Programmers
Our intrepid team of Festival Programmers reassembled to put together a nimble and diverse slate of programs that celebrate the communities that we serve. Meet our Festival Programmers below.
Anderson Le serves as a program consultant for several film festivals including the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, the Far East Film Festival in Italy, and the Singapore International Film Festival. He also diligently works in the global promotion of independent and world cinema as Artistic Director of the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF). He recently co-founded a US/Vietnam joint venture called EAST, an upstart production company to focus on developing Southeast Asian entertainment content for established and emerging SVOD and OTT streaming platforms.
Eseel Borlasa loves mixtapes, films & community…2022 marks her nth year with LAAPFF. She is still rocking the white flower under a couple of different hats. Shout out to Chance who co-pilots at her desk.
Jeremy Aguilera-Gaudette was born and raised in Maine but has called Los Angeles home for the past 15 years. After 17 years managing movie theatres, Jeremy now works at Film Independent in the International Programs department. This is Jeremy’s 5th year with LAAPFF and he’s still thrilled to be part of this amazing team.
Joel Quizon is a Los Angeles based/Manila roots filmmaker, arts organizer, music curator, and DJ. He has created and collaborated on live music events, multi-disciplinary performances, and film screenings. He is a filmmaker with Form follows Function, a media collaborative specializing in place-based short form documentaries, emerging media, and multimedia installations. Currently, he is the Program Manager for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, as well as the instructor for Visual Communications’ Digital Histories program.
Kiki Rivera is an internationally produced, award-winning theatre artist, educator, and arts activist with her BA in Theatre and MFA in Playwriting from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). Rivera is among a group of grassroots leaders that mobilize resources to empower Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Through their creative talent, Rivera amplifies the collective voice and strengthens the advocacy work of the community organizers. Rivera currently serves as Storyteller for Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC). They use creative skills to build political will for the organization’s advocacy agenda and expand its reach in the Pacific Islander community
Kirby Peñafiel is a veteran LAAPFF Shorts Programmer. His love for film is only matched by his love for community. Rooted in LAAPFF, he started as a volunteer and has worn many hats since. A steadfast media archivist, he sits upon hours of digitized footage and an ever-growing amount of unfinished projects – which he’ll finish, eventually. Someday. He also loves his dogs.
Marvin Yueh is a producer and organizer with almost a decade of experience in digital media and live events. Marvin has produced several events for the Asian American community including the first all-Asian American music showcase at SXSW, the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience at Sundance, and the Kollaboration EMPOWER Creative Leadership Conference (which he co-founded). Marvin currently produces podcasts through his independent production company, HappyEcstatic Media, and manages the Potluck Podcast Collective, a network of Asian American hosted podcasts.
Melanie Ramos is a Los Angeles based filmmaker. This is her fourth year as an LAAPFF Features Programmer. She is an alumni filmmaker of LAAPFF with her short films DELIVER HER (2013) and LIMBOLAND (2018).
Micki Davis is a multimedia artist, educator and, most notably, an Armed with a Camera Alum! She values Visual Communications for its commitment to the Pan-Asian and Pacific communities here in Los Angeles and is committed herself to advocacy of these perspectives in the arts. If she’s not at the movies, she’s on the karaoke mic.
Ryan H. Wu has served as an LAAPFF Features Programmer since 2016. During periods of non-quarantine, Ryan can be spotted indulging in his love for Classic Hollywood or mid-20th Century international cinema at the Billy Wilder or the New Beverly. In between watching movies, Ryan practices law as a partner at a leading class action firm, earning numerous professional accolades for his work.
Sultan Pirzhan, originally from Kyrgyzstan, started his career in 2011 as a line producer and staff writer of Comedy Competition Show Asia Mix. In 2015, Sultan joined the Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) and served as the Artistic Director for three years. He also administered the execution of partnership agreements with the Golden Globes (HFPA), Variety, HBO, Sony, CJ Entertainment, Snow Leopard Trust, and more. Through his production company SP Film Production, Sultan has produced multiple short films, feature films, and consulted on several international projects.
