DC Asian Pacific American Film Fest presents original musical at AFI Silver

Washington D.C. radio and news outlet WTOP dedicated a full feature to the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival ahead of its 21st annual edition, sitting down with Festival Director Melissa Bisagni and closing night filmmaker Mallorie Ortega.

The piece highlighted the festival's rich 10-day virtual programme — spanning 55 films from nine countries — while shining a particular light on the closing night in-person screening at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland. That film, The Girl Who Left Home, is a locally rooted musical directed by Ortega, a Germantown, Maryland native who drew on her background in both theater and film to craft a story about family, identity, and the pull between personal ambition and duty.

WTOP also covered several other standout titles from the lineup, including Americanish, a warm family comedy about Pakistani-American sisters navigating identity in Queens; Lumpia with a Vengeance, a superhero dramedy sequel nearly two decades in the making; A Sexplanation, a candid personal documentary about gaps in sex education; and A Tale of Three Chinatowns, exploring the histories and futures of D.C., Boston, and Chicago's Chinatown communities.

Festival Director Bisagni reflected on the festival's evolution — from grassroots beginnings to a major regional event — and its ongoing mission to champion diverse stories that Hollywood has historically overlooked

Read the full article here: WTOP — DC Asian Pacific American Film Fest Presents Original Musical at AFI Silver