a Visual Communications production LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL No. 34 | May 3 - May 12, 2018 festival.vconline.org PROGRAM SCHEDULE THU MAY 3 MON MAY 7 VENUE LEGEND DGA 7:00 PM | 101 MINS OPENING: SEARCHING REGAL 6:30 PM | 117 MINS MY SO-CALLED ADOLESCENCE REGAL 6:30 PM | 88 MINS THE CLEANERS FRI MAY 4 341 FSN REGAL 7:30 PM | 84 MINS FOR IZZY AMC 7:00 PM | 95 MINS CALL HER GANDA 341 FSN (Formerly REGAL 9:15 PM | 85 MINS WHITE RABBIT DGA 7:00 PM | 37 MINS HBO APA VISIONARIES 2018 Matsumura Gift Shop) REGAL 9:30 PM | 99 MINS FEMINIST AF TOO AMC 9:30 PM | 96 MINS SNEAK PEEK: A NEW DARK COMEDY BY H.P. MENDOZA REGAL 9:45 PM | 85 MINS STAND UP MAN AMC SAT MAY 5 TUE MAY 8 AMC Dine-in Sunset 5 TAT 10:00 AM | 28 MINS ITSY BITSY SHORTS REGAL 6:30 PM | 88 MINS WARU TAT 11:00 AM | 73 MINS FROM VISION TO REEL: GENERASIANS REGAL 6:45 PM | 82 MINS FISH BONES ARATANI DTIND 11:00 AM | 55 MINS PROOF OF LOYALTY REGAL 6:45 PM | 96 MINS OMOTENASHI Aratani Theatre @ JACCC JANM 12:00 PM | 75 MINS C3: CRAZY | RICH | ASIANS REGAL 7:00 PM | 90 MINS SCIENCE FAIR EWP 12:30 PM | 98 MINS CORRIDOR FOUR REGAL 9:00 PM | 95 MINS SECOND GENERATION QUEER CGV DTIND 1:15 PM | 100 MINS DISLOCATED SELF AND BEYOND REGAL 9:15 PM | 99 MINS HANH, SOLO CGV Cinemas Koreatown TAT 1:15 PM | 104 MINS OUT OF STATE REGAL 9:30 PM | 96 MINS FIND YOUR VOICE JANM 1:30 PM | 60 MINS C3: BUILDING US UP DGA JANM 2:45 PM | 60 MINS C3: WHERE ARE OUR APA FILM CRITICS & JOURNALISTS? WED MAY 9 Directors Guild of America EWP 3:00 PM | 78 MINS ANGKAR REGAL 6:30 PM | 99 MINS LATE LIFE: THE CHIEN-MING TAT 4:00 PM | 84 MINS PASIFIKAS WANG STORY DTIND DTIND 4:00 PM | 93 MINS MINDING THE GAP REGAL 6:30 PM | 121 MINS JIMAMI TOFU Downtown Independent JANM 4:00 PM | 60 MINS C3: DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK REGAL 7:00 PM | 92 MINS THE FEVER AND THE FRET ARATANI 5:00 PM | 92 MINS CENTERPIECE: IN THE LIFE OF MUSIC REGAL 8:00 PM | 34 MINS ARMED WITH A CAMERA VOL. 2018 EWP JANM 5:15 PM | 60 MINS C3: THE STORIES WE TELL REGAL 9:15 PM | 101 MINS NEOMANILA David Henry Hwang EWP 5:30 PM | 99 MINS BECOMING WHO I WAS REGAL 9:30 PM | 98 MINS IT’S A PARTY Theater @ East West TAT 6:30 PM | 85 MINS ISLAND SOLDIER THU MAY 10 Players DTIND 6:30 PM | 95 MINS PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF DESIRE CGV 10:00 AM | 88 MINS SINGING WITH ANGRY BIRD ARATANI 8:00 PM | 85 MINS CENTERPIECE: FICTION & OTHER REALITIES GRIFF CGV 12:00 PM | 90 MINS SCIENCE FAIR TAT 9:00 PM | 95 MINS KULEANA Park Center @ CGV 2:00 PM | 75 MINS CHINA’S FORGOTTEN DAUGHTERS DTIND 9:00 PM | 96 MINS THE NO SPIN ZONE Griffith Park CGV 3:45 PM | 102 MINS BEYOND OUR MEMORIES SUN MAY 6 CGV 6:30 PM | 113 MINS KISS AND SPELL JANM EWP 12:00 PM | 75 MINS #ASAMCREATORROLLCALL - THE EPISODICS ARATANI 7:00 PM | 94 MINS CLOSING: MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. Japanese American ARATANI 1:00 PM | 107 MINS DIGITAL HISTORIES: OUR STORIES, NOW TOLD CGV 9:00 PM | 124 MINS THE THIRD MURDER National Museum EWP 2:00 PM | 44 MINS PRISON FOOD FRI MAY 11 ARATANI 4:00 PM | 80 MINS ULAM: MAIN DISH GRIFF 6:00 PM | 88 MINS MULAN: A SING-ALONG REGAL EWP 4:30 PM | 94 MINS FOREVER ALONE (OR NOT) (20TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING) Regal L.A. LIVE DTIND 5:00 PM | 77 MINS ANOTE’S ARK TAT 6:30 PM | 160 MINS THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT SAT MAY 12 TAT USC 6:00 pm PAST//FORWARD GALA: DTIND 7:15 PM | 88 MINS AUGUST AT AKIKO’S Tateuchi Democracy COMING HOME DTIND 9:30 PM | 95 MINS NIGHTCAP Forum @ JANM Film Legend USC C3 CONFERENCE INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAMS FEATURE COMPETITION USC Town & Gown DOCUMENTARY FEATURE SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS COMPETITION NARRATIVE FEATURE Ballroom COMPETITION INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION SPECIAL FEATURES 1 • #LAAPFF2018 PROGRAM SCHEDULE • 2 TICKETING INFORMATION VENUES Tickets for all shows are available at festival.vconline.org. Day-of tickets for shows can be purchased at that venue’s box office one (1) hour prior to the first show of the day. All programs are subject to change and/or cancellation without prior notice. AMC DINE-IN SUNSET 5 CGV CINEMAS DIRECTORS GUILD ALL WORKS PRESENTED IN THE FESTIVAL ARE UNRATED. PARENTAL GUIDANCE IS (21+ ONLY VENUE) 621 S Western Ave OF AMERICA 8000 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90005 7920 Sunset Blvd SUGGESTED. Please arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled program. Seating cannot be West Hollywood, CA 90046 Parking: 3 hours validated free West Hollywood, CA 90046 guaranteed for ticket holders who arrive after the program begins. Empty seats may be resold; Parking: 4 hours validated free parking Parking: Underground parking no refunds will be issued. parking structure, entrance on Hayworth Ave All Sales Are Final. NO REFUNDS. Exchanges given only for program cancellations. Questions? Contact us at [email protected] or call (213) 680-4462 x59. ADMISSION SPECIAL PROGRAMS $14 – General OPENING NIGHT | CLOSING NIGHT DOWNTOWN INDEPENDENT PARK CENTER @ REGAL L.A. LIVE: A BARCO $13 – Students & Seniors $60 – General 251 S Main St GRIFFITH PARK INNOVATION CENTER $12 – VC Members $55 – Students, Seniors, & VC Members Los Angeles, CA 90012 4670 Crystal Springs Dr 1000 W Olympic Blvd Parking: Several pay lots available Los Angeles, CA 90027 Los Angeles, CA 90015 in Downtown Parking: Upon arrival, follow Parking: Lot 4 or Lot W, 4 hours TICKET PACKAGES FESTIVAL CENTERPIECES signage for parking validated parking for $8 FESTIVAL 10-PACK $20 – General $135 – General $18 – Students, Seniors, & VC Members LITTLE TOKYO $120 – VC Members Parking: Several pay lots and metered street parking are available. Redeemable for all ticketed programs except C3: THE CONFERENCE Opening, Closing, Centerpiece, and C3 FOR CREATIVE CONTENT Conference. No limit per program. (All-Day Conference Pass) $25 – General FESTIVAL PASS $20 – Students, Seniors, & VC Members $330 – General FREE for Festival Badge Holders $300 – VC Members Get priority seating and entry to DIGITAL HISTORIES: 341 FSN JAPANESE AMERICAN ARATANI THEATRE @ JACCC the majority of Festival events! OUR STORIES, NOW TOLD 341 E 1st St NATIONAL MUSEUM 244 S San Pedro St Los Angeles, CA 90012 100 N Central Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012 $10 – Suggested Donation Los Angeles, CA 90012 FREE SCREENINGS Free to the Public. Tickets are required for admission into the theatre and will be distributed online and at the Box Office. First come, first served. May 5: ITSY BITSY SHORTS, FROM VISION TO REEL: GENERASIANS May 6: THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT DAVID HENRY HWANG FESTIVAL HQ @ TATEUCHI DEMOCRACY May 10: SINGING WITH ANGRY BIRD, SCIENCE FAIR, CHINA’S FORGOTTEN DAUGHTERS, THEATER @ EAST WEST FAR EAST LOUNGE FORUM @ JANM BEYOND OUR MEMORIES PLAYERS 353 E 1st St 100 N Central Ave May 11: MULAN: A SING-ALONG 120 Judge John Aiso Los Angeles, CA 90012 Los Angeles, CA 90012 S Los Angeles, CA 90012 VENUES • 4 3 • TICKETING INFORMATION CONTENTS WELCOME WELCOME TO THE 34TH EDITION OF THE LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM 1 Program Schedule FESTIVAL, running May 3rd – 12th, 2018. We at Visual Communications proudly 3 Ticketing Information present a slate of artists and creators who continue to shift narratives and challenge 4 Venues perspectives. 6 Welcome Opening Night kicks off LAAPFF with Aneesh Chaganty’s SEARCHING, featuring 7 About Our Art leading man John Cho. Yes, #StarringJohnCho is still going strong! Our Centerpiece 8 Parties & Afterhours films showcase the world premieres of Caylee So & Visal Sok’s IN THE LIFE OF MU- 9 Festival Sponsors SIC and Bobby Choy’s (aka Big Phony) FICTION & OTHER REALITIES. For our Closing 13 Opening Night Night feature, we highlight the story of artist/activist M.I.A. in MATANGI / MAYA / 14 Closing Night M.I.A. 15 Centerpieces Number 34 maintains our spirit of producing this Festival through the process of cre- 17 Narrative Feature Competition ating our ideal communities. Our programmers and staff imagine our ideal commu- nities to be inclusive while struggling towards equity and change. And with regards 19 Documentary Feature Competition to the ongoing discourse about diversity, we aim to have a space that engages 21 International Narrative Feature Competition intra-diversity amongst AAPIs and inter-diversity with other communities. 23 International Documentary Feature Competition This Festival also launches our countdown to 50 years of Visual Communications. 25 Special Presentations At the end of the Festival, our PAST//FORWARD Gala will honor our builders and 27 Mulan: A Sing Along (20th Anniversary Screening) storytellers as we toast to our 48th year. We look forward to celebrating with you for 28 Shorts Programs the next few years until our 50th in 2020. 34 HBO APA Visionaries 2018 THANK YOU to our VC supporters, artists, partners, sponsors, friends, and families 35 Armed With a Camera Vol. 2018 for continuing to believe in what we do and what we make happen. In our pursuit 37 Digital Histories: Our Stories, Now Told to create space for cultural connections, we hope that each one of you find a home 41 Spotlight on Taiwan with us at the Festival. 42 Seikatsu Room 43 #AsAmCreatorRollCall: The Episodics 44 Interactive Francis Cullado, 47 C3: The Conference for Creative Content Executive Director 53 Past//Forward: Coming Home 55 Staff List 57 Special Thanks 59 VC Members and Donors 61 Become a VC Member 62 About VC 5 • #LAAPFF2018 WELCOME • 6 ABOUT OUR ART PARTIES & AFTERHOURS OPENING NIGHT PARTY FESTIVAL FILMMAKER VISIONARIES FRIDAY presented by Tiger Beer WELCOME BRUNCH presented by HBO ($35; FREE for badge holders and presented by the DGA (invited guests only) Opening Night film ticket holders) (invited filmmakers and guests only) Friday, May 4 Thursday, May 3