Assemble Online Magazine

In celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I bring to you Visual Communications’ premier 2010 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. This film festival showcased 170 films and videos from around the world from April 29 to May 08. Most films screened on Sunset Blvd. at the Director’s Guild of America and the Laemelle 5, less than half a mile of each other. Others were shown at The Downtown Independent in Little Tokyo.

I had the opportunity to catch the short films program on Friday night properly titled “Faces of Love: The Good, The Bad, and The Unexpected.” This program consisted of eight 15-20 minute shorts that were quirky, corky, sweet, a little heartbreaking, and of course, surprisingly unexpected.

And most, if not all, directors were in attendance for the Q & A portion. So it was a really great opportunity for the audience to ask them questions, just as long as it doesn’t relate to budget, influences, and distribution (as sarcastically and half seriously retorted by the festival director.)

This is one of the largest film festivals in Southern California and they did a really great job at showcasing young and emerging Asian American talent. I especially enjoy their choices of short films programs and how they’ve categorized each one, such as “Mixed Nuts” which is their random program.

This festival is also showcasing more documentaries than previous years. Program 50 titled “Aoki,” documents the story of Richard Aoki, a founding member and one of the few Asian Americans to hold a leadership position in the Black Panther Party during the Civil Rights Era.

Jose Rizal, a Pilipino martyr and hero, said “He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.” Festivals such as this help us look toward our future, which connecting us to our heritage and history. Independent film and media are the tools to propel stories forward that are otherwise lost in mainstream Hollywood and the making money industry of it all. So support, watch, and acculturate yourselves. A cultured and diverse community makes for a more happy and tolerant society.