Viet Voice

Viet Films Showcased at LA Asian Pacific Film Fest

by Kimberly Pham | May 2, 2017 | Bookmark +

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) makes its way to Orange County for its 33rd festival celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The LAAPFF will showcase a week's worth of films on May 5-11, 2017 at the new CGV Cinemas "CulturePlex" in Buena Park, Calif. Sponsors within the nail industry include Nghia Nippers Corporation (Kem Nghia) and nail artist Jade Thoa Tang.

This year, the Vietnamese-American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) will co-present the "Viet Film Showcase" within the LAAPFF screening four new Vietnamese feature films:

She's the Boss (Bạn Gái Tôi Là Sếp)
May 5, 8:00 PM / 114 mins / Vietnamese with English subtitles
Directed by Ham Tran

Fresh from Vietnamese cinemas, "She's the Boss" follows two co-workers (Miu Le from "Sweet 20" and Anh Do), whose secret relationship could compromise their jobs. Both want marriage, but neither want to quit, they comically try to sabotage one another into leaving their job. A mix of goofy and endearing characters and situations make "She's the Boss" perfect for date night.
 

Father and Son (Cha Cõng Con)
May 6, 4:30 PM / 90 mins / Vietnamese with English subtitles
Directed by Luong Dinh Dung

Ca is a young boy who lives with his father in a mountainous area. Ca dreams of reaching the nest of what he thought is a huge bird in the sky (which is actually an airplane) and climbing to the top of the tallest building in an unknown city. Suddenly, Ca contracts a disease that seems to threaten his life. Hence, the father and son start their journey to the city.

Jackpot (Trúng Số)
May 6, 7:00 PM / 92 mins / Vietnamese with English subtitles
Directed by Dustin Nguyen

Tu Phi is a middle-aged con man, fresh out of a 15-year prison sentence. Only minutes into his new found freedom, he meets a lottery-ticket hawker named Thom, a young woman from his village. They form a unique friendship. One fine day, Tu Phi wins the lottery; the big jackpot. And this sets off a chain of events through their small peaceful village. When fortune falls into a your lap, is it a blessing? Or is it a curse? Can money buy you happiness? Dustin Nguyen’s second directorial effort, "Jackpot" was chosen by Vietnam as its foreign language entry to the Academy Awards last year.

Fanatic (Fan Cuồng)
May 11, 7:00 PM / 103 mins / Vietnamese with English subtitles
Directed by Charlie Nguyen

Frustrated in a techno heavy pop infested world, Thai "Rocker" (Thai Hoa) sells rock records that no one wants to buy in the heart of Saigon. When he finds a time machine in the middle of a forest, Thai decides to go back to 1996 to save rock music from disappearing and bring back the golden age of rock 'n' roll including stopping his hero, Giai Nghia (Johnny Tri Nguyen) from fading away into obscurity, thus ending the golden age of rock in Vietnam. 

Other screenings during LAAPFF include:

- "Resistance at Tule Lake" on May 6 at 2 PM and "Relocation Arkansas" on May 6 at 11:30PM — two Japanese-American documentaries about Japanese internment in the anniversary year of Executive Order 9066.

- “Lipstick Under My Burkha” on May 7 at 5:30 PM, a film that was made, and then banned, in India for what the Los Angeles Times says, "India banned a movie about four women because it was 'lady-oriented.'"

- "Finding Kukan" on May 7 at 3:00 PM, the forgotten story about Li Ling-Ai, the uncredited female producer of "Kukan," which was an Academy Award-winning documentary about World ar II China that has been lost for decades.

- "Who is Arthur Chu?" on May 6 at 9:30 PM, a documentary about Jeopardy winner (and villain) Arthur Chu.

- Ted Nakamura's "Mele Murals" on the Hawaiian culture renaissans through hip hop and street art

- Films from Cambodia — "Diamond Island" on May 8 at 6:30 PM and "Turn Left Turn Right" on May 9 at 6:30 PM.

There will also be a special 4DX feature of the newest Marvel blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 on May 5 at 8:30 PM.

4DX is an immersive film viewing format offered at the CJ CGV Cinemas, providing moviegoers with an immersive cinematic experience that utilizes all five senses, allowing the audience to connect with movies through motion, vibration, water, wind, snow, lightning, scents, and other special effects that enhance the visuals on-screen. CJ CGV is the largest multiplex cinema chain in South Korea.

LAAPFF’s dates are April 27 - May 4 in L.A. and May 5 - 11 at the CGV Cinemas in Buena Park located at The Source, 6988 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90621.

For discount tickets, enter code VAALA17. (Regular ticket price: $14; discount price with code VAALA17: $10).

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