LA Asian Pacific Film Festival 2018

34th Annual Asian Pacific Film Festival
MAY 3-12, 2018 - Little Tokyo - Koreatown - West Hollywood

Visual Communications (VC), the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, announced its outstanding program of films and events for the upcoming 34th edition of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) running MAY 3 - MAY 12, 2018. The all encompassing annual film celebration is presented across Los Angeles in West Hollywood, Downtown LA, Little Tokyo, the Arts District, Koreatown, and Hollywood.

VC proudly celebrates the Film Festival’s 34 years as Southern California’s largest and most prestigious film festival of its kind.  LAAPFF launches the celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month through this year’s slate of over 100 films from both Asian Pacific American and Asian international artists.  For over three decades, the Festival has presented nearly 5,000 films by Asian Pacific American and Asian International talent. This year, 39 feature films and 79 shorts from the over 800 submissions will be showcased during the ten-day fest.

The Festival opens with the Los Angeles premiere of the award winning feature SEARCHING starring John Cho and Debra Messing.  The film, which will hit theaters in August via Sony Screen Gems, gives audiences an early chance to see the movie that took the NEXT audience award and the Alfred P. Sloan award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The film is directed and co-written by first-time feature filmmaker Aneesh Chaganty.

SEARCHING is a suspenseful and hyper-modern thriller about a desperate father searching for his missing teenage daughter. After an unsuccessful local investigation, David (John Cho) decides to search the one place no one has looked yet - the internet. Joseph Lee and Michelle La also star in the film. This Opening Night film will screen on Thursday, May 3rd at 7 PM at the Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood, and will be followed by a Q&A with the director and members of the cast and crew.

A first for LAAPFF,  our CENTERPIECE FILMS will feature two outstanding world premieres with IN THE LIFE OF MUSIC and FICTION & OTHER REALITIES. Both films are from Los Angeles based filmmakers, who share how music can craft identity and individuality, while serve as a guiding light in one's path.

IN THE LIFE OF MUSIC is the first Cambodian film to be presented as a Festival Centerpiece film. Co-Directed by Caylee So (an LAAPFF alumnus and leader of the vibrant Long Beach Cambodian community) and Sok Visal, their film is a touching family drama on how music can tether a family almost eradicated by the Khmer Rouge regime.

FICTION & OTHER REALITIES is inspired by stalwart Korean American musician Bobby Choy (a.k.a. Big Phony)'s move to Seoul to focus on his music and realign with his roots. The film is a funny and poignant music-infused love story, reminiscent of ONCE. It is co-directed by Steve Lee and Bobby Choy, who also wrote the film and stars as the lead.

Centerpiece Films will be presented on Saturday, May 5th at the Aratani Theatre at the Japanese American Community and Cultural Center (JACCC) in Little Tokyo - Downtown Los Angeles.  

The CLOSING NIGHT FILM is the Los Angeles premiere of the acclaimed 2018 Sundance World Documentary Special Jury Award winner MATANGI/ MAYA/ M.I.A., directed by Stephen Loveridge. Inspired by her roots, M.I.A. created a mashup, cut-and-paste identity that pulled from every corner of her journey; a sonic sketchbook that blended Tamil politics, art school punk, hip-hop beats and the voice of multicultural youth. Never compromising, Maya Arulpragasm kept her camera rolling through her battles with the music industry and mainstream media as her as her success and fame grew. Loveridge draws from Maya's 22-years cache of personal tapes and captures her remarkable journey from immigrant teenager in London to international pop star M.I.A.

MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A. will be presented as the Closing Night Film on Thursday, May 10th at the Aratani Theatre at the JACCC in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles.

Every year, the LAAPFF INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE highlights new films and filmmakers from around the world.  This year is no different as the Festival boasts acclaimed features from Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, New Zealand, China, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom.

LAAPFF will present a Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Asian Pacific International documentary and narrative features.  The lineup of these films in competition are:

COMPETITION DOCUMENTARIES - INTERNATIONAL

• ANGKAR - Dir. Neary Adeline Hay
• BECOMING WHO I WAS - Dir. Moon Chang-Yong, Jin Jeon
• CHINA’S FORGOTTEN DAUGHTERS  - Dir. Vincent Du, Meng Han
• THE CLEANERS - Dir. Hans Block, Moritz Riesewieck
• LATE LIFE : THE CHIEN-MING WANG STORY - Dir. Frank W. Chen
• PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF DESIRE - Dir. Hao Wu
• SINGING WITH ANGRY BIRD - Dir. Hyewon Lee

COMPETITION NARRATIVES - INTERNATIONAL

• IN THE LIFE OF MUSIC - Dir. Caylee So & Sok Visal
• JIMAMI TOFU - Dir. Jason Chan, Christian Lee
• KISS AND SPELL - Dir. Stephane Gauger
• NEOMANILA - Dir. Mikhail Red
• OMOTENASHI - Dir. Jay Chern
• THE THIRD MURDER - Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda
• WARU - Dir. Chelsea Cohen, Ainsley Gardiner, Casey Kaa, Renae Maihi, Awanui Simich-Pene, Briar Grace-Smith, Paula Whetu, Katie Wolfe

STAND UP MAN - DIR. ARAM COLLIER

Films from North America are eligible for the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Asian American documentary and narrative features.  These competition films are:

COMPETITION NARRATIVES - NORTH AMERICA

• AUGUST AT AKIKO’S - Dir. Christopher Makoto Yogi
• THE FEVER AND THE FRET - Dir. Cath Gulick
• FICTION & OTHER REALITIES - Dir. Bobby Choy, Steve Lee
• FISH BONES - Dir. Joanne Mony Park
• FOR IZZY - Dir. Alex Chu
• HANH, SOLO - Dir. Jason Taylor
• STAND UP MAN - Dir. Aram Collier
• WHITE RABBIT - Dir. Daryl Wein

COMPETITION DOCUMENTARIES - NORTH AMERICA

• ANOTE’S ARK - Dir. Matthieu Rytz
• CALL HER GANDA - Dir. PJ Raval
• CORRIDOR FOUR - Dir. Stephen Tringali
• ISLAND SOLDIER - Dir. Nathan Fitch
• MINDING THE GAP - Dir. Bing Liu
• SCIENCE FAIR - Dir.: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster
• ULAM: MAIN DISH – Dir. Alexandra Cuerdo

LAAPFF is proud to be an Academy Award®-qualifying festival for the Short Film Awards. Recipients of the Film Festival’s qualifying awards will be eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards^® without standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.  With over 60 eligible films, recipient(s) of LAAPFF’s Golden Reel Award for Narrative Short Film will be eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards®.  Additionally, the Film Festival grants a Golden Reel Award for Excellence in Documentary Short Films.

The sharing of experiences through film and media becomes increasingly important during these fast changing times to ensure that our voices, images, and stories are heard and seen.  LAAPFF is proud to present the following important special presentations that include discussions, films, performance art, and media installations that will encourage dialogue, reflection, and inspiration.

ANOTE'S ARK - DIR. MATTHIEU RYTZ

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS include features from across the globe highlighting historical moments, food, and filmmakers that are pushing the boundaries to classic family films. There’s a secret screening that you won’t want to miss!  These include:

• PROOF OF LOYALTY: KAZUO YAMANE AND THE NISEI SOLDIERS OF HAWAII - Dir. Lucy Ostrander, Don Sellers

PROOF OF LOYALTY tells the story of Kazuo Yamane, a Japanese American who played a crucial strategic role in World War II. He and his fellow Nisei fro Hawaii combatted prejudice and discrimination to loyally serve tjeir country, forming the most awarded and celebrated U.S. army battalion. Their extraordinary service, mostly untold, ultimately changed the course of U.S. history.

• THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT – Dir. Ric Burns, Li-Shin Yu

Burns and Yu tackle a complicated yet under told story about a significant piece of U.S. history — the only legislation barring an entire group of immigrants based on ethnicity and race. As highlighted through first-person interviews and archival materials, this film serves as resistance against racism and the resilience of people that shaped the fabric of the United States.

• PRISON FOOD (World Premiere) – Dir. Johneric Concordia

Two special sneak episodes from the new series produced by Discovery Asia, features Johneric Concordia (Owner of The Park's Finest restaurant) teaching inmates how to cook.  Following the screening will be a discussion with the director/chef on the art of cuisine as it builds community.

• IT’S A PARTY – Dir. Weldon Wong Powers

The unsuccessful friends of a popular rapper have gathered for a surprise birthday party at his house, only to realize he may never show up.

• FIND YOUR VOICE – Dir. Chris Herd

After winning the lottery, E, a young Maori rapper, returns home to New Zealand to find his musical and traditional roots. In the quest to find his voice he soon becomes lost as love, culture, and, cash collide on the dark side of the music scene.

• OUT OF STATE – Dir. Ciara Lacy

The award winning documentary OUT OF STATE is the story of outcasts, native Hawaiian prisoners shipped 3,000 miles across the ocean to a for-profit prison in the desert of Arizona. In this unlikely setting, these men discover their fierce indigenous dances, inspiring two native Hawaiians to fight to turn their lives around upon release.

• KULEANA – Dir. Brian Kohne

Kuleana is the Hawaiian word for spiritual responsibility. In 1971, few understood the concept of kuleana, as the Hawaiian Renaissance, a reawakening of island culture, had yet to begin and ancient customs and values teetered on the precipice of extinction. On Maui, childhood friends Nohea and Kim share a common nemesis: Kim's father, Victor Coyle, a real-estate developer who blatantly exploits the land and the people he has managed to usurp and control. Ancestral spirits and modern day warriors also contribute to the fight as Nohea and Kim learn the most important lesson: kuleana is not a burden; it is a privilege.

This year’s LAAPFF competition line-up for Grand Jury Awards for North American feature films is rich with stories and insights from important and nuanced perspectives from creative talent across the spectrum.

SPOTLIGHT ON TAIWAN highlights the best in Taiwanese cinema and the country’s rich culture and history that have shaped the island nation into one of the most dynamic countries in the Asia-Pacific Rim. This section is generously supported by Taiwan Academy of Los Angeles and the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan. 

This year, LAAPFF is honored to present two feature films — Jay Chern’s third feature film, OMOTENASHI, and the world premiere of Frank W. Chen’s documentary LATE LIFE: THE CHIEN-MING WANG STORY.

OMOTENASHI, from a past LAAPFF Award winner Jay Chern (THIEF, LAAPFF 2014), stars Edison Wang as Jacky, the young heir to a construction company in Taiwan. His father sends him to Kyoto to oversee the renovation of the beautiful yet obsolete Bright Moon Ryokan. Jacky is going in hopes to get back his ex-girlfriend Naoko and to sell the hotel. There, he meets the innkeeper Mitsuko and her daughter Rika. Unaware of his hidden agenda, the innkeeper is excited about the idea of turning the hotel into a wedding venue, and suggests that Jacky learns "omotenashi,” the virtue of traditional Japanese hospitality, together with her daughter and her otaku helper.

LATE LIFE: THE CHIEN-MING WANG STORY could be best described as a baseball version of the documentary LINSANITY. Directed by Frank W. Chen and produced by Brian Yang (LINSANITY), the film chronicles Taiwanese baseball player Chien-Ming Wang’s last ditch effort to be recruited back on a professional baseball team after a series of injuries disrupted his trailblazing career in the major leagues. LATE LIFE is an up-close and personal film that delves into Wang's personal drive as a star athlete with a resiliency that impresses everyone in his wake.

In addition, this year’s Spotlight on Taiwan highlights the works of emerging Taiwanese filmmakers with three short films — 100th BIRTHDAY WISH by Chien-Hung Lien, MISS WORLD by Georgia Fu, and FUNDAMENTAL by Shih-Chieh Chiu. These short films present universal stories that are also unique in capturing everyday Taiwanese life. As LAAPFF is an Academy Award®-qualifying festival for the Short Film Awards, perhaps these new directors will be the next Ang Lee.

BECOMING WHO I WAS - Moon Chang-Yong, Jin Jeon

The Festival is proud to partner with our following screening venues across Los Angeles:

Aratani Theatre @ JACCC – Little Tokyo (DTLA)

244 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Aratani 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, (between 3^rd and 2^nd Streets), Los Angeles, CA 90012

CGV Cinemas – Koreatown – Mid-Wilshire
621 Western Avenue (between 6^th Street and Wilshire Blvd.), Los Angeles, CA 90005

Directors Guild of America – West Hollywood
7920 Sunset Boulevard (at Hayworth), West Hollywood, CA 90046

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

AMC Dine-In Sunset 5
8000 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90046

East West Players
120 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

For program information, and to purchase tickets, please visit: LAAPFF2018