The DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival (DCAPAFF) announced today the full lineup for its 2023 edition, which runs from Thursday, July 13 to Sunday, July 16. The selections highlight established and up and coming AAPI creatives across feature and short film programs and will include conversations with filmmakers throughout the festival. The 23rd edition of the festival opens with a screening of MIXED from local filmmakers Caty Borum Chattoo and Leena Jayaswal at the Angelika Pop Up at Union Market. The Closing Night film THE ACCIDENTAL GETAWAY DRIVER by filmmaker Sing J. Lee, will screen at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD. Lee, who was awarded the Directing Award for U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, will be in attendance.
Feature and short film programs will unspool throughout the weekend at The Eaton Cinema, DC APAFF’s festival hub.
“We are excited to host so many incredible films and talented artists at this year’s festival,” says Melissa Bisagni, DC APAFF Festival Director. “Our festival offers a platform for both creative and impactful stories from the AAPI diaspora that I know will resonate with a diversity of audiences. Our stories are part of the global community; we are individuals who revel in our own experiences, but ultimately want to stand in solidarity around the stories of others in our communities. I feel like we can bring joy to the experience of sharing.”
All the films in the DCAPAFF program are eligible for the Audience Awards presented by Eaton DC. Additional awards will go to Best Director, Best Performance, Best Narrative Film and Best Documentary Film. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, July 18.
Visit apafilm.org for more information.
2023 DC APA FILM FESTIVAL MAIN SLATE
OPENING NIGHT PROGRAM — JULY 13
MIXED: DIRS Caty Borum Chattoo and Leena Jayaswal. USA.
Fifty years after the landmark Loving v. Virginia U.S. Supreme Court case ended legal persecution of interracial marriage in America, two mothers – one brown, one white – set off on a journey to explore what it means to be a bi-racial child living in a mixed-race family in a fraught moment in American life, the perspectives of their own families and others, and America’s deep cultural ambivalence about its rapidly-changing mixed-race reality. In the shadows of Ferguson and #BlackLivesMatter, the historic Obama presidency and the Trump era, MIXED offers new intragenerational, perspectives into race and the lives of the first generation of mixed-race kids and families to be counted in the U.S. Census.
CLOSING NIGHT PROGRAM — JULY 16
THE ACCIDENTAL GETAWAY DRIVER: DIR Sing J. Lee. USA.
During a routine pickup, an elderly Vietnamese cab driver is taken hostage at gunpoint by three recently escaped Orange County convicts. Based on a true story.
Preceded by short film HOMETOWN LEGENDS (DIRS Kolby Akamu Moser and Nainoa Langer
FRIDAY PROGRAM — JULY 14
UNCONDITIONAL: DIR Richard Lui. USA.
After seven years in production, UNCONDITIONAL (formerly Hidden Wounds) comes to the screen as an uplifting film about the importance of mental health for both those living with a disability and in addition, their caregivers too. It reveals the unconditional energy, strength, and love that gets us through some of the most difficult but enriching times of our lives.
Along the way, the film shows us how mental health is not what we think it is. It is not only the polar extremes, often coming in shades of grey and in places we do not expect or notice.
In this raw and inspiring documentary filmed over the course of seven years, three families find triumphs when tested challenges of the body and mind like never before.
THIS TIME: DIR Sebastien Tobler. USA.
Long lost high school sweethearts, Laela and Colin, unexpectedly reunite in Los Angeles 23 years after being separated during the 1998 riots in Jakarta, where they were torn apart without notice, unable to say goodbye, and flown away to different countries.
When they see one another again, the temptation to reconnect with a kindred spirit is irresistible despite Laela’s looming deadline and Colin’s impending move to Pennsylvania.
SATURDAY PROGRAM — JULY 15
Shorts Program 1 – SO SURE OF YOURSELF
Program of short films including GOODBYE, SAMMY, VELVET SKY, WHAT THEY LEFT BEHIND, RED BALLOON, 52HZ, CASH ONLY and EN POINTE.
Sometimes you’re already headed in the right direction, sometimes all you need is a helping hand and sometimes you just need someone to shut you down.
Shorts Program 2 – GETTING IT TWISTED
Program of short films including GIFTS ARE MY LOVE LANGUAGE, BAD ASIAN, DIRTY ROTTEN TOFU AND THE GOHAN GIRLS, DON’T BE SORRY, INFINITY!, MOON, DEATH’S DINER, and THE VAN.
No “model minorities” here, only shootouts, dance-offs, mental health concerns and one-night stands.
FINDING HER BEAT: DIRS Dawn Mikkelson and Keri Pickett USA.
A master of Japanese drumming and a Korean adoptee from Minnesota boldly convene an all-female troupe to perform Taiko, the Japanese drumming art that has been off-limits to women for centuries. As the early menace of Covid rumbles in the background, the group faces down hurdles to prepare for a historic performance in snowy St. Paul. Buoyed by dynamic drum performances and do-or-die spirit, FINDING HER BEAT is an energizing and uplifting story of music, cultural expression and sisterhood.
Preceded by short film THE LAST SEPTEMBER (DIR Sophia Shi)
SUNDAY PROGRAM — JULY 16
Shorts Program 3 – STEPPING UP, STEPPING OUT
Program of short films including PACKING DAY, PASSENGER SEAT, HOANG THE PAPER BOY, TRUMPERS???, and THE LAST RODEO
Suggested for ages 8+, these five short films are stories of five young people navigating family and the outside world.
Shorts Program 4 – BETWEEN YOU AND ME
Program of short films including PARTY FAVOR, 30 & 3, THE MESS WE’RE IN, TEQUILA SUNSET, MANDARINS, SOUL FOOD, and INSTANT NOODLE
Making space for individuals when family is “everything.”
HOMETOWN LEGENDS: DIRS Kolby Akamu Moser and Nainoa Langer. USA.
Hawaiians have long been known for their storytelling and oral history, so in a society quickly moving away from cross-generational conversations and cultural traditions we sat down with five legendary kūpuna (elders) to document their history, mea hana (craft), and kuleana (responsibility) as it was passed down to them. We capture stories about their ʻāina hānau (native land), adversities overcome, accomplishments and the wisdom they believe is important to pass down to the next generation.
Preceded by short film FOR WHO THE ALARM SOUNDS (DIR Zishun Ning)
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