LAGFF 2022

16th Annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival
May 9-15 - Regal L.A. Live! May 12-29 - Virtual

Artistic & Festival Director, Aristotle Katopodis has announced the 16th Annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) will be held on May 9-15, 2022, featuring in-person screenings and events. A virtual film program of screenings and exciting webinars follows from May 12-29. “We’re thrilled to physically welcome back filmgoers and filmmakers, Lets’ Meet Again” states Katopodis. “We received over 250 film submissions this year, many reflecting exceptional creativity and diversity. While the pandemic effect was evident in the number of films produced, the perseverance of the filmmakers is astounding.”

 

Venues & Key Dates

• May 9 - Opening Night Film & Reception, hosted by UCLA’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture, James Bridges Theater at UCLA

• May 10 to 15 – Theatrical Screenings, LA Live Regal Cinemas, DTLA

• May 11 - Hollywood Scene & Be Seen Bash, presented by Power Muse + LAGFF

• May 14 - Filmmaker’s Breakfast, Olympia Dukakis Tribute presented by Apollo Dukakis

• May 15 - Closing Night, Orpheus Awards & Festivities, Silver Screen Theater at Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood

The LAGFF Gold Pass ($175) - https://lagff2022.eventive.org/passes/buy

The LAGFF Gold Pass gives you access to all theatrical screenings (May 9-15); all virtual screenings, webinars and workshops (May 12-29); Opening Night; Preferred Seating for Closing Night; Hollywood Scene & Be Seen Bash; Filmmaker’s Breakfast; Olympia Dukakis Tribute event presented by Apollo Dukakis; Presentations from the International Project Discovery Forum, exclusive audit, May 15.

 

OPENING NIGHT FILM - SMYRNA, MY BELOVED (Σμύρνη μου Αγαπημένη)

Filio Baltatzi, an elderly Greek-American woman, goes to the island of Lesvos to help the refugees. She has a secret: almost a century earlier, her family lived on the island when they themselves were refugees, fleeing Smyrna after the destruction of the city. Filio’s grandmother’s diary tells the story of the family’s turbulent history, shaped by tragic international developments. Filio is accompanied to Lesvos by her reluctant granddaughter, and different generations of women in the same family come together in space and time, through the threads of history, as past and present become one.

CLOSING NIGHT FILM - HOLY EMY (Αγία Έμυ)

After their mother returns to the Philippines, sisters Emy and Teresa live in the tight-knit Filipino Catholic community in the port city of Athens. But when Teresa gets pregnant, Emy is increasingly drawn to mysterious forces that live within her.

2021, Locarno International Film Festival, Switzerland – Best First Feature – Special Mention

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS:

THE POMEGRANATES OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH (Τα Ρόδια του Ναγκόρνο Καραμπάχ)

Thomas Sideris travels to the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a hotbed of fierce confrontation between Armenia and Azerbaijan and extensive military operations for at least thirty years, and records the mass exodus of Armenians from their ancestral homeland. Sideris focuses on people, as they leave their homes, jobs, and fields, following a long refugee path without knowing where or when it will end.

THE STUDENTS OF UMBERTO PRIMO (Οι μαθητές του Ουμπέρτο Πρίμο)

Under Nazi occupation. 96% of the Jewish population of Thessaloniki, Greece was sent to Auschwitz. The Students of Umberto Primo brings to life the adventures, hopes, and dreams of nine Jewish students, based on the archive found by an Italian professor and on testimony from two of the protagonists.

FEATURE FILMS:

18

In a working-class neighborhood of Athens, amid the economic crisis, the resurgence of fascism, and Covid-19, a group of 18-year-old students persecute immigrants, queers, and anyone else who is different. A classmate of theirs refuses to hide his dislike for their actions and soon becomes their target.

MUSA

The love story of Simos and Musa: A descent into darkness led by Simos. Musa wants to leave. In his attempt to stop him, Simos opens and closes the door that separates dream from reality. Will he lose Musa? Himself? Or himself in Musa?

MONDAY

Mickey and Chloe, two Americans in their mid-thirties who live in Athens, meet one whirlwind weekend in the heat of summer. Chloe’s time in Greece is drawing to a close, so she decides to explore whether one weekend’s passion can withstand the reality of the inevitable Monday.

MOON, 66 QUESTIONS (Σελήνη, 66 ερωτήσεις)

After years of absence, twenty-something Artemis returns to Athens to care for her frail father, whom she has never really known. She discovers a well-kept secret from her stoic father’s past, and for the first time, she is able to understand and truly love him.

PATCHWORK

Chara’s family is everything to her, yet she sometimes ponders a life without them. Unable to talk to anybody about her internal turmoil, she carries the burden of guilt and confusion by herself. When she strikes up a hesitant friendship with the shy yet defiant daughter of her new boss, she is forced to confront her existential angst and face a painful past she’s been trying to forget.

SAISON MORTE

A twisted story of deception and betrayal, Saison Morte is a thriller set on an island nearly deserted for the winter. Two mysterious, violent murders have taken place in a secluded hotel, and the only person who can explain what happened is a wounded man named Christos. But the police can’t confirm Christo’s far-fetched story, nobody is who they appear to be, and Christo’s situation grows ever more dire.

PACK OF SHEEP (Αγέλη Προβάτων)

Thanasis can’t pay off his debt to Stelios. When he finds out that Apostolis is in the same position, he asks Apostolis to join him to make a better deal with Stelios. As Thanasis tries to put more players into the game, two young gangsters arrive in town to push over the debtors.

SEEfest 2022

17th Annual South East European Film Festival in LA

April 27- May 2, 2022 - Fine Arts, Lumiere at Music Hall, and Virtual

 

Croatian film MURINA - Camera d'Or winner at Cannes 2021 - opens SEEfest 2022 on April 27 at Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills. Tensions rise between restless teenager Julija and her oppressive father Ante when an old family friend arrives at their Croatian island home. As Ante attempts to broker a life-changing deal, their tranquil yet isolated existence leaves Julija wanting more from this influential visitor, who provides a taste of liberation over a weekend laid bare to desire and violence. Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, the film features outstanding camerawork by Hélène Louvart (The Lost Daughter, Happy as Lazzaro). Directed by: Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic

The 2022 edition of the festival will take place at the Lumiere Music Hall Theatre in Beverly Hills showcasing feature films, documentaries, and shorts from South East Europe. This year the festival will include Ukraine in the program with two outstanding films, the 2022 Sundance directing award winner KLONDIKE directed by Maryna Er Gorbach, and the US premiere of BLINDFOLD directed by Taras Dron. Both films focus on ordinary people trying to live their lives under the constant threat of new conflict and war traumas that just won’t go away. 

For more information please visit SEEfest2022.

  

Other features films in the Festival:

AS FAR AS I CAN WALK from Serbia

A re-imagining of a traditional medieval love epic in which contemporary African migrants take the place of Serbian iconic literary heroes. Urgent and timeless at the same time, the adaptation raises questions about identity, tradition, race and love. The film was awarded the Crystal Globe, top prize of the Karlovy Vary Festival in 2021.

BLUE MOON from Romania

The film follows a girl’s psychological journey as she struggles to achieve higher education and escape the suffocating work at the mountain resort. The undercurrent of emotional violence within her extended dysfunctional family turns Irina from victim into abuser as she stumbles to find her path in an environment rife with mistrust and conflict.  An ambiguous sexual experience gives her the strength to stand up to the violent males in her family. As Irina’s coming of age story unfolds, the larger backdrop paints a stark picture of a family divided between those who went to find the riches abroad and their offspring left behind to tend to the family business in the countryside. Winner of the San Sebastian Festival 2021.

PERPETUITY from Hungary

In this dystopian tale, in the near future instead of shooting stars, planes are shooting from the sky, and instead of feelings, bullets delirium-cursed hit the heart. All that is left is to try and find the right way to connect to others in a futureless world. Directed with aplomb by the filmmaker known for his unique vision and fearless storytelling, Perpetuity blends sci-fi and horror in a potent cinematic mix.    

SUGHRA'S SON from Azerbaijan

The women do the work in a remote village while the men are fighting in WWII. A small group of deserters is hiding in the mountains and when Musa joins them, his little brother Bahtiyar acts as the liaison between the men and the village. When Barat, the lewd head of the kolkhoz, is killed by the deserter Ahad, the KGB arrive to look for the deserters and life for Sughra and Bahtiyar takes yet another dramatic turn.

LA Asian Pacific Film Festival 2022

38th Annual Asian Pacific Film Festival
May 5 - 13, 2022

The Best of Asian Pacific American Films and Filmmakers from Around the World Come to Los Angeles at the 38th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Celebrating New Artists, Legends, Leaders, Creators, Indigenous Voices, and World Premieres

Fest Highlights Include:

The LAAPFF Legacy Award to Mira Nair
The HBO Max APA Visionaries Short Film Competition
The 20th Anniversary of ARMED WITH A CAMERA
SXSW Double Award Winner BAD AXE
Sundance Winner LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE
Alika Tengan’s EVERY DAY IN KAIMUKĪ 
Eugene Yi and Julie Ha’s FREE CHOL SOO LEE
West Coast Premiere of OMOIYARI: A SONG FILM BY KISHI BASHI

World Premieres of ALL I WANT IS EVERYTHING; ISTIKHAARA, NEW YORK; and 80 YEARS LATER

North American Premieres of THE ASSAULT, ARISAKA and THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE

The Los Angeles Premieres of CROSSING; DAWNING; DEALING WITH DAD; DELIKADO; MAIKA; STAY THE NIGHT and WATERMAN

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF), presented annually by Visual Communications (VC), Southern California’s leading showcase for new Asian Pacific American and Asian international cinema, announced today the program for the 38th edition of the festival. The festival returns May 5th to 13th in Los Angeles and will feature an exciting lineup of in-person programming, along with virtual programming for our audiences at home in Southern California and beyond.

As Visual Communications premiere annual event, LAAPFF continues to build connections between peoples and generations through the amplification of Asian and Pacific Islander film, video, and media. The festival celebrates Asian Pacific American filmmakers and Asian international artists with profound, important and entertaining films and content from the new voices of cinema while honoring the legends and leaders who keep this cultural movement going forward. Important themes of representation, authorship, responsibility and ethics are at the forefront of content creation. This year’s line up provides incredible examples of those ideas and themes from Asian Pacific artists who are committed to excellence in cinema in America and around the world.

To kick off  this year's fest, LAAPFF will present an Opening Day lineup of films representative of VC communities and values - setting the stage for community-forward film festival. The lineup will include the LA Premiere of EVERY DAY IN KAIMUKĪ, directed by Alika Tengan, a new and important indigenous filmmaker from Hawaii. Anchoring the evening, LAAPFF will celebrate and introduce the world premiere works from the ARMED WITH THE CAMERA Fellowship. The fellowship  now in its 20th year, has shepherded the early works notable alums including: Christopher Makoto Yogi (Director, I WAS A SIMPLE MAN),  Kristina Wong (2022 Lucille Lortel Awards Nominee for Outstanding Solo Show), Roxy Shih (Director, LIST OF A LIFETIME) and more.This year’s cohort, who gathered during an unprecedented of era social distancing, produced 9 world premieres that tenderly touch upon community movement, family legacy, and ancestral connection.

The 38th Festival edition will also present the LAAPFF Legacy Award to Mira Nair; The HBO Max APA Visionaries Short Film Competition; the SXSW Double Award Winner BAD AXE; Sundance Winner LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE; Eugene Yi and Julie Ha’s timely Sundance hit FREE CHOL SOO LEE; the West Coast Premiere of OMOIYARI: A SONG FILM BY KISHI BASHI (the renowned musician’s directorial debut fresh from SXSW); the North American Premieres of THE ASSAULT, ARISAKA and the animated feature THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE; the Los Angeles Premieres of MAIKA, WATERMAN, DEALING WITH DAD, DELIKADO, CROSSING and STAY THE NIGHT; and the World Premieres of: ISTIKHAARA, NEW YORK; DAWNING; DIGITAL HISTORIES and 80 YEARS LATER.

“In our 38th edition, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival continues to transform itself to reflect our ever-evolving artists and experiences,” says Executive Director Francis Cullado. “In a time when our community is dealing straight up with anti-Asian Hate crimes, living through an uncertain pandemic, and adjusting to the ongoing global issues affecting all of us, our festival is instilling a sense of pride, respect and community through art and film. These stories connect us to one another and fill our lives with a sense of purpose. This year, we share a renewed collectiveness to inspire creativity and support collaboration, and the opportunity to gather and celebrate our histories and our lives from all corners of the world.”

Tickets go on sale Friday, April 15th at 5PM PST to the general public. Complete details available at LAAPFF2022.

 

THE 38TH LAAPFF FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

Opening Day Lineup

The festival will kick off May 5th at the Director’s Guild of America Theater with a robust Day One line-up that includes:
●      The World Premieres of 20th edition of Armed With A Camera showcase, a fellowship for Emerging Media Artists to develop the next generation of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander artists to connect our communities through the power of our stories. Past Armed With A Camera fellows include: Christopher Makoto Yogi (Director, I WAS A SIMPLE MAN) AWC 2013 - MAKOTO: OR, HONESTY; Evan Jackson Leong (Director, SNAKEHEAD) AWC 2003 - SUCKERBALL 73; and Kristina Wong (2022 Lucille Lortel Awards Nominee for Outstanding Solo Show) AWC 2003 - BEAT THE BUS.
●     The Los Angeles Premiere of Alika Tengan debut feature EVERY DAY IN KAIMUKI following its World Premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival. 
●      Anam Abbas THIS STAINED DAWN, a powerful look Karachi’s feminists who organise a woman’s march, coming up against Pakistan’s state, media and radical religious right;
●      And a special showcase featuring the Visual Communications archive, anchored by the early works of Robert A. Nakamura.

Centerpiece Weekend

The festival continues at the DGA Theater with the Centerpiece Weekend featuring:
●      The North American Premiere of Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s THE ASSAULT, fresh from its World Premiere at IFF Rotterdam and the first film from Kazakhstan to screen at the festival.  
●      New feature filmmaker David Siev’s SXSW Audience Award and Special Jury prize winner BAD AXE, a moving look at his in a rural Michigan, as they now fight to keep their restaurant alive in the face of a global pandemic, racial reckoning, and generational scars from the Cambodian Killing Fields.
●      Festival alum Tom Huang’s family dramedy DEALING WITH DAD starring Ally Maki, Hayden Szeto, And Peter S. Kim.
●      First time filmmakers Eugene Yi and Julie Ha’s Sundance sensation FREE CHOL SOO LEE focusing on the story of a Korean American death row inmate convicted of a 1973 Chinatown gangland murder in San Francisco, and the activists who led a pan-Asian American movement to free him .
●      Award winning director Ham Tran’s Vietnamese sci-fi kids adventure MAIKA. When a meteor falls to earth, 8-year-old Hung meets an alien girl from the planet Maika, searching for her lost friend.
●      Fresh new feature filmmaker Martika Ramirez Escobar’s Sundance Special Jury Winner LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE.
●      Emerging filmmaker Renuka Jeyapalan’s debut feature STAY THE NIGHT will screen following its World Premiere at SXSW.

 

Additional Festival Highlights

●      The LA Premiere of WATERMAN, Isaac Halasima’s look at Native Hawaiian and surfing icon Duke Kahanamoku, narrated by Jason Momoa.
●      MSNBC Anchor Richard Lui’s latest film HIDDEN WOUNDS which profiles three families at the intersection of mental health and caregiving.
●      The West Coast premiere of DELIKADO, an environmental thriller on how corrupt corporate and political interests are swallowing small Indigenous communities in the Philippines, and across the globe. 
●      Young Min Kim's narrative feature debut DAWNING, a chilling psychological thriller.
●      Special Presentation of FRAN ROCKSTAR!, a retrospective of short films celebrating one of VC’s beloved veterans of the Digital Histories program, Frances Ito, Ito who will celebrate her 90th birthday this year, will also celebrate the world premiere of her 12th film at this year’s fest.
●      The LA Premiere Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan’s THE HEADHUNTER’S DAUGHTER, winner of the Sundance Short Film Grand Jury Prize.
●      The latest film from acclaimed Philippine director Mikhail Red’s – the revenge thriller ARISAKA - which follows a policewoman who has to retrace the route of the Bataan Death March to escape her captors.
●      The LA premiere of BUSAN, 1999,  a drama from Thomas Percy Kim that follows a Korean-American woman return to her mother's rustic home. 

●      Deann Borshay Liem’s CROSSING, which looks at a group of international women peacemakers sets out on a risky journey across the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
●      Acclaimed musician Kishi Bashi explores the legacy of Japanese American internment through his music in his directorial debut OMOIYARI: A SONG FILM BY KISHI BASHI, co-directed with Justin Taylor Smith which premiered at SXSW.
●      Legacy Award presented to Mira Nair, which will include a Special Anniversary screening of SALAAM BOMBAY!, her acclaimed breakthrough feature film.
●      The North American premiere of the animated feature THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE, adapted from a manga series by the same name and directed by Yutaru Kubo and Satomi Maiya.

The LAAPFF Legacy Award to Mira Nair

This year, the festival will uplift Mira Nair as a pioneer whose storytelling has received industry and critical acclaim, and raised visibility for South Asian narratives.  LAAPFF is delighted to present this year’s LAAPFF Legacy Award to director Mira Nair for the way her nuanced narratives reflect an authentic family voice and prompt critical reflection. LAAPFF audiences can watch a Special Presentation of Nair’s award-winning feature SALAAM BOMBAY! on the big screen. Additionally, virtual audiences at home can watch an artist conversation with Nair.


World Premieres at LAAPFF

LAAPFF is also honored to host the World Premieres of the following films:
●      Yasir Masood’s narrative feature debut ISTIKHAARA, NEW YORK which follows Reza, an artist and Brooklyn transplant, Babbu, a recent immigrant and revolutionary from Delhi, and Rahul, an aspiring Imam and crony capitalist, finding themselves in an America where they are ever the more important but feeling even more looked over.
●      The stylish action thriller ALL I WANT IS EVERYTHING, from director Alexandra Cuerdo.
●      80 YEARS LATER, from Celine Parreñas Shimizu, which captures how families continually grapple with the legacy of Executive Order 9066 which imprisoned Japanese Americans in World War II.