Preview by Thusari Jay, Red Carpet Report Reporter- check out her YouTube Channel Here
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival(LAAPFF) commenced on Thursday, April 21st, 2016 with the opening night celebration of the film The Tiger Hunter.
The festival has a number of artistic, well created stories full of cinematic success. This article will give a glimpse to four of the films at the festival and by no means are these the only best films of the festival. When it’s a well displayed buffet of projects that complement one another and all equally delicious in their own right, it becomes harder to choose what to put on your plate.
To see all the festival film selections, there are eight days filled with array of choices to enjoy at the LAAPFF.
Four Films
Tyrus is an homage to Tyrus Wong by the documentary director Pamela Tom. It is the festival centerpiece presentation and documents the life of the living legend and Chinese American artist who is now 105 years old. This was a labor of love for Tom as it took her fifteen years to bring the story to life. The process took her from 1998-2015: that’s after research where the first shot was done in 1998 then to shooting to raising funds and post production and finally showing audiences the story in 2015. Pamela Tom had a passionate determination to bring recognition to Tyrus Wong and bring his achievements to light. Her goal is for everyone to have a chance to learn about this great artist who came to the United States as a nine year old when it was a time of hostility toward Chinese immigrants and went on to be a visual stylist for Disney’s Bambi and work at WB as a Production Illustrator. He made contributions that inspired and influenced generations of individuals in his field. If not attending the festival, keep an eye out for this piece on PBS. Tyrus, which premiered at the Telluride Film Fest, is executive produced by Disney’s Don Hahn.
Pali Road, described as a romantic thriller, is LAAPFF’s closing night selection. It’s directed by Jonathan Lim. The production team wanted to focus on an independent film and had the freedom to explore a type of story that ‘don’t get made in Hollywood anymore.’ There are no super powered comic book heroes. One of the writers of the film, Doc Pedrolie and director, Lim believes in bringing the story to life organically. The production team has high praises for their DP Quen Tran who was able to rally the camera department while shooting in Hawaii soon after giving birth. She helped bring the female point of view and give balance to the visual narrative with quality cinematography. The story will not be given away here as after the festival, Pali Road is set to open theatrically next week on April 28th, 2016 at AMC/Regal Cinemas.
The Tiger Hunter, an independent film directed by UCLA film school alumni Lena Khan, is the festival’s opening night selection. The main cast, Danny Pudi, Karen David, and Jon Heder along with Khan were at the Japanese American Cultural Museum on Press Day to highlight the film. When asked to use one word to describe the film, Khan uses the hyphenated word ‘big-hearted’ to characterize the film. She wrote the story based on her grandfather and father and writer Sameer Gardezi scribed the screenplay. The story is about a young South Asian man, Sami Malik, who journeys to America to be an engineer because he wants to impress the love of his life. The story takes places in 1970s Chicago and Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite fame plays the role of Alex Womac. This comedic film, that was funded through a kick-starter campaign, is a must see film for anyone who enjoys some farce in their life.
Unbidden, from the Canadian director who helmed the film White Frog, is a psychological thriller starring Tamlyn Tomita, Julia Nickson, Elizabeth Sung, Amy Hill along with a talented Asian-American ensemble of performers. It is a female driven horror film narrative with surprises along the way. Quentin Lee wanted to make a film that will remind the audience of Hollywood films such as ‘What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?, All About My Mother, Rope, and Joy Luck Club.’ If you are a hardcore fan of horror films or a fan of great story telling this is a piece not to be missed. Unbidden is a story to be enjoyed without giving the plot away to maximize the experience of the viewer’s journey into embracing a story told in the horror tradition.
The 32nd Annual Asian Pacific Film Festival will close on Thursday, April 28th, 2016 with Pali Road. The films will be screened at several venues around DTLA and the DGA theatre in Hollywood. The festival reminds us that we can indulge in a celebration of Asian Pacific creations right here in Los Angeles.
For more information websites for the films four films and for the festival:
Tyrus: http://tyruswongthemovie.com/
Pali Road: http://www.paliroadfilm.com
The Tiger Hunter http://www.thetigerhunter.com/
Unbidden: http://theunbidden.com/
Festival: see the LAAPFF site for a full listing of the screenings
http://festival.vconline.org/festival-hq/
The Last Tour http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2669286/
