AMERICANISH Selected as Opening Night Film
Closing Night Selection THE GIRL WHO LEFT HOME to Screen Virtually and In-Person at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
DCAPAFF will run virtually from July 15 to 25
DCAPAFF announced its full lineup, which features 55 films from 9 countries. These outstanding films tell stories from the many distinct cultures within the AAPI spectrum—including Filipino, Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Singaporean, Pakistani, Kazakh-Russian, and Guyanese.
The 21st edition of the festival runs virtually from July 15 to 25. The Closing Night film THE GIRL WHO LEFT HOME, from Rockville native Mallorie Ortega, will screen at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD.
“We have always celebrated and been inspired by the work of AAPI filmmakers, but we are at a pivotal time in history for Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders,” says Melissa Bisagni, DCAPAFF Festival Director. “We are committed to driving awareness to the rich and diverse narratives of the AAPI experience and ensure the inclusion of communities that have been overlooked for far too long in film.”
Tickets and passes to the Virtual 2021 DCAPAFF will be available today at dcapafilm.eventive.org/films. The full schedule will be released on Wednesday, July 7.
All the films in the DCAPAFF program are eligible for Audience Awards for Best Picture, Best Lead Performance, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Documentary, and Best Supporting Performance. The winners will be announced on Monday, July 26.
Virtual 2021 DC APA FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM
OPENING NIGHT SCREENING — THURSDAY, JULY 15
AMERICANISH: DIR Iman Zawahry. USA.
In Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City, two sisters and their fresh-off-the-boat cousin try all the conventional ways to earn the love and respect of their family matriarch – but life works itself out, sometimes in the most unconventional ways.
CLOSING NIGHT SCREENING — SUNDAY, JULY 25
THE GIRL WHO LEFT HOME: DIR Mallorie Ortega. USA.
After finally landing a breakthrough role in Los Angeles, Christine receives news that her father suddenly passed away. She immediately goes home to Maryland, where she faces the bitter past she left behind. Upon returning home, Christine learns the family's restaurant has been behind on its rent and is being evicted. She catches up with her friends and her mother, with whom she has a heart to heart, and finds out the reasoning behind their financial troubles. With her mother's pastry skills, and Christine's presentation skills, the restaurant comes back to life. But will Christine have to give up her dreams to run the family restaurant?
FEATURE FILMS
Dinner Party: DIR Chris Naoki Lee. USA.
A group of childhood friends along with their significant others get together for a reunion dinner 12 years after high school. A court verdict announced on the night of the get-together forces the friends to confront their own racism, sexism and classism. Starring Imani Hakim (Mythic Quest) and Kara Wang (Top Gun: Maverick), Dinner Party was produced during the pandemic and filmed in four days; the film boasts a diverse ensemble cast, and was produced with 50% BIPOC and female crew, along with new original composition from Jedha (formerly from the popular rock band Yellowcard).
Lumpia With A Vengeance: DIR Patricio Ginelsa. USA.
The Lumpia-armed avenger resurfaces in Fogtown, teaming up with Rachel, a high school student, to prevent a crime syndicate from selling drugs masked as food. A crowdfunded action comedy.
A Sexplanation: DIR Alexander Liu. USA.
To right the wrongs of his all-American sex education, a 36-year-old goes on a quest to uncover naked truths and hard facts — no matter how awkward it gets.
A Shot Through The Wall: DIR Aimee Long. USA.
A Chinese-American cop accidentally shoots an African-American man through a wall. The guilt eats at the cop to the very end.
Take Out Girl: DIR Hisonni Mustafa. USA.
Tera Wong delivers Chinese food for her mother's struggling restaurant located in the “Low Bottoms,” an infamous Los Angeles project. Everyone expects her brains to get her out but when an opportunity arises to run drugs for a local kingpin, the prospect seems too lucrative to pass up. This film is the collaborative effort of writer/director Hissoni Mustafa and writer/actress Hedy Wong with a soundtrack featuring all Asian American hip hop artists including Raja Kumari and $tupid Young.
A Tale of Three Chinatowns: DIRS Lisa Mao, Penny Lee, Producer. USA.
Explores the history and importance of Chinatowns for Asians, and the current struggles of Chinatowns in the face of gentrification and shifts in population.
Tokyo Hula: DIR Lisette Marie Flanary. USA.
Explores the explosive popularity of the hula dance in Japan from both Native Hawaiian and Japanese perspectives. Today it is estimated that there are nearly 2 million people dancing hula in Japan–a figure greater than the entire population of Hawaiʻi. With more people dancing hula in Japan than in Hawaiʻi, where the art originated, this phenomenal growth has created a multimillion-dollar industry based on culture as commodity. But what motivates Japanese students and teachers to dance hula and how is it translated into a foreign culture? How do Native Hawaiians participate in this cross-cultural exchange? Through personal stories of Hawaiian master hula teachers and Japanese teachers and dancers, the documentary examines how tourism, economics, and a love affair with the islands of Hawaiʻi have made hula big business in Japan.
SHORT FILMS
1056 Metres: DIR Edwin Ho. Singapore.
Ling leaves Malaysia in need of a kidney, crossing the 1056-meter causeway into Singapore to ask her younger brother for a favor. Her life depends on it but his Singaporean wife is newly pregnant and has her own demands.
21st & Colonial: DIR Angelo Reyes. USA.
Inspired by a true story, Omar is a young Black man trying to support his family and his newly pregnant girlfriend. Carlos is an overworked cop with a dark past weighing him down. The two couldn't be more different, but through the course of a day, not only will their similarities be spotlighted, they will cross paths in a tragic way.
Americanized: DIR Erica Eng. USA.
Growing up in Oakland's hip-hop culture, Eng struggles with her Chinese American identity. To her high school basketball team, she's just that girl who sits on the bench; but to the Asian kids she's “Americanized.” As her sophomore year of high school comes to an end, Eng searches for a sense of belonging within the two worlds that don't accept her. [* NO SUBTITLES * Please note that the choice to not use subtitles is intentional because the main character does not speak Chinese and we want our audience to understand her perspective]
Atomic Cafe: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town: DIRS Akira Boch, Tadashi Nakamura. USA. Atomic Café was started by a Japanese American family starting over after being released from America's Japanese internment camps. This tells the story of how Atomic Nancy turned her family's restaurant into the center of L.A.'s punk rock scene, attracting an eclectic clientele ranging from locals to the biggest rock stars of the day.
Baby Blue: DIR Taylor Takeo Aikins. Canada.
Emily is forced to confront her ex when she loses her keys and wallet after a one-night stand.
Cashback: DIR Zoe Eisenberg. USA.
Cleaning up for the night, a pregnant theater manager finds a bag of cash, and debates her coworker on the right thing to do.
Cassette Tape: DIR Yurugu Matsumoto. Japan
Saki is looking forward to her birthday date with her boyfriend, whom she has been dating for three years. He can't meet her because of work, but the next day he surprises her with an unexpected marriage proposal. However, Saki's father is anything but enthusiastic or responsive to their wedding plans. In desperation, the couple find themselves in her father's café listening to a cassette tape of his favorite song—a special song that reveals the feelings her father has never been able to express. [SPOILER ALERT: Watch the complete credits at the end.]
Champion Edition: DIR Christopher Chan. USA.
Presented in stop-motion animation, vignettes of various professions are presented, with a nod to hip hop.
Corona Date: DIR Simeon Hu. USA.
A sexually frustrated girl stuck in New York City during the pandemic is desperate to meet up with someone she met online while her paranoid mother is desperate to extend her web of protection… all the way from China.
The Dream That Wasn't: DIR Aaron Zhao. USA.
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our reality, but how has it affected our dreams? The Dream That Wasn't tells the story of an immigrant couple working to support themselves and their restaurants, but most importantly, to achieve their dream.
An Essential Delivery: DIR Shane P. Liao. USA.
When a down on her luck young woman is laid off due to COVID-19, she takes a food delivery job to pay rent, exposing her to the challenges and unexpected blessings of life.
Extra Credit: DIR Angel Yau. USA.
Sometimes it takes your mom doing all your projects in elementary school to help you figure out who you are in adulthood.
Far from Abroad: DIR Hyung-Guhn “Hugo” Yi. Germany
A young woman from Korea struggles with the language barrier as she settles into her new life in Germany. When she befriends a Korean-German woman she finds a way to escape her helplessness and loneliness. But her new friend isn't as helpful as she pretends to be. Will she give up and return to Korea?
Final Deathtination: DIR Marika Tamura. Japan
A suicidal man encounters Death—a “travel agent” who takes him on a worldwide whirlwind tour to find the best place to die.
Fishbowl: DIR Annie Ning: USA.
While visiting her family in America, a grandmother is left to find companionship with a pet fish as she is forced to come to terms with losing her independence.
Fresh Peaches: DIR Lana Nguyen. USA
Taken place in the U.S. circa 1977, When his grandmother is falsely accused of stealing a tube of lipstick, a Vietnamese boy named Binh must try to diffuse the rising, heated altercation.
Fugetsu-Do: DIR Kaia Rose. USA.
An intimate portrait of a sweet shop that has been an anchor for the Japanese American community in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo since 1903. The brightly colored pieces of mochi-gashi that line the wood-paneled cases are made with much more than rice flour and sweet bean paste. The ingredients are mixed with stories of joy and pain, tradition and racism, legacy and loss. Survival is never easy; it's complicated and messy, full of contradictions and surprises. In the three generations that the Kito family has been running Fugetsu-Do, the store has become a memory bank for the community and the stories that line its walls could not be more relevant in today's America. “We had to live the American Dream twice.”
Hawaiian Soul: DIR ʻĀina Paikai. USA.
Amidst the 1970s Native Rights Movement, George Helm, a Hawaiian activist and musician searches for a way to gain the support of kūpuna (community elders) from Maui to aid in the fight to protect the precious and sacred neighboring island of Kahoʻolawe from military bombing.
Hope and Grace: DIR Louisa Phung. Canada.
After the war in Vietnam, a young couple find themselves in unfamiliar Canada. Mounting struggles and alienation create tension and fears between the couple themselves, but acceptance and support from the First People of their new home help them find their place.
Ikaw at Ako (You and I): DIR Melanie Lim. USA.
Marco and Elisa meet up for a night out in Los Angeles after twenty years. Catching up on life, was there something more to their friendship?
Incognito: DIR Jacky Song. USA.
In early-90s Los Angeles, a young woman named Isabel claims to have teleported from the past. Authorities remain skeptical of her narrative and later whisk her off to a mental asylum where she is confronted by the resident psychiatrist. A preliminary diagnosis matches up with the police's speculation, but an unexpected clue from a mysterious letter among Isabel's belongings spurs the doctor to take the investigation one step further.
INVISIBLE: DIR Minye Cho. USA.
An Asian American barista, Dong, found out a customer left a signature “COVID” with a virus emoji.
I Sound Asian: DIR Jeff Fong. USA.
A Vietnamese man assimilates into a comfortable American lifestyle as a phone sex operator, but his life gets derailed after a freak sexual accident causes him to have a thick Asian accent.
Keep Saray Home: DIR Brian Redondo. USA.
ICE doesn't just separate families at the US border. In the outskirts of Boston, three families face the impending threat of deportation. As refugees from Cambodia and Vietnam, they know they will have to fight together to stay together.
Let's Eat: DIR Dixon Wong. USA
The story of an immigrant mother and her daughter as they navigate through the beauty and challenges of life. Despite the difficulties they face, the warmth and love of family provides comfort and closeness, and cooking becomes a symbol of their unconditional love for each other.
The Mark: DIR Devin E. Haqq. USA.
A young single mother struggles against ominous forces that she believes are bent on taking her infant daughter. This chilling female-driven narrative stars three phenomenal women from the de facto Netflix Ensemble, Catherine Curtin (Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black), Kana Hatakeyama (Orange is the New Black, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Maho Honda (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Maniac).
Mint: DIR Cameron Kalajian. USA.
Kazakh-Russian immigrant, Kostya, races against the clock to find the money for his final college tuition payment. A contemporary-queer take on the pursuit of the American Dream.
Mother Tongue: DIR Jessica Li. Australia.
Jane's duty to her single, working mother is to raise her little sister, Jordan. When Jordan begins going to Chinese school, Jane's own curiosity kindles a hunger for her mother's culture. As Jane's cultural awareness grows, so does her love and connection with her mother.
Mother Tongue: DIR Eris Qian. USA.
A second-generation Chinese American woman connects to her roots by piecing together memories of her mother's last days, when Alzheimer's disease stripped away their common language.
Mulan: An East Side Story: DIR Joseph Le. USA.
Mulan: An East Side Story is a live-action musical based on Disney's Mulan. Unlike the original story, our modern-day hero attempts to join an all-male pack of thugs in order to avenge her brother's death. Through her journey, she overcomes adversities by embracing her unique identity and strength against all odds.
奶奶(Nai Nai): DIRS Hsiu Hsiu Lin, Minori Uemera. USA.
Chinese grandmother, YuQian, suffered a childhood trauma that has resulted in a severe hatred of the Japanese. One day, her beloved granddaughter, Mei, introduces YyQian to her Japanese fiancé, Ken. YuQian's memories of trauma resurface, but her love for her granddaughter forces her to face her past.
NAYA:DAVID KIM: DIRS AJ Valente, Janice Chung. USA.
Meet classical violinist David Kim. A child prodigy, David fiercely trained under his mother's intense supervision to become a world-class violinist. In this first installment of NAYA, David graciously invites us to his home and the music hall where we explore his passion for music and the journey that led him to become the concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra. NAYA (나야), produced by KoreanAmericanStory.org, is a mini-documentary series that paints vivid, visual stories of unique Korean Americans with passion for their craft.
No Place Like Kasama: DIR Kerri Pang. USA.
No one expects to open their dream restaurant during a global pandemic. This film is an intimate, real-time look into the journey of chefs Genie Kwon and Tim Flores throughout 2020, after they leave fine dining to pursue their dream of opening a Filipino neighborhood spot – all while COVID-19 decimates the hospitality industry.
Onipaʻa: DIR Dyllon Ching. USA.
The story of Liʻi, who during the pandemic finds himself the lone caretaker of a kalo (taro) farm or loʻi. With news of the loʻi being leveled for development, Liʻi looks to his son to be the caretaker for the next generation, but, like most others, his son has also lost interest in this longstanding cultural practice. Liʻi must look within himself to overcome his prejudice and share his cultural legacy with a young caucasian boy.
Parabola: DIR Lee Shorten. Canada.
Makoto, a Japanese American single mother, struggles to reconcile with her estranged father Musashi following his recent release from prison. But Musashi's former life as an enforcer for the Yakuza casts a long shadow over both their lives and history has a way of repeating itself.
A Period Piece: DIR Shuchi Talati. USA.
Geetha finally has sex with Vehd one afternoon, but things turn messy when her period blood stains her couch.
Phoenix Bakery: Sweets for the Sweet: DIR Janet Chen. USA.
As Los Angeles Chinatown's Phoenix Bakery celebrates its 80th anniversary, three multicultural generations of the Chan family explore their legacy and contemplate the bakery's future in the community.
Refrigerate After Opening: DIR Kevin Ung. USA.
A man down on his luck finds a refrigerator that gives him all he needs. Until it doesn't.
Ritual Curry: DIR Harsh Mahadeshwar. USA.
Rituals, what do they mean? Judgement, does it help or hinder? To demonstrate her love for a lost one, a woman overcomes her struggle between cultural traditions and modern practices.
Seeds: DIR Denise Zhou. USA.
Desperate to salvage her less-than-remarkable 13th birthday, Georgia plots an escape to the crowded streets of Brooklyn with her little sister Cassie in tow.
Shadow of the Moon: DIR Shuhan Lei. China.
Orphaned, Loli lives with her grandma and takes care of her 2 younger siblings. Hoping to be adopted by a well-to-do woman, she finds her way into both the woman's, and the woman's brother's, heart.
Snake Trail: DIR Shicong Zhu. USA.
Urged to complete the traditional Chinese death ritual as her mother's only daughter, but without the legal documentation to prove her kinship to the woman who gave birth to her—a girl finds herself in an institutional conundrum.
There Was Nobody Here We Knew: DIR Khaula Malik. USA.
After spotting what they believe is a UFO outside their window, a middle-aged Pakistani couple contemplates alien life and searches for answers during lockdown.
Tikkun Olam: DIR Bob Ahmed. USA.
A young boy's act of kindness saves a homeless veteran's life, who in turn performs a small act of kindness for the young boy, which brings meaning to the veteran's life.
Where No One Will Find Her: DIR Ahnmin Lee. USA.
Sung-mi, lured by a paycheck, takes work as a karaoke hostess. The job loses the little shine it had when she finds the bar she is working at is a cover for a much more sinister operation. Does she have what it takes to turn from hostess to hero?
Yello: DIR King Saw Yoon. USA.
Michelle, who we find out later is a frontline healthcare worker, takes us with her to the airport, where she is met with an incident which brings about an emotional reflection. But as she arrives at her destination, a little boy greets her kindly, reminding her that the world is still kind.
YuanYuan: DIR Shiyue Xu. China.
A young girl named YuanYuan lives in a happy family with loving parents. But when her mother becomes pregnant, the unborn brother brings tension to the family. At the same time, YuanYuan thinks she has uncovered her father's “affair” and in order to protect her home, YuanYuan launches her “master plan” with the help of her classmate.
ABOUT DC APA FILM FESTIVAL
The mission of the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival is to bring attention to the creative output from Asian Pacific American (APA) communities and encourage the artistic development of APA talent, arts, and films in the greater Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Region.
