The Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience (APFE) celebrated AANHPI filmmakers, storytellers, creatives and community leaders at both the 39th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (#LAAPFF2023) in Los Angeles and the 2023 CAAMFest (#CAAMFest) in San Francisco, California.
Kicking off Closing Weekend at #LAAPFF2023, over 150 attended the APFE Happy Hour on Friday, May 12. Held at 18 Social within Downtown LA’s Hotel Indigo, guests were treated to complimentary appetizers and drinks, while taking in the city’s skyline. Notable guests in attendance included award-winning documentary filmmaker, author and journalist Richard Lui, PEAK (Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komite) Executive Director Kristian Fanene Schmidt, Visual Communications Board Member David Kwan (The Famous Group), Writer/Director/Actor Michelle Krusiec, and Director/Producer Wesley Chan.
APFE organizers Milton Liu (Executive Director, Asian American Media Alliance & WGA West member), Michelle Sugihara (Executive Director, CAPE), Laarni Rosca Dacanay (Chair, PBS SoCal KCET Community Advisory Board), Minji Chang (Board Member, Kollaboration), Marvin Yueh (Visual Communications), and Francis Cullado (Executive Director, Visual Communications) welcomed attendees and thanked them for supporting AANHPI filmmakers and storytellers at #LAAPFF2023. Milton shared a brief history of the founding of APFE over 20 years at the Sundance Film Festival and then introduced the organizers and their respective organizations. #LAAPFF2023 is produced by Visual Communications.
The next day, Saturday, May 13, the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience celebrated in the San Francisco Bay Area by recognizing AANHPI filmmakers and storytellers at the 2023 CAAMFest, produced by the Center for Asian American Media. Held at Queer Arts Featured on Castro Street in San Francisco, APFE Co-Founder David Magdael repped the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience: 2023 CAAMFest Happy Hour and welcomed over 100 attendees of AANHPI creatives, filmmakers, artists, and industry folks who filled their plates from local food vendors Wasabi Bistro and the Sunset Bakery.
The filmmakers and festival guests in attendance came from programs at the festival including the film teams of THE ACCIDENTAL GETAWAY DRIVER; STARRING JERRY AS HIMSELF; JAMOJAYA; JOYRIDE; WHEN YOU LEFT ME ON THAT BOULEVARD; LIQUOR STORE DREAMS; NURSE UNSEEN; AMERICAN BORN CHINESE; BIG FIGHT IN LITTLE CHINATOWN; UNSEEN; LAST SUMMER OF NATHAN LEE; BIG FIGHT IN LITTLE CHINATOWN; KAPWA, TX; PHOTOGRAPHIC JUSTICE; UNCONDITIONAL; WISDOM GONE WILD; and more. Attendees hailed the APFE 2023 CAAMFest Happy Hour as one of the best gatherings at the festival this year! Plans to do it again next year are already being talked about. Big props to CAAMFest staff Joana Cruz (LUV), Joanne Boston, Thúy Trần, Don Young, Jess Ju, Stephen Gong, and the entire staff at CAAM!
As May’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month wraps up, the celebration of AANHPI filmmakers and creatives continues next month as APFE partners with Asian CineVision at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival in June – stay tuned for event details!
Event details: #APANYC 2023
asianpacificfilmexperience.org 