DCAPAFF Announces 2022 Opening Night and Closing Films
June 23, 2022
DC ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
ANNOUNCES ‘WATERMAN’ AND ‘BAD AXE’ AS
OPENING NIGHT AND CLOSING FILMS
DCAPAFF will run from July 14 to 17 with in person and virtual screenings
WASHINGTON, DC - Today APA Film announced WATERMAN and BAD AXE as the Opening and Closing Night selections, respectively, of the 22nd annual DC APA Film Festival. The festival will run from July 14 to 17 with a mix of in person and virtual screenings.
WATERMAN, by filmmaker Isaac Halasima, will screen outdoors on Thursday, July 14 at Alethia Tanner Park in Washington, DC’s NoMa neighborhood. The Opening Night program is a family friendly affair and will kick off with performances by the Hawai'i State Society Ukulele Hui and Dancers, and Halau Ka’ahupuna, and feature a post-screening Q&A with Halasima. WATERMAN will be preceded by short films THE GREATEST POEM by filmmaker Elyse Kelly and ROOTED by filmmaker Mia Kami.
The Closing Night selection BAD AXE will screen at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD on Sunday, July 17. BAD AXE won the SXSW Audience Award and received Special Jury Recognition for Exceptional Intimacy in Storytelling in the Documentary Feature Competition. Filmmaker David Siev and special guests will appear for a post screening Q&A and reception. BAD AXE will be preceded by the short film TEN MONTHS directed by Amie Song.
The full film slate will be announced in the coming days.
The Opening Night program is free; an RSVP is requested. Tickets for BAD AXE are available now via the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.
ABOUT THE OPENING AND CLOSING NIGHT FEATURE FILMS
WATERMAN: DIR Isaac Halasima. USA.
Five-time Olympic medalist and Native Hawaiian Duke Paoa Kahanamoku shattered records and brought surfing to the world while overcoming a lifetime of personal challenges. Waterman explores his journey and legacy as a legendary swimmer, trailblazer, and the undisputed father of modern-day surfing, following the sport’s first-time inclusion in this year’s Games – a fitting tribute to his work promoting the sport around the globe.
From modest roots in Waikiki, Duke swam his way to fame, becoming the face of a changing Hawai’i – and a vital part of its tourism industry – as it evolved from an independent Kingdom to the 50th American state. Yet relatively few outside Hawai’i know the full extent of Duke’s impact on sports, lifesaving, and combating prejudice.
Through Duke’s incredible athletic accomplishments, personal doctrine of aloha, and enduring gift of surfing to the world, the film explores a theme that still resonates today – the role of sports in breaking societal barriers – and celebrates his triumphs and philosophy of inclusion, challenging us all to embrace diversity and incorporate Aloha into our own lives.
BAD AXE: DIR David Siev. USA.
After leaving NYC for his rural hometown of Bad Axe, Michigan, at the start of the pandemic, Asian-American filmmaker David Siev documents his family's struggles to keep their restaurant afloat. As fears of the virus grow, deep generational scars dating back to Cambodia’s bloody “killing fields” come to the fore, straining the relationship between the family's patriarch, Chun, and his daughter, Jaclyn. When the BLM movement takes center stage in America, the family uses its collective voice to speak out in their conservative community. What unfolds is a real-time portrait of 2020 through the lens of one multicultural family’s fight to stay in business, stay involved, and stay alive.
ABOUT DC APA FILM FESTIVAL
The mission of the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival is to bring attention to the creative output from Asian Pacific American (APA) communities and encourage the artistic development of APA talent, arts, and films in the greater Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Region.
ABOUT APA FILM
DC Asian Pacific American Film was established to be the beacon of creative output of Asian and Asian American media arts through community outreach, social media platforms, collaborative efforts with other Asian Pacific American organizations, and a film festival. Learn more about our programs at apafilm.org and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/apafilm, Instagram.com/dc_apafilm, and Twitter.com/apafilm.
CONTACT:
Lucky Haile, DCAPAFF PR, luckyh@apafilm.org
