Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2016

This year's LAAPFF is quite special for me since I not only was a features programmer, but I was also an assistant producer on Form follows Function Interactive Little Tokyo: Walking With Grace (VR documentary) and 312 Azusa St (video map projection).  These exhibitions are FREE TO THE PUBLIC!  

Joel Quizon, Walking With Grace co-director, beautifully explains Form follows Function Interactive Little Tokyo in the piece: Learning To Walk: First Steps In Multiplatform Storytelling

Both exhibitions will be presented in April 2016 at the 32nd Annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival; it will be a first-time VR presentation for the film festival, and will be the launch of a new VR doc series for FfF focusing on women’s perspectives of places.

EXHIBITION RECEPTION:
FRIDAY, April 22nd, 7-10 PM
Japanese American Cultural & Community Center - JACCC Noguchi Plaza
244 S San Pedro St, Los Angeles

Beer & Sake cash bar by JACCC
Music by dublab DJ Rani de Leon
Dinner Specials at Snociety Urban Eatery
Photobooth by Go Little Tokyo 
FREE, All Ages

EXHIBITION ON VIEW:
April 22 and April 23, 7-10pm
Japanese American Cultural & Community Center - JACCC Noguchi Plaza
244 S San Pedro St, Los Angeles
FREE, All Ages

Follow @fffmedia on instagram and use #fffinteractivelittletokyo when you check out Walking With Grace and 312 Azusa St. 

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For some quick how to guides click on these links below. 

LAAPFF: HOW TO FEST
LAAPFF: BUY TICKETS HERE

Here are my recommendations for this year's festival!

FEATURES 

• Breathin': Eddie Zheng Story
  • Powerful & moving story of redemption. Also I'll be hosting the encore screening on Monday, April 25th!
• Vampariah
  • Blood, guts, and gore are mixed in with snark and sass in this monster hunter meets Filipino aswang film. And I'll be hosting the midnight screening on Friday, April 22nd!
• Out Run
  • Well made documentary about the first LGBT party list in the Philippines. Quite topical, given our current political climate in the US election cycle. And I'll be hosting this screening on Saturday, April 23rd!
• The Dog
  • Amazing black and white film about China through the eyes of an abandoned puppy. It's simply beautiful. 
• The Great Sasuke
  • As a wrestling fan I was immediately drawn to this film. Seeing this wrestler turned politician run his campaign is amazing. 
• Loev
  • Beautiful & heartbreaking. Bring tissues. 
• Manang Biring
  • Excited to see folks reaction to this rotoscope animated film from the Philippines. I'll be hosting the screening on Tuesday, April 26th!​

SHORTS
Throwing some love to my shorts programmers. Numbers wise they watch more films than I did as a features programmer. They have created these programs for you all.

• From Vision to Reel
  • Visions are turned to reality by exploring the places we come from, and connecting it to who we are becoming. This year's program takes us to the indigenous community in the Philippines to the struggle of being an undocumented Filipino American. We will march the streets alongside Viet Rainbow of Orange County for New Year, and reclaim a Laotian birth name too difficult for teachers to pronounce. We will challenge stigmas of domestic violence and mental illness in South Asian communities, and find joy in the darkness of Guamanian legends. Join us as we explore the imagination and resiliency of emerging Asian American and Pacific Islander storytellers. — June Kaewsith 
• Generations
  • The bonds of our family, whether natured or nurtured, reveal the core of our human soul. These relationships test the limits of our love, the boundaries of our actions, and the depth of our compassion. These films look at humanity through the lens of the people that we love, or should love the most. — Kirby Penafiel
• ​Digital Histories
  • The filmmakers’ tools may change but the storytelling principles stay the same. This was my approach in leading the 2016 Digital Histories program. My goal was not to show the group how to use the latest camera gear but to sharpen and harness their innate storytelling skills. In my (ahem) not-so-humble opinion, the results were amazing! — Gary Gabisan
• What's In A Name
  • Naming is historical and cultural. It is carefully prayed over and researched. However, it’s not etched in stone. Rather a name evolves from experiences. Discover these fictional and documentary stories of people articulating their fate. — Kristen Lee 
• The Unready Hero
  • A nostalgic throwback to weekend action television, this lineup brings together exciting stories of unready heroes. Join them as they embark on journeys armed with bold visual direction, a flair for homage, and just enough determination to take on their challenges…even if they’ve yet to get their lives together. — Quincy Surasmith 
• See U See Me
  • Sense of self is a dynamic journey. Sometimes one can be distracted trying to manage perceptions of others, rather than focusing on their own personal growth. Watch how these characters gracefully stand tall, leaning on inner strength and integrity. — Eseel Borlasa

​Follow me on instagram (@obliviousnerdgrl) for posts about LAAPFF and FfF Interactive Little Tokyo!

Share your LAAPFF moments with #LAAPFF2016.  Tag the official festival instagram account @vconline 

And in great words of Prince (RIP), Let's Go Crazy