Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2019 Celebrates Short Filmmaking Presenting Over 130 Shorts

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Category: Entertainment News

Published on Saturday, 20 April 2019 10:20

Written by Hildy Johnson

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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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. Dean Ishida's  FLO'S BUS will precede this program.

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.

ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES

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.

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. 

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