HELP US KEEP IT GOING!

This year’s animated short films highlights intergenerational filmmakers expanding the format with innovative techniques highlighting stories of longing, discovery, community, and the beyond. Though animated, these films are reflections of dreamers of all ages.

C3 is a space for creative communities and industry leaders to converge through panels and conversations.

WYD? Want to come over and watch music videos? This year’s opening reception will be a call back to watching music videos at home with friends. This will be a no frills zone; where you can party with friends, grab a drink,  and check out 8 new music videos that range from hip hop to lofi pop and beyond. There may also be few surprises from the VC team, too! Bring your friends, it’s going to be a party!

With the rise of anti-democratic movements, the Festival presents these films reflecting our global political experiences in the midst of another major election year in the United States.

Documentary storytelling allows us to better connect to each other; a relational bridge built on shared lived experiences. This year’s lineup introduces us to an Ioway and Wampanoag, African American and Cape Verdean, femme lesbian; travels us to discover the Shaka hand sign’s origin, meanings and why it’s the secret to paradise; and takes us to Taiwan, Philippines and beyond. Join us in a cinematic learning experience to better understand each other so that we can navigate life together.

Each Narrative Feature brings in a perspective from all over the globe; pockets of imagination created to make you laugh, cry, or jump out of your seat. Meet a widowed school teacher in Pakistan who becomes a viral sensation overnight when she accidentally unleashes her unabashed opinions on social media. Then fall in love with the couple that has to convince everyone that their love is real. Then travel back in time to 2017, where Uyghur people are being arrested without people knowing why.

In our fortified commitment to amplify Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities, Pacific Cinewaves programming celebrates stories and storytellers emerging from Hawai’i, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Guåhan (Guam), Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Samoa, and throughout the Pacific region.

Searching for wellness and joy at the Festival continues with our growing practice of Regeneration, Reciprocity, and Renewal. An evolution of the 2023 Festival’s R3:NEWAL series, this year’s R3 revolves around artists and filmworkers through intimate roundtable conversations.

These Festival artist installations and experiences create interactive engagements for us to connect.

Often led by personal vision, as opposed to achieving financial success, short films tend to be a distilled experience of emotional storytelling, savvy editing and heart. It is often the form where filmmakers dare to dream, and where audiences find new emerging talent. It is our honor to continue carving out space for these filmmaking dreams.

As one of the first film festivals on the continent to center Asian and NHPI storytelling, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival has become a champion for Asian and NHPI storytellers, serving as a beacon for Industry professionals who are looking for emerging talent. As such, we have become nimble with our programming to work with artists and filmmakers to carve out programming that serves campaign needs to enrich outreach to the Asian American and NHPI communities.

VC’s legacy is built upon what sets us part and what we do best: and that is our VC Archives and our Filmmaker development programs dedicated to emerging voices (AWC) and our beloved elders (Digital Histories).