Yesterday marked, not just the first day of May, but also the beginning of National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. And thanks to COVID-19 shut downs, several Asian and Asian American film festivals across the U.S. who didn’t cancel their events altogether moved their programs online, including the DC APA Film Festival.
The DC APA Film Festival’s mission is to show recognition to the creative output from Asian Pacific communities, as well as encourage the artistic development of APA talent, arts and films in the Washington DC Metropolitan Region. It just so happens that 2020 is the film festival’s 20th Anniversary year. To celebrate both its 20th Anniversary and APA Heritage Month, DC APA Film is offering free virtual access to its films the entire month of May, something not traditionally done in the film festival world.
Still shot from the film Cleaning House.
There are a total of 52 international films covering a wide range of genres. From comedy to drama, action to animation, coming of age and inter-generational films, there is bound to be a film suitable for each member of your family. Among the short films, we highly recommend Kneeling Sheep by filmmaker Hai Rihan (featured in the cover image). This Mongolian film follows a mother as she “fights to save her son who is about to be executed, only to discover that the absence of justice is crushing her life.” If you’re looking for a something a little more light-hearted and action-filled, then Shahaub Roudbari’s Cleaning House is definitely the film for you!
But if horror is your jam, then you’ll want to watch I Am A Ghost, which was originally screened during the film festival’s 2012 cycle. Described by DC APA Film Festival as a “distilled horror for the modern minimalist”, the 76-minute film was chosen for the 20th Anniversary as a retrospective film. Reflecting back on the making of his feature, director H.P. Mendoza said, “When I set out to make I Am a Ghost, I knew it would have to be a DIY labor of love because of how weird it was. The crux of the movie depends on unorthodox edits. Every time I got feedback on the movie, I’d always respond with ‘you have to trust me.’ Eight years later, I’m proud to say that the film still gets write-ups and accolades.”
To access all of DC APA Film Festival’s films, just visit www.apafilm.org.
Scene from the horror film I Am A Ghost.