Chris Rigopulos, Annabel Park and Eric Byler of 9500 Liberty

Do you have your tickets for Opening Night yet? If not, click here to get them or you’ll miss all the festivities on Thursday night.

The critically-acclaimed 9500 Liberty just won the best documentary award at the Charlotte Film Festival last Thursday. Best-selling author John Grisham is among its many fans.

Those interested in social media also should check out this documentary about the illegal immigration issue. They will be fascinated to see how one of the main characters gets citizens and elected officials of Prince William Country to support him through the use of a blog.

After watching the film, there will be a discussion with the filmmakers, then a reception at a rooftop. Come on down Thursday night to watch, discuss, network and then party! Buy your tickets now:

http://www.apafilm.org/festival-2009/9500-liberty/

If you’re not familiar with Angry Asian Man, check out his site at www.angryasianman.com.

Don’t worry, he’s not that angry. I hope he’s not mad at me for saying that.

Seriously now, who is Angry Asian Man?

“It’s just me, a regular Asian American guy, writing about a few things that I find particularly noteworthy or interesting. More than anything, a place to express myself and work it all out.”

The site points out racism and notes any and all appearances of Asians in mass media and popular culture (the good and the bad).

Angry Asian Man blogs about everything Asian, from Michelle Rhee, to Playmobil’s Asian Family figures. He’ll let you know about upcoming film festivals such as ours,  movie premieres and plays. The guy really digs into the web to find the neatest stories.

Angry Asian Man will introduce you to lots of stuff that you’ve never heard of, like MegaBot. MegaBot? Angry Asian Man: Yes, MegaBot! Me: Dude, I’m still staring at those Playmobil figures! Angry Asian Man: And the dad comes with a giant camera! Me: And his shirt’s yellow! Where did they get those hideous threads? Okay, moving along now…

When reading his blog, just remember that these are Angry Asian Man‘s opinions – nothing more, nothing less.

DC APA Film is delighted that Angry Asian Man is once again a sponsor of our festival. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for our monumental 10th anniversary, please click here for sponsorship information or email Richard Fidler at richard[at]apafilm.org.

You like us, right? We like you. So how about becoming our friend?

DC APA Film, an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization that has been recommended by the Washington Post Style Section, has had more than 20,000 in attendance during our festival since 2000. Opening night is next week. Buy your tickets now!

http://www.apafilm.org/festival-2009/9500-liberty/

For more information visit:

• 9500 Liberty trailer and website
• 9500 Liberty YouTube Channel
• Washington Post article(s) and the immigration debate coverage
• CNN story
• 9500 Liberty screens with Geoffrey Quan’s short film The Other Way Round

Tickets for Opening Night and the festival will be available in late September. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified as soon as tickets go on sale. Read the full press release here.

“Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) have made incredible strides in the past 10 years,” said festival director Anna Petrillo. “We are more visible in entertainment, more influential at the polls, and more present in elected and appointed offices. All of these things are related, and as the APA film festival of the nation’s capital, it’s our mission to both recognize and facilitate this.”

Eric Byler

Annabel Park

9500 LIBERTY is based on the world’s first “interactive documentary,” which debuted on YouTube in October of 2007, inviting viewers to provide feedback and become part of the unfolding story, both online and in person. The popularity and impact of the channel (over 600,000 views to date) landed the filmmakers on local, national, and international press, leading to an invitation to testify before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The film is in part about their transformative journey documenting this bitter fight.

The film is directed by Asian American filmmakers, Annabel Park of Silver Spring, MD and Eric Byler of Gainesville, VA. Byler, whose critically acclaimed debut CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES was hailed by Roger Ebert as a “breakthrough for Asian American filmmakers,” returned to Northern Virginia from Los Angeles in 2006, just as ethnic tensions were mounting in Prince William County. The film, Mr. Byler’s first documentary, is his sixth film to be selected for the festival. In addition, this is the first time a documentary film about a local issue has opened the DC APA Film Festival.

“One profound lesson that we learned in Prince William County is recognizing the fragility of democracy,” Byler said. “We hope that our film will persuade people of all backgrounds, especially Asian Americans, of the importance of actively participating at all levels of government.”

Park, who immigrated from South Korea at the age of 9, believes that Asian Americans should step up to the plate and take on leadership roles in America’s ongoing debate about immigration. “Politically speaking, immigration has been cast as a Latino issue. This is unfortunate because the subject of immigration is an issue that affects all Americans. Asian Americans must not remain on the sidelines of a debate that will have such enormous significance on America’s future and identity.”

The festival runs from October 1 – October 10, 2009 in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian Institution‘s Freer/Sackler Galleries, the Burke Theatre of the U.S. Navy Memorial, and Landmark’s E Street Cinema. It will showcase 18 feature length films, over 40 short films, and special events including industry receptions and panels, educational workshops, and a retrospective sample of films from the past ten years of Asian Pacific American independent cinema.

Screenings are open to the public and five events will have free admission.  For more information go to: www.apafilm.org and www.9500Liberty.com.

For press screeners and media inquiries, contact Ron Sanchez at Ron@apafilm.org, or (202) 330-5496.

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The 10th Annual Washington, D.C. Asian Pacific American Film Festival is presented by Asian Pacific American Film, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based registered nonprofit, tax-exempt charity under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that is 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.