Los Angeles film fans, save the date. The 2012 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, presented by Visual Communications, recently unveiled the lineup for this year's festival, running May 10-20 at the Directors Guild of America, CGV Cinemas, and the Art Theatre of Long Beach.
And it looks pretty darn great! Narratives, documentaries, shorts, world premieres, sneak peeks, panels, parties -- there's a little bit of something for everyone, all showcasing the diverse voices of Asian Americans and Asian people from all over the world. Here are a couple of highlights...
The festival kicks off Thursday, May 10 with the Opening Night presentation of Shanghai Calling, the debut feature from director Daniel Hsia. The film stars international heartthrob Daniel Henney (hollaaaaa) in a romantic comedy about American expatriates living and working in Shanghai.
Fresh from its world premiere at South By Southwest, Sunset Stories, directed by Silas Howard and Ernesto M. Foronda, will screen as the festival's Centerpiece Presentation. Starring Sung Kang and Monique Curnen, the film is described as "a uniquely L.A. story of love and control."
Valley of Saints, directed by Musa Syeed, will be screened as the festival's International Centerpiece selection. Winner of two major awards at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, the film is an India/USA production that brings the beautiful landscape of Kashmir to the screen.
After a week of screenings in West Hollywood and Koreatown, the festival will wind down on May 17 with the Closing Night presentation of award-winning director Tsao Jui-Yuan's Joyful Reunion, described as a Taiwanese 'foodie' film about relationships and family ties.
But wait! There's more. This year, for the first time ever, the film festival extends down south to include a weekend of screenings at the historic Art Theater of Long Beach. The program will include the festival's award winners and a showcase of prominent Pacific Islander works.
Whoo! And those are just a handful of the highlights I'm looking forward to. The box office is open for business on April 13. For further information, and to see the full lineup of screenings and events, check out the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival website here. Make your plans. I will see you there.