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2018 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Shorts Competition

We are proud to present all of our Documentary, Live Action and Animated shorts nominees. Recipient(s) of the Festival’s Golden Reel Award for Narrative Short Film will be eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/Live-Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards®, subject to compliance with Academy® guidelines.


  1. GRIN

    Tanuj Chopra / Shorts Competition / USA / 2017 / Arthouse, Drama, Experimental, Fantasy, Horror, Women / 11 mins
    A lonely starlet unravels when a photographer crosses the line.
    Plays In:
    Nightcap

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


  2. HAIRCUT

    Hanxiong Bo / Shorts Competition / China, USA / 2017 / Arthouse, Drama, Experimental, International, Romance, Student / 10 mins
    Through a fixed camera, the course of a romantic relationship plays out over a series of haircuts.
    Plays In:
    The No Spin Zone

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


  3. THE HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

    Ryan Michael Connolly / Shorts Competition / USA / 2017 / Drama, LGBTQIA+, Social Issues / 6 mins
    A young man is in a financial dilemma; but his real troubles run much deeper than his pocketbook.
    Plays In:
    Forever Alone (Or Not)

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


  4. HOÀI (ONGOING/MEMORY)

    Quyên Nguyen-Le / Shorts Competition / USA / 2017 / Drama, Family, LGBTQIA+, Social Issues, Women / 10 mins
    This exploration of the conflict between a young, queer, Vietnamese American woman and her refugee father delves into themes of social activism, homelands, and belonging.
    Plays In:
    Second Generation Queer

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


  5. HORNET’S REVENGE

    Jing Niu / Shorts Competition / USA / 2018 / Action, Animation, Comedy, Coming of Age, Drama, Family, LGBTQIA+, Women / 4 mins
    When a creep insults Hornet, the Asian punk must rely on the help of her skate gang to seek revenge.
    Plays In:
    Armed With A Camera vol. 2018

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


  6. THE HUMAN FACE

    Aline Pimentel / Shorts Competition / USA / 2017 / Documentary / 14 mins
    Kazuhiro Tsuji, the 2018 Academy Award winner for Best Makeup, divulges the meaning and thought behind his hyperrealistic sculptures.
    Plays In:
    Beyond Our Memories

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


  7. ILY

    Jingyi Shao / Shorts Competition / USA / 2018 / Coming of Age, Experimental / 5 mins
    A girl’s journey to adulthood as seen through her Instagram.
    Plays In:
    Armed With A Camera vol. 2018

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


  8. INN

    Zion Chen / Shorts Competition / USA / 2017 / Animation, Mystery, Thriller / 4 mins
    A strange girl draws a young man's attention at an inn.
    Plays In:
    Nightcap

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


  9. IRON HANDS

    Johnson Cheng / Shorts Competition / China, USA / 2017 / Children, Drama, Family, International, Sports, Student, Women / 11 mins
    As a 12-year-old girl prepares for her Chinese Youth Olympics weightlifting team try-outs, she makes an unlikely connection with the gym's reclusive groundskeeper.
    Plays In:
    Dislocated Self And Beyond

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

    Plays In:
    Dislocated Self And Beyond (Rescheduled)

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


  10. IRONY

    Radheya Jegatheva / Shorts Competition / Australia / 2017 / Animation, Documentary, Experimental, Social Issues, Student / 8 mins
    A film that explores the relationship between man and technology...told from the perspective of a phone.
    Plays In:
    The No Spin Zone

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


  11. JIEJIE

    Feng-I Fiona Roan / Shorts Competition / USA / 2017 / Coming of Age, Drama, Family, Student, Women / 15 mins
    JIEJIE is a portrait of two young sisters being raised by a single immigrant mother in Los Angeles in 1997.
    Plays In:
    HBO APA Visionaries

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


  12. JUNE

    Huay-Bing Law / Shorts Competition / USA / 2017 / Drama, Student / 12 mins
    Set on a Texas university campus during the 1950s, JUNE chronicles the experience of a young Chinese woman as she attends her husband’s graduation reception.
    Plays In:
    HBO APA Visionaries

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


  13. JUST A KID FROM SEATTLE

    JJ Augustavo / Shorts Competition / USA / 2017 / Adventure, Coming of Age, Drama, Family, Social Issues / 20 mins
    In the wake of his mother's passing, a troubled Filipino teen comes of age and finds a new love for his hood in Seattle, Washington.

    Precedes: IT’S A PARTY

    Precedes:
    IT’S A PARTY

    Regal L.A. LIVE - Theatre 13
    Wednesday | May 9, 2018 9:30 pm Rush Only


  14. KA PIKO

    Bryson Chun / Shorts Competition / USA / 2017 / Drama, Pacific Islander / 10 mins
    When his girlfriend dies during childbirth, a Native Hawaiian man with a tenuous cultural connection must perform a birth ritual with his girlfriend's overbearing father.
    Plays In:
    Pasifikas

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


  15. KHOL (OPEN)

    Faroukh Virani / Shorts Competition / USA / 2018 / Comedy, Drama, LGBTQIA+ / 12 mins
    When his father passes away, Vijay is forced to return home after a 10 year estrangement and open up to his mother about his sexuality.
    Plays In:
    Second Generation Queer

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