DGA Monthly | Volume 6, Issue 6 - June 2009 | Recent Events | A DGA Independent Directors Outreach Event: DGA Welcomes the 25th Annual LA Asian Pacific Film Fest

DGA members pose with LAAPFF filmmakers at the DGA Brunch. - photos by Trixie Textor & Howard Wise - click images for larger views

Asian American Committee Co-Chair Chris Tashima addresses the brunch with Co-Chairs Ron Dempsey and Babu Subramaniam

Kicking off it’s celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, from April 30 - May 7, Visual Communications (VC) presented a program 35 feature films and 146 shorts and videos during 25th Anniversary Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF).

Formerly known as the VC Film Fest, the LAAPFF screened films at various venues such as the DGA, Laemmle’s Sunset 5 Theatres, Downtown Independent Theatre, The National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, and the Aratani/Japan America Theatre, with films and videos from both Asian Pacific American and Asian international directors from 26 countries throughout the eight-day festival.

As part of its continuing outreach to independent filmmakers on May 1, the Guild hosted a brunch for LAAPFF Filmmakers with DGA Asian American Committee Co-Chair Chris Tashima as the featured speaker. Tashima also called his fellow co-chairs Babu Subramaniam and Ron Dempsey to answer questions from the participants about the advantages of DGA membership. Similarly on May 2, DGA director-members Michael Kang, Kari Skogland, and DGA Asian American Committee Co-Chair emeritus/VC board member Henry Chan took part in the DGA-programmed panel discussion Directions in Television, with VC board member Quan Phung.

The DGA has been a proud sponsor of this festival for the past 14 years.