Category: Visual Communications - oblivious nerd girlhood chronicles

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival - Open Call!

9/16/2015

Photo by Lindy Leong

It's that time of year! Visual Communications is accepting submissions for the 32nd annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The early submission deadline is Friday, October 30th, 2015 at 5pm. The early submission fee is $25. The final submission deadline is Friday, November 27th at 5pm. The fee for the final submission deadline is $35. Don't wait! Get your films in early!
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2016 Open Call

Questions about the festival? Here is a list of handy FAQ's!

I'm excited to be volunteering with the festival again this year. Can't wait to screen and post my festival recommendations!

The festival says it best:

HEY FILMMAKERS! Entries are now being accepted for @AsianFilmFestLA 2016. Click the link, and send us your best! http://t.co/dkllyPwlB0
— LA AsianPac FilmFest (@AsianFilmFestLA) September 8, 2015

LAAPFF: The How To Fest post!

4/23/2015

It's here! The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival starts today with the opening night film EVERYTHING BEFORE US. The film is the feature film debut from Wong Fu Productions.

Here are my festival tips for folks thinking about checking out the festival.

Get Tickets

I honestly can't remember the last time I walked up to a movie theater and bought a ticket for a show. The perpetual planner in me has me buying my tickets ahead of time. Getting tickets ahead of time will make your festival experience so much easier. You won't have to worry if the screening you want to go to is sold out because you'll already have your tickets in hand via email! Check out the LAAPFF Box Office for more ticket info!

Arrive Early

The festival is held in multiple locations in Little Tokyo, Downtown LA, and Koreatown. Arriving early to avoid parking mishaps is a must!

The festival has provided this info about all the venues and parking. A fellow committee member also recommended ParkMe.Com for more parking info!

Ask Questions!

Many films may have a short Q&A session after the screening. Curious about why an director/writer/actor made a specific choice? Ask them!

Become A Member

Memberships start at $40 and you get discount to all screenings and events! Your membership supports Visual Communications and you join a community of filmmakers and film lovers who support Asian American voices in film and media.

#LAAPFF2015

The festival social media game is pretty sweet. You can follow the festival on facebook, twitter, instagram, tumblr, youtube, and flickr.

Oblivious Nerd Girl at LAAPFF

I'll be hosting several screenings and leading a few Q&A's at the festival. If you are so inclined to check out a film and hang out at the festival, here's where I'll be infusing my obliviousness.

Fri, April 24th - Kung Fu Killer
Mon, April 27th - Love Arcadia
Tues, April 28th - Crane-Kick Commentary: Karate Kid Part II
Weds, April 29th - Where I Am King
Weds, April 29th - Ktown Cowboys (Encore Screening)

Enjoy LAAPFF folks. It's going to be awesome! For fun, if you spot me, say "hello hello!" I will gladly say "hello hello!" back at ya.

Stay Oblivious

LAAPFF: Where I Am King (Hari Ng Tondo)

4/20/2015

Where I Am King (Hari Ng Tondo)

Wednesday, April 29th, 6:45pm, CGV1

Imagine you’ve made it in life. You worked your way out of poverty and into millionaire status. You have it made right? WRONG. Because of some shoddy investments you now lose all your assets because you need to sell them off to pay off your debts. Yes this is the main character Ricardo’s back story in HARI NG TONDO. A rich dude loses his money, but retains his former home, an apartment building in Tondo. Ricardo returns to his former home and brings with him his grandchildren in an effort for them to learn how to not be millennial ass millennials. Of course Ricardo’s grandchildren are not the only one who learn lessons in this film. Ricardo must deal with his own issues with Tondo. The place he once knew has moved on without him. It does not need to be saved by him, however Tondo finds a way of saving him and his family.
Click on the picture for ticket info!

LAAPFF: Crane-Kick Commentary - The Karate Kid, Part II

4/19/2015

Crane-Kick Commentary: The Karate Kid, Part II

Tuesday, April 28th, 7pm, JANM

When I think of Karate Kid, Part II, my mind goes to the drum that Mr. Miyagi shows Daniel. I’m not going to lie, every time I see a drum like that in a store I pick it up and imagine myself in that scene. Crane-Kick Commentary’s screening of Karate Kid 2 allows you to go back to that scene in a Mystery Science Theater 3000-esque screening with Phil Yu (Angry Asian Man) and friends.

Crane-Kick Commentary is a special edition of “Big Trouble in Little Tokyo,” a film series that features specially-selected films by and about Asian Americans followed by a discussion with the cast and crew. “Big Trouble in Little Tokyo” is presented by JANM in partnership with Angry Asian Man, First Pond Entertainment, and Visual Communications.

Click on the picture for ticket info!

LAAPFF: NUOC 2030

4/18/2015

Nuoc 2030

Monday, April 27th, 7pm, CGV 2

http://laapff.festpro.com/films/detail/2030_2015

Vietnamese post-apocalyptic waterworld-esque film? Yes I’m in. NUOC 2030 is all these things. There are several things happening in this absorbing Vietnamese film. It’s a post-apocalyptic movie, but it doesn’t star teens attempting to save the world. Instead Sao, a mother who works on a floating farm, looks for answers into her husband’s murder. Does the chief scientist, who so happens to be Sao’s ex-lover, aboard a floating factory ship have anything to do with it? What whirlpool must she go through to find the truth?

Click on the picture for ticket info!

LAAPFF: Miss India America

4/17/2015

Miss India America

Sunday, April 26th, 6pm, Downtown Independent

Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Girl plans out their entire future together only to be crushed when plans change because they are only in high school. Sounds simple right? You would think the girl would move on, look back on their relationship as a high school fling. In MISS INDIA AMERICA, Lily Prasad bucks that trend and attempts to win her former boyfriend back and get them back on her future plans by entering the Miss India America beauty pageant. Of course things don’t turn out as she plans, but how else will she learn that you don’t always get what you want, but you get what you need. (Yes I quoted a Rolling Stone song.)

Click on the picture for ticket info!

LAAPFF: Winning Girl

4/12/2015

WINNING GIRL documentary - Open from Kimberlee Bassford on Vimeo.

Winning Girl

Saturday, April 25th, 5:30pm, JANM

WINNING GIRL follows the four year journey of Teshya Alo, a young Hawai’ian girl who is trying to be an Olympic athlete in two sports: Wrestling and Tae Kwon Do. As a fan of Olympic sports, I eat up these types of stories. I am totally that person who knows nothing about a sport, but then when the Olympics (winter or summer) come around and all of a sudden I must know everything about ice skating or track and field. Whenever I see Asian American or PI folks compete in the Olympics, I gravitate towards them. I want to follow their stories. I want them to win. I want folks who look like me to medal. WINNING GIRL highlights what the process is to even get to the Olympics. It illustrates all the struggles and sacrifices an athlete and her family must make to pursue this dream. I imagine it’s tough to try and compete in one sport, let alone two. Teshya Alo’s story is fascinating to follow. Fans of sports documentaries and ESPN’s 30 for 30 shouldn’t miss this film.

Click on the picture for ticket info!

LAAPFF: Opening Up

4/10/2015

Opening Up

From Vision To Reel – Shorts Program, Free screening

Saturday, April 25th, 11:45am, Downtown Independent

I first met Tani Ikeda when I was in grad school at USC. She was an undergrad on campus and an intern for Tuesday Night Café. I can’t believe that was over 9 years ago. Now she’s an accomplished filmmaker and Co-Founder-slash-Director of ImMEDIATE Justice, an arts non-profit organization that focuses on empowering young women by telling their stories of gender and sexuality through film. OPENING UP is a short film that is part of the Sex Ed: the Saga series. This series was created by youth as a way for them to lead the conversation on sex positive topics.

Click on the picture for ticket info. FYI this program is FREE!

LAAPFF: Moonlight

4/9/2015

Moonlight

Floating Upstream Shorts Program

Friday, April 2th, 9pm, Downtown Independent

Full Disclosure, Janella Lacson is a friend. And I am super proud of her and her films. Last year her short film THE FIRST DATE screened at the festival. This year her film MOONLIGHT is a part of the FLOATING UPSTREAM shorts program. MOONLIGHT follows Lara, a woman under house arrest, and the lonely trapped life she leads and the consequences of her choices. Folks should definitely check it out. MOONLIGHT was also chosen to compete at Cannes Film Festival!

Click on the picture for ticket info.

LAAPFF: June Bride - Redemption of a Yakuza

4/8/2015

June Bride: Redemption of a Yakuza

Friday, April 24th, 7pm JANM

Monday, April 27th, 4:30pm JANM Encore Screening

What happens when a Yakuza is done being a gangster? Would they find God? JUNE BRIDE shows us exactly that. Tatsuya Shindo is a former Yakuza turned preacher. The film follows this riveting story of what happens when your loyalty changes from a gang to the Lord.

Click on the picture for ticket info!