Amigo, the 17th feature film from Sayles, provides an optic on the easily forgotten history of the Philippine-American War, a short lived but brutal war that claimed the lives of about 4,000 Americans and between 200,000 to 600,000 Filipinos. Amigo stars legendary Filipino actor Joel Torre as Rafael, a village mayor caught in the crossfire of the war, and Academy-Award winner, Chris Cooper, as U.S. Colonel Hardacre. Filipino American scholar Theo Gonzalves, a professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will moderate the conversation with Sayles.

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011 from 6 to 9 p.m. (FREE)
WHERE: Rasmuson Theater, National Museum of the American Indian, 4th Street + Independence Ave, SW

Details:
http://apanews.si.edu/2011/10/05/amigo-john-sayles/

Hosted by multifaceted theater artist Paige Hernandez, the terrific lineup for the Sulu DC October show features rap-funk-ska-punk collective P.I.C., Brooklyn pop/storytelling quartet Little Anchor, and (count ‘em) three DJs – the Pinstriped Rebel, DJ Un-G (from P.I.C.), and DJ Mas – spinning tunes all night long. We know you’ll be ripe for a musical night and some booty shakin’ after hearing the touching indie pop tunes by Goh Nakamura in Surrogate Valentine.

DC APA Film and Sulu DC are thrilled to together be able to create such an amazing package where you can see so much mind-blowing Asian-American artistic and musical talent on display in the nation’s capital. Check us out!

Our festival is winding down. Come out to see some of our very best on Friday.

D.C. APA Film is known for showing the best short films from around the country + all over the world. Friday we will screen Savasana - winner of our Best Narrative Short award. Savasana is part of the Mysterio/Mysteré shorts program. These films embark upon the world of the extraordinary: imagination and inspiration; freezing time; humanity’s reliance upon futuristic technology; and the desire for the unattainable. The Notice, Time Stopper and Chubby Can Kill are also featured in this program. Speaking of Chubby, did you see that it was featured in Art Beat on WAMU 88.5?

More about the shorts:

Savasana
Hidden family secrets and memories are uncovered as Faye moves from Singapore to the United States. As Faye explores a new city, her assistant Linda realizes her responsibilities.

The Notice
Set in the not-too-distant future, two messengers of the Global Benefactor Protocol have the responsibility of notifying individuals of their fate.

Time Stopper
A young man with an incredible gift wrestles with the darkest places of his heart, as jealousy turns into obsession for the affections of his neighbor.

Chubby Can Kill
Inspired by action movie heroes, Wing decides to take crime fighting into his own hands when local gang members encroach upon the neighborhood.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Paging all our RomCom peeps:

D.C. APA Film has gone all over the world (okay just the D.C. area, specifically the NW) to bring you Taiwan’s blockbuster film Cape No. 7. This romantic comedy music-drama is the second-highest grossing film in the country’s history, second only to that boat movie directed by the dude who did Avatar. So we hope to see all of our RomCom fans Thursday, Oct. 13 at E Street Cinema.

The sponsor of this film, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) will be giving away special Centennial Pins commemorating the 100th birthday of the Republic of China. So come early if you want to get one of these collector pins. Wait, there’s more? D.C. APA Film will also raffle off some gift certificates after the screening. Really? Wow, this sounds like an incredibly fun night! This is the first of our Centerpiece films so you know it’s going to be good. Bring a date or come alone, it’ll be a great time!

Cape No. 7 is a fun, quirky romantic comedy filled with lively musical performances and real-life pop stars (Van sang the theme song in My Sassy Girl). It is sure to delight any audience. Click here for more info and to buy tickets!

PS: Hey single guys, you know there will be lots of gals for this one because they love romantic comedies. So wear some cool threads and come on down!

PSS: Hey single gals, you know there will be lots of cool guys wearing cool threads for this one because I told them to come. So wear a cute outfit and come on down!

Our second Centerpiece film on Thursday is The Fourth Portrait which will screen at 9:30 p.m. The Fourth Portrait is an atmospheric film with deliberate pacing and great cinematography, punctuated by light-hearted and side-splitting comedy. At times wistful and sad, the story of this spirited young boy is not easily forgotten.

Click here for more info and to buy tickets!

LuLu gathers friends like a dog gathers fleas. Meet her for a Bud Lite, and you’ll end up snorting beer through your nose, swaying to the jukebox, feeling the inner rebel in you bubbling up. Her cussing puts sailors to shame. She inhales Marlboros like an unsupervised six-year-old devours M&Ms. She downs Double White Russians and Dewar’s straight up.

You wouldn’t guess LuLu, or Dr. Louise Nutter, discovered a groundbreaking antibiotic /anti-cancer drug, the kind of achievement that wins you a Nobel Prize. Or that she started college when she was 15, whizzed through grad school and got her Ph.D in biochem in 3-1/2 years.

She’s a pioneering cancer scientist. Demanding and beloved professor. Amateur poet and novelist. A farm girl. Former cheerleader. Her nicknames include “The Bull” and “Passion Pot.” At her prime at age 42, LuLu gets a phone call: She has end-stage breast cancer. She’ll die 15 months later.

Film is preceded by the short film Raymond. Click here to purchase tickets for this screening.

Jimmy Murakami: Non-Alien, 4:30 p.m.
Jimmy Murakami is a Japanese American who grew up in the United States, developed a well-respected career in Hollywood, and established a full life in his adopted country Ireland. He is an Oscar-nominated animator, whose films include When the Wind Blows and The Snowman. While it would seem that he has a wonderful life, his childhood continues to haunt him.

Murakami was only eight years old when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor during WWII. He and his family, along with over a hundred thousand Japanese Americans, were sent to internment camps. Murakami’s family spent four years in the Tule Lake camp in the California desert, where his sister Sumiko died of leukemia.

This documentary film showcases Murakami’s series of paintings reflecting on his time at the Tule Lake camp and culminates in Murakami’s return to Tule Lake to confront his pain and anger. -Sharon Kim.

Preceded by the shorts Four Immeasurables and Fumiko Hayashida: The Woman Behind the Symbol. Click here to purchase tickets for this screening.

Resident Aliens: A Cambodian/American Story, 7 p.m.
Resident Aliens is the story of three Cambodian-born refugees who have grown up in America, but for different reasons, are deported back to their native country. After living a majority of their lives as Americans, they must adjust to their circumstances in an unfamiliar homeland. This compelling documentary takes the audience on a tour of daily struggles, employment, old habits, self-doubt, family, and responsibilities. —Zandra Wilson

Preceded by the short Voice Unknown - winner of our Best Documentary Short Award. Click here to purchase tickets for this screening.

- Some people actually bought new threads to wear for Thursday night’s screening of Saigon Electric. So you’ll be seeing some sharp dressed peeps if you’re into fashion.

- The popcorn at E Street Cinema is frickin’ ridiculously good. Yes even better than the popcorn at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. Yes I know because I ate buckets of popcorn at ArcLight.

- Stephane Gauger, the director of Saigon Electric, will be at the screening. So if you want to know anything about this great film just ask.

- This is THE BIG EVENT in Washington D.C. on Thursday night. PERIOD. Videographers and photographers will be there, some local press and after the screening the after party at UltraBar will ROCK!

Come on down. If you went to Opening Night last year, you saw it was completely SOLD OUT and we had to turn away people. Thursday night is going to be one incredibly fun night.

Don’t miss out on all the fun, click here to purchase tickets for Saigon Electric. After party at UltraBar is included.

The Girl from the Naked Eye – screening Saturday, October 8, 9 p.m. at Goethe-Institut

Check out Asian on Film’s interviews with Jason Yee, Ron Yuan and Jerry Ying:

Jason Yee (writer/producer/star)
http://www.asiansonfilm.com/2011/10/jason-yee-interview-the-girl-from-the-naked-eye/

Ron Yuan (co-star)
http://www.asiansonfilm.com/2011/10/ron-yuan-interview-shanghai-hotel-the-girl-from-the-naked-eye/

Jerry Ying (co-star)
http://www.asiansonfilm.com/2011/10/jerry-ying-interview-the-girl-from-the-naked-eye/

The Girl From the Naked Eye Featurette
http://www.asiansonfilm.com/2011/10/the-girl-from-the-naked-eye-featurette/

***NEW! Bonus – Jason Yee background info:
http://www.asiansonfilm.com/2011/10/jason-yee-interview-dark-assassin/

Purchase Tickets Now!

Click here to purchase tickets for The Girl from the Naked Eye

About Asians on Film
Asians on Film is an English language blog meant to be very broad as it encompasses Asian/Pacific Islander men and women in the Hollywood film industry. Asians on Film hopes to showcase all areas of film beyond just actors, actresses and directors. Asians on Film is also excited about broadening the term “film” to encompass new media like webseries and music videos and be part of the ever evolving creative world of filmmaking that HD cameras have opened up to so much new talent.

Visit Asians on Film and expect to find information that is both helpful and informative as well as issues and subjects that may be only indirectly related to the film industry but of interest to film buffs, actors and actresses. One of their main features will always be interviewing and bringing filmmakers and artists one-on-one to their audience. Asians on Film hopes that their site will thrive on the input of others and less from the general rantings of its owners.

Celebrating the Centennial of the Republic of China, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) has joined with APA Film to present two contemporary Taiwanese films, Cape No. 7 and The Fourth Portrait. They will be presented on October 13th at E Street Cinema as the centerpiece film of the APA Film Festival.

His dream of rock n’ roll fame in Taipei having collapsed, Aga (pop star Van) returns to his hometown Hengchun, a beautiful but quiet location on the southern coast of Taiwan. There he meets the beautiful Tomoko, who is trying to organize a group of local musicians to perform as the warm up act for real-life Japanese pop star Kousuke Atari (playing himself). A fun, quirky romantic comedy filled with lively musical performances and real-life pop stars (Van sang the theme song in My Sassy Girl), Cape No. 7 is a film sure to delight any audience.

The Fourth Portrait revolves around 10-year-old Xiang, who is alone after his father’s death with only an elderly school janitor to help him survive by finding and selling used objects. It is an atmospheric film with deliberate pacing and great cinematography, punctuated by light-hearted and side-splitting comedy. At times wistful and sad, the story of this spirited young boy is not easily forgotten.

Surrogate Valentine, the festival’s closing night film, is a romantic comedy that showcases the music of San Francisco indie musician Goh Nakamura. Goh is given the task of teaching TV star Danny how to play the guitar for an upcoming role, and he goes on tour with the musician to learn the trade. While on tour things get complicated as Goh’s high school crush shows up. Danny, grateful for Goh’s teaching, tries to repay the favor by playing wingman. “Natural and charming” are what many critics are saying about this film. Surrogate Valentine will screen on October 15, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Goethe-Institut.

The APA Film Festival is scheduled for 7 days from October 6 to October 15. In addition to our paid programs, APA Film will offer programs that are entirely FREE to the public at the Smithsonian Freer and Sackler Galleries. For information about our feature and short films, Opening and Closing Night reception and much more, please visit www.apafilm.org.

The mission of the D.C. APA Film Festival is to bring attention to the creative output from Asian Pacific American (APA) communities and encourage the artistic development of APA films in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan region. Since 2000, D.C. Asian Pacific American Film, Inc. (APA Film) a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, has produced an annual film festival based in Washington, D.C. devoted to film and media arts made by and/or about Americans of Asian Pacific Islander descent and other Asian Diasporic groups from around the world.

D.C. APA Film is run 100 percent by volunteers, we have no paid staffers and every penny earned is spent on festival expenses such as theater rental, food + drinks for the Opening/Closing Night Parties, etc.

WHEN: Thursday, September 22, 2011 @ 6 pm.

WHERE: Cafe Asia, 1720 I Street, NW, Washington DC (Farragut West metro)

Click here for more details. See you there!

Please join the following organizations in coming together for a night at The Park with complimentary cocktails, networking, and making new friends. Please feel free to pass this invite along to others because as we all know, the more the …merrier!

-Event will start at 9:00 PM
-Complimentary cocktails will be served from 9:00 – 10:00 PM
-Complimentary admission until midnight for those who are on guest list or mention “AHM Networking Event”
-If interested, table specials will be offered for all members and those who are attending this event (see below)

Participating Organizations:

-Kollaboration DC
-NAAAP-DC
-Sejong Society
-CAPAL
-TAP-DC
-Pop Show Japan
-alpha Kappa Delta Phi Alumnae Association
-Lambda Phi Epsilon Alumni Association
-Generation Echo Entertainment
-Freeline Music Group
-AAJA-DC
-DC APA Film
-AALEAD

WHERE:
The Park at Fourteenth
914 14th St., NW
Washington, DC

Saturday at 9:00pm to May 8 at 3:00am

For guestlist or table reservations please e-mail first and last names to Julie at jlee729@gmail.com by Friday, May 6, 2011. The table special will be $250 for one Grey Goose (only for participating organizations, members, and those invited to the event).

Let’s make this a great night!