories program since 2006, Michi Tanioka has produced a body of documentary works that comment incisively on the world in which older Asian Pacific Americans find themselves. In an interview with Visual Communications Development Associate Connie Oh, Michi talks about her latest film IT AIN'T HEAVEN, BUT CLOSE 'NUFF, and the challenges of negotiating life in one's Golden Years.

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Never Too Old: Digital Histories Fellow Fran Ito

Never Too Old: Digital Histories Fellow Fran Ito

While not one of the original set of fellows who signed on for the Digital Histories program at its inception in 2004, Fran Ito's many short documentaries have proven to be among the most-anticipated offerings at recent editions of The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. How does a woman in her mid-80s keep "pushing the envelope?" In this conversation with Visual Communications Development Associate Connie Oh, Fran shares her perspectives on being creative long into her retirement years, and intimates that there is lots more up her sleeve...

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Filmmaker Profile: Quyên Nguyen-Le

Filmmaker Profile: Quyên Nguyen-Le

While the latest cycle of Visual Communications' Armed With a Camera Fellowship is barely over, already one of our seven 2015-2016 Fellows' productions is attracting heated attention — NUʼÔʼC, an experimental narrative by Quyên Nguyen-Le, whose filmmaking background has been augmented by studies in Comparative Literature, Philosophy, and Politics. In a conversation with VC summer program associate Joey Scher, Quyên talks about the making of NUʼÔʼC and the challenges of applying formalist cinematic languages into short-form filmmaking.

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Digital Histories Fellow NK Nakamura Profiled

Digital Histories Fellow NK Nakamura Profiled

Visual Communications Development Intern Connie Oh recently had a chance to ask Digital Histories fellow NJ Nakamura about her short documentary COOK IT YOURSELF, which had its World Premiere screening last April at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Nakamura, a recently-retired oncology nurse, talks about the challenges of her first attempt at making a film, and the excitement of sharing her work with an audience.

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Director Andrew Ahn: 10 Questions +

Director Andrew Ahn: 10 Questions +

The Los Angeles Premiere screening of Andrew Ahn's award-winning SPA NIGHT represents not only a long-awaited opportunity for supporters of this native Angeleno to find out why his debut feature has attracted intense "buzz" since its premiere screening at Sundance 2016 — it is also a homecoming screening for a wide variety of reasons. VC staffer Abraham Ferrer goes past the hype and gets Andrew to talk in detail about his film's placement in the larger arena of Asian Pacific American cinema, as well as the challenges of making a film that is much more than it seems...

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