Visual Communications will present the 41st edition of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival from Tuesday, May 1, to Wednesday, May 7.
Since 1983, LAAPFF has presented over 5,000 films, videos, and digital mediaworks by Asian and Pacific Islander artists, and features seminars, panels, in-person guest appearances, and filmmaker awards,
Featured programs include the L.A. premiere of Tadashi Nakamura’s documentary “Third Act,” on Saturday, May 3, at 6 p.m. at Aratani Theatre, 244 S. San Pedro St., Little Tokyo, and Sunday, May 4, at 6 p.m. at Democracy Center at JANM, 100 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo; and the L.A. premiere of Jon Osaki’s documentary “Making Waves: The Rise of Asian America” on May 4 at 10 a.m. at JANM.
Generations of artists call Robert A. Nakamura “The Godfather of Asian American film,” but his son, Tad, calls him Dad. As the filmmaking son of a filmmaking legend, Tad uses the lessons his dad taught him to decipher the legacy of an aging man who was a child survivor of the WWII incarceration, a successful photographer who gave it up to tell his own story, an activist at the dawn of a social movement — and a father whose struggles have won his son freedoms that eluded Japanese Americans of his generation.
As Parkinson’s disease clouds his memory, Tad sets out to retrieve his story — and in the process discovers his own. The two have made films together, with Robert always by Tad’s side. “Third Act” is most likely the last.
“Making Waves” is a timely, thought-provoking documentary about the vital role that ethnic studies have in shaping the narrative about Asians in America. Asian American studies dramatically influenced and empowered a generation of activists who leveraged their heightened awareness of systemic racism to build community organizations, political power, and cross-racial alliances.
“Making Waves” tells the story of past and present Asian American movements fueled by a legacy of anti-Asian hate in the U.S. Activists, educators, and the hopeful voices of youth articulate the necessity to counter the harmful stereotypes and narratives that persist by amplifying the stories of Asian America.
For the complete schedule and tickets: https://festival.vcmedia.org/2025/