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2017 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Special Presentation

Pay special attention to our Special Presentations as we revisit stories from our heritage, history and identities, and discover how they still hold true to the stories we try to tell today.


  1. Abacus: Small Enough To Jail

    Steve James / Special Presentation / USA / 2016 / 88 mins
    From acclaimed director, Steve James (HOOP DREAMS, THE INTERRUPTERS, LIFE ITSELF), ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL tells the incredible saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings of Chinatown, New York. Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Abacus becomes the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

    Preceded by: The Ride

    ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL

    Downtown Independent
    April 30, 2017 4:30 pm


  2. Bronzeville, Little Tokyo

    Special Presentation, Transmedia, Events
    FREE PROGRAM. With the support of the California Arts Council, "Bronzeville, Little Tokyo” sheds light on an overlooked moment in history when Japanese and Japanese-Americans were displaced and African-Americans moved into Little Tokyo. To honor this period, there will be a special two-day program featuring an interactive media installation, a 360° virtual reality presentation, and a live Jazz performance on Historic First Street North.
    Bronzeville, Little Tokyo

    Historic Nishi Building
    April 29, 2017 3:00 pm FREE

    Bronzeville, Little Tokyo

    Historic Nishi Building
    April 30, 2017 3:00 pm FREE

    Bronzeville, Little Tokyo

    Union Center for the Arts Courtyard
    April 30, 2017 6:00 pm FREE


  3. Joshua: Teenager Vs. Superpower

    Joe Piscatella / Special Presentation / USA / 2017 / 78 mins
    When the Chinese Communist Party alters its promise of autonomy to Hong Kong– handed back to the Chinese government from British rule in 1997 – teenager Joshua Wong decides to fight for his homeland. Rallying thousands, Joshua becomes an unlikely leader in Hong Kong. A remarkable portrait of courage, resilience, & the power of youthful idealism, JOSHUA: TEENAGER VS. SUPERPOWER is a chronicle of one young man risking his own future for a greater good.
    JOSHUA: TEENAGER VS. SUPERPOWER

    CGV Cinemas 2
    May 2, 2017 7:00 pm


  4. Re:Orientations

    Richard Fung / Special Presentation / Canada / 2016 / 68 mins
    A look into the lives and thoughts of seven queer pan-Asian Canadians as they look back on the groundbreaking 1984 documentary in which they were featured. How have they changed? And how has the world around them evolved and changed?
    RE:ORIENTATIONS

    CGV Cinemas 3
    May 2, 2017 5:00 pm


  5. Three Sassy Sisters

    Nia Dinata / Special Presentation / Indonesia / 2016 / 124 mins
    Three sassy sisters: Gendis (32), Ella (28), and Bebe (19), are very passionate about running their family boutique hotel by the beach in the eastern part of Indonesia's archipelago. Their grandmother, however, is frustrated because she is unable to find the ideal matches for her granddaughters. Grandma doesn't give up. Her ultimate goal in life is to find suitable men for her granddaughters.
    THREE SASSY SISTERS

    Downtown Independent
    April 29, 2017 7:00 pm


  6. Wet Sand: Voices from L.A.

    Dai Sil Kim-Gibson / Special Presentation / USA / 2004 / 57 mins
    FREE PROGRAM. Filmmaker Dai Sil Kim-Gibson explores the aftermath of the 1992 LA Civil Unrest in Wet Sand. She revisits Los Angeles to learn what changes have occurred since then, only to discover that living conditions have deteriorated for the communities' most stricken. This essential follow-up probes deeper into the racial and economic issues that not only shaped the climate of 1992 Los Angeles, but also continues to affect all Americans today.
    WET SAND: VOICES FROM L.A.

    Tateuchi Democracy Forum
    April 29, 2017 2:00 pm


  7. Yellow

    Chris Chan Lee / Special Presentation / USA / 1997 / 100 mins
    A normal evening turns into a wild and desperate scavenger hunt for eight high school friends in the coming of age dramedy, YELLOW. When the group rallies to help a friend who was robbed, the lines between adolescent and adult are blurred in this 1997 classic.
    YELLOW

    Downtown Independent
    April 28, 2017 11:00 pm


  8. Better Luck Tomorrow

    Justin Lin / Gala Presentations, Special Presentation / USA / 2002 / 101 mins
    OPENING NIGHT FILM | SPECIAL RARE SUNDANCE CUT! Come celebrate the 15th anniversary of BLT (co-presented by YOMYOMF)! The film premiered at Sundance amid controversy and is a benchmark for APA cinema. The Festival is screening the original Sundance cut, in glorious 35mm film. Director Justin Lin and cast in attendance!

    Precedes: Opening Night Gala

    BETTER LUCK TOMORROW

    The Egyptian Theatre
    April 27, 2017 7:00 pm


  9. Relocation, Arkansas – Aftermath of Incarceration

    Vivienne Schiffer / LAAPFF Best of the Fest in OC, Special Presentation / USA / 2016 / 79 mins
    A look at the aftermath of the imprisonment of thousands of Japanese Americans in the Deep South, the harsh reality of prejudice, and the cruel irony of identity, told through the words of one survivor, one rebel, and one woman mayor.
    RELOCATION, ARKANSAS – AFTERMATH OF INCARCERATION

    Tateuchi Democracy Forum
    April 28, 2017 4:00 pm

    RELOCATION, ARKANSAS – AFTERMATH OF INCARCERATION (ENCORE)

    CGV Buena Park
    May 6, 2017 11:30 am


  10. Lipstick Under My Burkha

    Alankrita Shrivastava / LAAPFF Best of the Fest in OC, Special Presentation / India / 2016 / 116 mins
    Trapped in their own worlds, four women claim their desires through secret acts of rebellion.
    LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA

    CGV Buena Park
    May 7, 2017 5:30 pm