Southern California’s largest and most prestigious film festival of its kind the
Southern California’s largest and most prestigious film festival of its kind the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF), hosted by Visual Communications (VC) launches the celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month through this year’s slate of films from both Asian Pacific American and Asian international directors from over 20 countries. This year, the festival is proud to present a strong collection of feature-length documentary films, showcasing the non-fiction works from the Asian Pacific Islander community.
“This year’s slate of non-fiction features reflects a continued policy towards incisive and uncompromising storytelling,” states Abe Ferrer, Director of Programming. “The world-view articulated in works such as Yung Chang’s CHINA HEAVYWEIGHT, Carol Liu’s RESTORING THE LIGHT, and Sasha Freidlander’s WHERE HEAVEN MEETS HELL complement the more playful yet impactful voices of Festival veteran Debbie Lum’s SEEKING ASIAN FEMALE and Kane Diep’s UPLOADED in novel, knowing ways.”
“This year we’re honored to host the world premieres of 2 great docs,” says David Magdael, Festival Co-Producer. “I am looking forward to Choi Jin-sung’s I.AM –SM TOWN LIVE WORLD TOUR, a vibrant film that brings the world of K-Pop to the big screen, and Kane Diep’s UPLOADED: THE ASIAN AMERICAN MOVEMENT.
Ferrer adds, “I’m especially proud of the works being showcased through our friends at Pacific Islanders in Communications. PAPA MAU: THE WAYFINDER and THERE ONCE WAS AN ISLAND bring to our audience stories that are rarely brought to light, but are an indispensible ingredient of our goal of foregrounding our communities’ perspectives. Together with two of my personal Festival Week favorites, PLANET OF SNAIL from South Korea and GOLDEN SLUMBERS from Cambodia, it’s exciting to bring Festival Week audiences along for a full-on journey of discovery, compassion, humor, and understanding.”
This year the documentary line up includes:
SEEKING ASIAN FEMALE – directed by Debbie Lum (United States)
PLANET OF SNAIL – directed by Yi Seung-jun (South Korea)
PAPA MAU: THE WAYFINDER – directed by Na’alehu Anthony (United States)
I.AM – SM TOWN LIVE WORLD TOUR – directed by Choi Jin-sung (South Korea)
CHINA HEAVYWEIGHT – directed by Yung Chang (Canada/PRC)
GIVE UP TOMORROW – directed by Michael Collins (Philippines/Spain/United States)
MR. CAO GOES TO WASHINGTON – directed by S. Leo Chiang (United States)
RESTORING THE LIGHT – directed by Carol Liu (China/United States)
UPLOADED: THE ASIAN AMERICAN MOVENT – directed by Kane Diep (United States)
WHERE HEAVEN MEETS HELL – directed by Sasha Friedlander (Indonesia)
GOLDEN SLUMBERS (LE SOMMEIL D’OR) – directed by Davy Chou (Cambodia)
The LA Asian Pacific Film Festival runs May 10 – 20, 2012; with 3 locations: Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood, CGV Cinemas (Koreatown), and Art Theater (Long Beach). For more information, please visit www.asianfilmfestla.org.