Parties & Afterhours

The Festival aims to provide spaces for artists and communities to converge.  In addition to cinematic presentations, parties and receptions contribute to joyful and festive connections. We hope that during this Festival, we create moments with each other, strengthening their collective power to uphold our stories.

CINEMA MUSICA: Festival Launch Party
Wednesday, April 29 | 7pm – 9pm | Hello Stranger LA
$25, (free for Festival guests / badgeholders)
Kickoff LAAPFF 2026 during our Opening Night Party where we bring together film and music through Cinema Musica to celebrate community, culture, and stories that move us.

PACIFIC CINEWAVES Happy Hour
hosted by Pacific Islanders in Communications
Thursday, April 30 | 5pm – 7pm | DGA Atrium
(Festival badgeholders and invited filmworkers only)
Toast the Festival’s Pasifika filmmakers and filmworkers and the stories they create.

APICSA Happy Hour
hosted by Asian Pacific Islander Cross Studio Alliance
Thursday, April 30 | 5:30pm – 7:00pm |  Wokcano
(Festival badgeholders and invited filmworkers only)

Filmmaker Welcome Lunch
hosted by Directors Guild of America
Friday, May 1  | 11:30am – 1:00pm | DGA Atrium
(Festival artists and invited filmworkers only)
Gather and nourish each other’s energies as we celebrate our creative communities.

Arch You Glad You Came?
hosted by Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, San Francisco
Friday, May 1 | 5pm – 6:00pm | DGA Atrium
(Festival artists and invited filmworkers only)
Celebrate the legacy and impact of Hong Kong cinema, spotlighting The Arch by T’ang Shushuen.

AWC: That’s A Wrap!
Friday, May 1 | 7pm – 9pm | DGA Atrium
(Festival artists and invited filmworkers only)
Celebrate the World Premieres of our 2025-2026 Armed With a Camera Fellows.

The Archives is Alive: Artists-In-Residency Opening Reception
Saturday, May 2 | 11am | LA Artcore
(Festival artists and invited guests, RSVP only)
Come celebrate the artists who bring our histories into the present. Our VC Archives Artists-In-Residence have been hard at work. Come see what they’ve built, give them their flowers, and grab a bite.

Digital Histories Reception
Sunday, May 3 | 3pm | JANM
(Festival artists and invited filmworkers only)
Celebrate the World Premieres of our 2025-2026 Digital Histories Class.

We’ve Come a LAAPFF Way From Where We Began
Sunday, May 3 | 10pm – 2am | Wolf & Crane
$25, (free for Festival guests / badgeholders)
It’s been a long weekend with you, my friend. We can’t wait to tell you all about it when we see you again. #LAAPFF2027