Laughter, cheers and conversations echoed through foyer of the Director's Guild of America on the May 1. It was the opening night for the 19th Annual VC Film Fest. Karin Anna Cheung, Roger Fan and Parry Shen, the stars from the ground-breaking film "Better Luck Tomorrow," were on hand to help kick off the eight day festival with the opening film, "Long Life, Happiness, and Prosperity," directed by Mina Shum. Offering more than 120 films this year, Visual Communications, the nation's premiere Asian American center for film and media, selected films that catered to everyone's taste.
Feature film topics ran the gamut from Gary Chan's bittersweet "In My Life" to Darryl Fong's spoof on Hollywood martial arts films, "Kung Phooey!" Other notable films were documentaries that profiled previously untold stories about Asians and Asian Americans. One such documentary included the untold stories of Filipino war veterans in Noel "Sonny" Izon's long-awaited documentary "Untold Triumph: America‚s Filipino Soldiers." Narrated by Lou Diamond Philips and supported by a number of Filipino American organizations, the 84 minute film sheds light on the achievements of Filipino American soldiers during World War II. Izon was not the only director to tackle perils and untold stories of war. Director Sul Gi Kim highlights the untold stories of the survivors of the Korean War in his film "Stories Untold: Memories of Korean War Survivors."
But it was the short films that took center stage, challenging the conventions of traditional filmmaking with this year's offerings of experimental, documentary, narrative, and animated films. The heart of these short films was the command of storytelling from upcoming and rising directors. Some shining shorts which pushed that the limits in narrative and visual effects included:
Experimental
"Blue Collar"
A criticism of corporate America using a blue collar manifestation of Jesus, Nelson Datu's film crafts its message of rebelling against the system by using various alternative headshots and sound bite techniques not seen or used in typical films.
Documentary
"More to the Chinese Side"
Directed by William Gow and Sharon Lee, the 16 minute documentary follows the lives of one Chinese American family and their experiences growing up in a multi-ethnic household. Discussions of race and the struggle to fit in are subtly brought to light through the personal stories of the members of the Gow family.
"7000 Pianos"
If moving one piano wasn't difficult enough, try 7000. In this unique documentary, director Henry Yoon profiles a 75 year-old Chinese man, Edward Gong, whose profession is moving pianos.
"Beat the Bus"
Kristina Sheryl Wong follows debt-ridden Larry in his quest to beat the bus in order to raise money to pay off his debts.
"I Hate Cheese"
Another installment of humor by "How to do the Asian Squat" director Daniel Hsia, in I Hate Cheese, Hsia unleashes his hatred for the popular dairy product.
"The Kali Klub"
The stress of everyday life and struggle to survive in a competitive world. Celina and Mike only find relief through the Filipino martial arts of escrima in this short film directed by Michael-David Caigoy.
"Monday Nights in Historical Filipinotown"
Arnold Noche takes viewers on a tour of Historic Filipinotown through the eyes of students in an escrima class.
Narrative
"Space Time Destroyers"
Roman Cortez, Chico Arellano and Tracy Tubera are on double duty, both directing and playing the lead characters in this hip-hoppin tale of how the Space Time Destroyers (a.k.a. STD) saved their music from the hands of evil.
"The Matrices (The Matrix Re-wroted)"
Directors Jennifer Phang and Dominic Mah bring their creative talents together to create a very hilarious spoof of the ever-popular Matrix series.
"Illegal Alien/Illegal Alien vs. Capitalist Pig"
Dino Flores acts as both director and reporter as he is faced with the task of finding the illegal alien.
"Tough Girl"
USC Filmmaker Leilani Abad paints a tale of one's fear of love in this bittersweet story of love and the ability to receive love.
"On Sundays"
LMU grad Mia C. Villanueva directs this story about a young girl's struggle to live with parents who don't get along and finds herself turning to deejaying to escape her reality.
"The Liberation of Everyday Life"
Juli Kang tells the story of Echo Park, an office worker stuck in the monotony of corporate life and her struggle to break out if it.
Animation
"The Adventures of Barrelman"
It was only a matter of time before someone made a film about the traditional Filipino knick-knack. Using Flash animation, Howard Cabalfin follows the adventures of Barrelman and his quest to save the world.
Closing the festival was the highly-acclaimed Chinese film "Together," directed by Chen Kaige, a perfect ending to a highly eventful festival.
With "Better Luck Tomorrow"'s success at the box office and other films such as Eric Byler's "Charlotte Sometimes" and Bertha Pan's "Face" hitting theaters soon, the future looks bright for Asian American cinema. Film Festivals such as VC are not only paving the way for young and upcoming film makers to tell their stories through film but also inspiring future generations to come.
