Kalinga (Care) is a very emotional documentary with a local connection. It examines a group of Filipino women who left their families to become nannies abroad. Some arrived in the ironically named Terminal City (Vancouver, BC) to help non-Asian parents who don’t fully have the time to always spend with their children when managing a successful business. They’re going to need help. These people pay well, and those hires tend to mail those funds home to help their families.
Playing at the LAAPFF 2022 at the Directors Guild of America on May 6, 2022 5:00 pm (buy tickets)
Dongnan Chen‘s Singing in the Wilderness (旷野歌声) is a very sombre look at lives of those still living at Little Well Village in Yunnan Province, China. The Miao Christian Choirfound fame when they appeared on national television back around 2003, and this documentary looks at what’s come from it, for better or worse. I see their struggle for self worth and question if embracing a different religion is good for their soul, especially when there’s still individuals still struggling.
The 38th edition of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is taking place very soon and for fans of cinema across the sea, the films being offered this year covers a nice wide gamut of topics, themes and genres that examine some aspect of Oceania. There’s experimental, short and feature length films. Like previous years, this event will include an online portion for those still concerned about the pandemic and be geolocked.
The following are my picks of the 2022 season. Some are genre works, and others, documentaries. Making the list again is Waterman, which is a must see about the visionary who helped make waterboarding an Olympic Sport.
Clicking on the links will take you to the LAAPFF’s webpage to purchase tickets.
FROM VISIONS TO REEL SHORTS PROGRAM
A legacy program with the film festival that has welcomed award-winning filmmakers early in their career. Experience a range of storytelling styles from the next generation. The future is now.
STILL LIFE SHORTS PROGRAM
A collection of animated stories from near and far. An array of visuals from the canvas, stage, and screen. These images of still life will move you.
The Navy often encounters Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and whether they cause A Tear in the Sky depends on who you ask. But as for what powers these UFOs, nobody knows. This latest documentary tries to figure out if they are using wormholes, micro black holes, cold fusion, or some unknown technology to travel about. What this work hosted by Caroline Cory tries to discover is if energy can be observed/detected using current Earth technology.
Whatever kind of propulsion is used, it’s bound to be light years ahead of what NASA and private enterprises are trying to craft. I believe it’s cold fusion after I finished watching. Michio Kaku, even leans towards it too, and I’ll gladly watch anything this physicist appears in!
Duke Paoa Kahanamoku is the Waterman, a hero unlike any other. He not only represented Hawaii‘s spirit in sports competitions, but also became something more. At the height of his career, he became a five-time Olympic medalist. Like Aquaman, part of his family’s heritage comes from noble blood and viewers will be pleased Jason Momoa is one of many voices to offer insight to this athlete’s world.
Kahanamoku grew up enjoying life along the warm beaches around Waikiki. He honed his many oceanic skills here, and that also included mastering the waves on an alaia–a waterboard. When he introduced this sport to the world (starting in Australia) the love for it was only starting. Duke didn’t get the recognition for it right away, and what this documentary perfectly explores are all the problems he faced before being hailed the king of the sea.
Our goal is to follow the pop culture scene of the Pacific Northwest (Victoria, B.C. especially). This can range from the arts to books to cinema to television. Our content also includes peeks into what's coming out of Asia–but even more importantly, in what we love to populate our book and video shelves with!
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