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2018 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Shorts Programs

Our Shorts Programs – some of which showcase our prestigious Shorts Competition nominees – range over a wide scope of stories and expressions. From stories of distinctly local flavors to tales from faraway worlds, our selection of shorts offer a variety of urban, rural, and alternative perspectives.

  1. Armed With a Camera vol. 2018

    Shorts Programs / 34 mins
    Visual Communications is proud to guide the next generation of storytellers in visualizing their amazing stories through the Armed with a Camera Fellowship. Watch these films that range from a documentary about children born to Korean immigrant liquor store owners, to a narrative on growing up a Sikh child in America. - Milton Liu

    In This Program: 6,000 MILES, BEAST, THE CARTOONIST, HORNET’S REVENGE, ILY, LIQUOR STORE BABIES, WRECK IT RAJ

    Armed With A Camera vol. 2018

    Regal L.A. LIVE - Theatre 11
    Wednesday | May 9, 2018 9:00 pm

  2. Beyond Our Memories

    Shorts Programs / 102 mins
    FREE PROGRAM. Whether reflecting on a successful career, continuing traditions from home in a new country, or seeking a better tomorrow in their own way, these non-fiction portraits show that a life worth living creates more than just memories. - Sheryl Santacruz

    In This Program: A SECOND CHANCE, ALICE AT THE STORE, THE HUMAN FACE, MR. LAU GOES HERBAL, STRAWBERRIES WILL SAVE THE WORLD, TAILORED TO FIT, WHY THE FOOLS DANCE

    Beyond Our Memories

    CGV Cinemas - Theatre 3
    Thursday | May 10, 2018 3:45 pm

  3. Digital Histories: Our Stories, Now Told

    Shorts Programs / 107 mins
    Visual Communications' Digital Histories program engages the passion of our elders to tell their stories in movie form.  This year the seniors transformed an illness into a triumphant narrative, unearthed a forgotten jazz club in Little Tokyo, and explored how the first Japanese American Buddhist Taiko group came to be. - Gary Gabisan

    In This Program: ABANDONED FABRIC, THE ARTS DISTRICT WITHOUT ARTISTS, A CENTENARIAN PLUS SIX, DANCING THROUGH LITTLE TOKYO, THE FINALE CLUB, HOLIDAY BOWL, JEFF IMADA: BREAKING BARRIERS BY DESIGN, KINDNESS IS CONTAGIOUS, GIVING IS AN ADDICTION, NOTE TO SELF, “ON MY HONOR…” BILL SHISHIMA VOLUNTEER EXTRAORDINAIRE, RAY ROCKS WITH HAIR, TAP, AND HIP-HOP, SAY YES TO YOUR HEART, TAIKO REFLECTIONS, THE TRAVELING RICE POT, WITHIN THE OPEN DOORS OF A SHINTO CHURCH IN BOYLE HEIGHTS

    Digital Histories: Our Stories, Now Told

    Aratani Theatre
    Sunday | May 6, 2018 1:00 pm

  4. Dislocated Self And Beyond

    Shorts Programs / 100 mins
    What constructs our identity? Interest? Passion? Culture? Race? Or all of them? Watch as each of the protagonists enter their own journeys to explore the definition of themselves and others. - Annie Liang

    In This Program: FAKEAPINO, FRENCHIES, IRON HANDS, MIMI, OTHELLO-SAN, THE TRAVELER TAKAMURE, VISAGE, THE WEIGHT OFF MY CHEST

    Dislocated Self And Beyond

    Downtown Independent
    Saturday | May 5, 2018 1:15 pm

    Dislocated Self And Beyond (Rescheduled)

    Regal L.A. LIVE - Theatre 12
    Wednesday | May 9, 2018 9:30 pm

  5. Feminist AF Too

    Shorts Programs / 99 mins
    What is Feminism? Does it mix well with Asian Culture and identities? Let's take an intersectional look on the artistic expression of our cultural zeitgeist, as we explore female friendship, sexuality, beauty standard, and the violence we rise against. - Ariel Du

    In This Program: A GENTLE NIGHT, SILENCE, AN AMERICAN FAMILY, FIRST GENERATION, FUTURE PERFECT, MIDNIGHT GIRL, THE SHUTTLE

    Feminist AF Too

    Regal L.A. LIVE - Theatre 14
    Monday | May 7, 2018 9:30 pm Rush Only

  6. Forever Alone (or Not)

    Shorts Programs / 94 mins
    Nobody wants to end up alone and unloved. And even if we might feel like it sometimes, are we really? Bring someone with you to watch these films - or don't - we promise you won't be alone for the ride. – Dorothy Xiao

    In This Program: 100TH BIRTHDAY WISH, AKASHI, CLASS ASSIGNMENT, GRAY UMBRELLA, SEEKING LOVE, STARBUCKS LOVERS, THE HIERARCHY OF NEEDS, YOUR HAND IN MINE

    Forever Alone (Or Not)

    David Henry Hwang Theater @ East West Players
    Sunday | May 6, 2018 4:30 pm Rush Only

  7. From Vision to Reel: GenerASIANS

    Shorts Programs / 73 mins
    FREE PROGRAM. GenerASIANS showcases the Asian and Asian American experience over multiple generations from the point of view of young, emerging filmmakers. These films represent the next generation of must-see Asian American and Pacific Islander talent. - Trent Nakamura

    In This Program: COMFORT-ABILITY, FAIR & LOVELY, HOME, CHANGYOU’S JOURNEY, CONTESTANT #4, HASU, LIFE IN COLOR, MOTHER TONGUE, PRESCRIPTION, SUNNY

    From Vision to Reel: GenerASIANS

    Tateuchi Democracy Forum @ JANM
    Saturday | May 5, 2018 11:00 am Rush Only

  8. HBO APA Visionaries 2018

    Shorts Programs / 37 mins
    In a unique filmmaker support initiative between Visual Communications and HBO, we present the winning entries from the APA Visionaries Short Film Competition, in which Asian Pacific American artists bring to light their worlds, their visions, and their voices. — Abraham Ferrer

    In This Program: JIEJIE, JUNE, REMITTANCE

    HBO APA Visionaries

    Directors Guild of America - Theatre 1
    Friday | May 4, 2018 7:00 pm

  9. Itsy Bitsy Shorts

    Shorts Programs / 28 mins
    FREE PROGRAM. Love! Colors! Food! Dance! Dancing Food! This vibrant program of films is geared towards the young and the young-at-heart. All ages, imaginations, and hungry bellies welcome. A special event for children will follow the screening immediately outside because we all know what happens when we make kids wait. - Jin Yoo-Kim & David Ngo

    In This Program: FILL AND MOO, FIRST BLOOM, KONIGIRI-KUN SHOPPING, LAST DANCE, SESAME STUDIOS “CELEBRATE LUNAR NEW YEAR!”, WATER COLORS, THE WISHING CRANES

    Itsy Bitsy Shorts

    Tateuchi Democracy Forum @ JANM
    Saturday | May 5, 2018 10:00 am Rush Only

  10. My So-Called Adolescence

    Shorts Programs / 117 mins
    We are resilient, stubborn, and reckless. We are sensitive, hesitant, and confused. We live in our own worlds but try to break into others’. As we come across each other in this bittersweet symphony called youth, we slowly stumble into the bewildering future together. - Lanca Li

    In This Program: CYPHER, FUNDAMENTAL, LIONS IN WAITING, MISS WORLD, POMMEL, WONDER BUFFALO, YASAMIN

    My So-Called Adolescence

    Regal L.A. LIVE - Theatre 14
    Monday | May 7, 2018 6:30 pm Rush Only

  11. Nightcap

    Shorts Programs / 95 mins
    Closing a weekend of galas and events, drink up this fizzy nightcap of something a little weird, sometimes scary, and wholly inappropriate with some old friends. - Sheryl Santacruz

    In This Program: ANITO, ASWANG NEXT DOOR, COSMIC DENTAL ASSOCIATES OF CLIFTON, NJ, GRIN, HOME, INN, THE MASSEUSE, RAKSHA, SPACE BUTTHOLE

    Nightcap

    Downtown Independent
    Sunday | May 6, 2018 9:30 pm

  12. The No Spin Zone

    Shorts Programs / 96 mins
    Spinning a tale. Spinning a scandal. Spinning out of control. No matter how you spin it, go watch these films. - Kirby Peñafiel

    In This Program: AMERICAN DREAMING, THE DUWENDE, HAIRCUT, IRONY, KILLINGS, THE LOST, XIN, YOUR MOTHER

    The No Spin Zone

    Downtown Independent
    Saturday | May 5, 2018 9:00 pm

  13. Pasifikas

    Shorts Programs / 84 mins
    Aloha! Ki Ora! Talofa! Hafa adai! These shorts made by the First Peoples of the Pacific represent a broad spectrum of themes and genres that deal with love, loss, culture clashes and connections. These are films made by Pacific Islanders about Pacific Islanders. - Anderson Le

    In This Program: AFTEREARTH, CULTURAL COLLAGE, KA PIKO, LADY EVA, PRAISE SONG FOR OCEANIA, STRONG CULTURE, TAMA, WILDER PALMS, THE WORLD IN YOUR WINDOW

    Pasifikas

    Tateuchi Democracy Forum @ JANM
    Saturday | May 5, 2018 4:00 pm

  14. Second Generation Queer

    Shorts Programs / 95 mins
    sec·ond-gen·er·a·tion – adj. The offspring of immigrants to a particular country. Exploring the tension of navigating the cultural expectations of both a family from a foreign land and a society who treats you like “other,” this collection of LGBTQ shorts celebrates the beauty and texture of intersectionality. - Sheryl Santacruz

    In This Program: MAYBE, ABLUTION, DAUGHTER, DECODING DARKMATTER, HOÀI (ONGOING/MEMORY), KHOL (OPEN), LIMBOLAND, RED

    Second Generation Queer

    Regal L.A. LIVE - Theatre 12
    Tuesday | May 8, 2018 9:00 pm