LATEST NEWS
Meet an AWC Alum: Tiger Souvannakoumane
Learn about one of our past AWC alumni from Class of 2013, Tiger Souvannakoumane, who directed the short film "In Between My Handmade Moments." The Armed with a Camera (AWC) Fellowship is now accepting submissions for its 2016-2017 cycle.
Meet an AWC Alum: Alli Nakamura
Learn about one of our past AWC alumni from Class of 2015, Alli Nakamura, who directed the short film "All The Way." The Armed with a Camera (AWC) Fellowship is now accepting submissions for its 2016-2017 cycle.
VC Fundraiser "Dance the Night Away” on Sat, 10/29!
Support Visual Communications by attending our dance fundraiser "Dance the Night Away," scheduled for Saturday, October 29, 2016 at the Nishi Hongwanji Temple in Little Tokyo! Tickets on sale now!
Meet an AWC Alum: Daniel Hsia
Learn about one of our past AWC alumni from Class of 2003, Daniel Hsia, who directed the short film "I Hate Cheese." The Armed with a Camera (AWC) Fellowship is now accepting submissions for its 2016-2017 cycle.
Meet an AWC Alum: Koji Steven Sakai
Learn about one of our past AWC alumni from Class of 2006, Koji Steven Sakai, who directed the short film "Yigger." The Armed with a Camera (AWC) Fellowship is now accepting submissions for its 2016-2017 cycle.
VC Teams with HBO to Launch “APA Visionaries” Competition
HBO today announced the launch of HBO Asian Pacific American Visionaries, a short film competition dedicated to showcasing emerging APA directors with unique perspectives of the Asian Pacific American experience. Three winning films will be awarded cash prizes and make their premiere at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in April 2017 and offered the opportunity to license their film to premiere exclusively on HBO (and/or its on-demand, digital and/or social platforms) during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May 2017. The deadline for entries is November 7, 2016. Join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #hbovisionaries.
VC Announces 2017 Film Fest Open Call
Visual Communications, the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, is now accepting entries for the 33rd edition of The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, slated for Spring 2017 at select venues in the Los Angeles area.
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.
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...
Meet a VC Summer Intern: Kathy Pham
Summertime is usually an exciting time for Visual Communications, as we bring aboard students from different schools to be part of the VC Family. Learn more about our LACAC Social Media Intern Kathy Pham, who comes to us from UCLA.
Meet a VC Summer Intern: Joey Scher
Summertime is usually an exciting time for Visual Communications, as we bring aboard students from different schools to be part of the VC Family. Learn more about our Archives Intern Joey Scher, who comes to us from the School of Art Institute of Chicago.
Time to Submit for Armed with a Camera 2016-17 Cycle
Visual Communications, the nation's premier Asian American & Pacific Islander media arts organization, has recently announced its call for submissions for the fifteenth cycle of its groundbreaking Armed With a Camera Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists (AWC).
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.
Meet a VC Summer Intern: Farrah Su
Summertime is usually an exciting time for Visual Communications, as we bring aboard students from different schools to be part of the VC Family. Learn more about our Getty Multicultural Exhibitions Associate Farrah Su, who comes to us from Chapman University.
Laika On Board as Sponsor for Armed with a Camera Fellowship and 2017 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Visual Communications (VC) is honored to have outstanding support for our programs, and is exceptionally pleased to welcome prestigious animation studio LAIKA as a sponsor for the ARMED WITH A CAMERA FELLOWSHIP FOR EMERGING ARTISTS (AWC) and the 2017 Edition of the LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL (LAAPFF). LAIKA's visionary support bolsters VC's enduring commitment to nurturing the next generation of Asian American & Pacific Islander media artists, as well as deepening the Festival's impact on our communities.
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.
VC Receives CAC Grant for FfF Interactive Little Tokyo II
In a press statement released July 7, the California Arts Council has announced a grant award of $56,000 to Visual Communications as part of its Creative California Communities program. The grant will be utilized to expand FfF Interactive Little Tokyo!, a multi-format transmedia project that was a highlight of the 2016 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Visual Communications was one of only forty-one grantees statewide for this program.
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...
VC Announces Summer ‘16 Screening Line-Up
Summer 2016 heats up as Visual Communications announces a busy slate of summertime screening events in and around our home here in Los Angeles Little Tokyo. There's something for everyone, from a highly-anticipated Sundance Film Festival award-winner in co-presentationship with one of our long-running community partners, to the Los Angeles Premiere screening of a brand-new work by a longtime member of the extended VC family. And did we mention that our annual Summer Interns Screening Event and Party is on tap as well? Let us stop talking about it, let's show you what's in store.
Uprooted from the Scenes
Visual Communications proudly presents, “Uprooted from the Scenes”, the 10th installment of the Summer Intern Screening Exhibit. Curated by this year’s summer interns, “Uprooted from the Scenes”, showcases a myriad of works by Asian American and Pacific Islander filmmakers that were a part of the 32nd Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the directors and a post-reception with food and drinks as well as an opportunity drawing.