Letter from the Festival Director
Welcome to the 20th Anniversary of the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival.
Through film, we connect with the creative imagination, thoughts, and experiences of so many talented Asian American artists and with one another. Every year for the past 20 years, we have come together to experience these films together with the DC community. With the current pandemic, it feels more important than ever to feel this sense of community and connection even though we cannot gather physically. For this reason, we are sharing our selection virtually throughout the month of May and have a series of events planned throughout the month.
This year we have on offer a wonderful lineup of films. They range from shorts to feature length live action, documentaries and animation. They touch on everyday human and societal subjects by addressing social issues, coming of age, love and sacrifice, and cultural awareness. In addition, to celebrate our 20th anniversary, we have selected our favorite retrospective films from the past 20 years and have planned events with the artists involved in each.
Every Saturday and Thursday in the month of May, we will have a Q&A with filmmakers and performers, and also have a musical performance and a puppet-making workshop for young children. Please check our Events page for more information. We will also have events throughout the year. Last year, we invited the co-screenwriter of the Hollywood blockbuster “Crazy Rich Asians” Adele Lim for a special screening in DC and she shared her insights on her career and experience of working in Hollywood. This year, we will add such events to our calendar and hope to have in person screenings at venues once it is safe to do so. For this reason, please check our calendar regularly.
The APA Film Festival has been promoting films made by Asian Americans for 20 years and will continue to do so for our growing pool of talented artists. This is made possible by our sustaining grantors the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the DC Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs for their continual funding for our festival. I also want to recognize our community partners The Rose Group, Organization of Chinese Americans Greater DC Chapter, Association of Vietnamese Americans, Washington DC Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, and the DC Chinese American Museum, and the many individual donors for their generous support.
We welcome your support and your donation to our film festival to advance our work. Through this international pandemic, we are finding new ways of retaining the connections of what we see as important and that allow us to express our values and affirm our humanity.
Please enjoy our 20th Anniversary Festival!
Yours sincerely,
David Yao, Festival Director
