33rd Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Announces Award Winners

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May 11, 2017 (Los Angeles, CA)  On the closing day of the 33rd Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival(LAAPFF) produced by Visual Communications announced their filmmaker awards for this year’s edition which began on April 27 and concluded on May 11, 2017.

“GOOK,” a film by Los Angeles based director/writer/actor Justin Chon, led the pack with four awards including the Audience Award, Best Director Award and Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding North American Film.  The film’s breakout star – 11 year-old Simone Baker – took home the Best Actress prize.  “GOOK” has been picked up by Samuel Goldwyn Films and will be released in theaters in August.

The LAAPFF closing night film “COLUMBUS” from first time feature filmmaker Kogonada and starring John Cho took home three awards including Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Ensemble Cast.

International films were a huge hit this year, with “THE SOWER” (Japan) directed, produced and written by Yosuke Takeuchi being awarded four awards including Grand Jury Prize, Best Actor, Best Young Talent and Best Screenplay, while the documentary PLASTIC CHINA (China) – a film by Jiu-Liang Wang – won the Grand Jury Prize and Best Cinematography Jury Award.

The North American documentary films brought out the audiences with SAVE MY SEOUL from Los Angeles filmmaker Jason Y. Lee winning the Grand Jury Prize and two non-fiction films sharing the Audience Award – MIXED MATCH by Jeff Chiba Stearns and FINDING KUKAN by Robin Lung.

This year also marked the first time that the LAAPFF would be an Academy Award qualifying festival for the Short Film (Live Action or Animated) Oscar®, and the film that won this year’s Golden Reel Award and is now eligible to qualify is “PRIA” (Indonesia) from director Yudho Aditya.  The annual Linda Mabalot New Directors/New Visions Award went to director Makoto Nagahisa for the entertaining  “AND SO WE PUT GOLDFISH IN THE POOL” (Japan).  Also for the first time, the festival established jury awards for the short documentary category with “PLEASE COME AGAIN” directed by Alisa Yang given the Grand Jury Prize.

The LAAPFF also presented the Visual Communications Trailblazer Award to actor John Cho at the LA closing night screening of “COLUMBUS” at the Directors Guild of America.  The film, a hit at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, also starred Cho in the lead role.  He was honored for his career of over 20 years in film, stage and television and for being a leader and supporter of Asian American films and filmmakers, the organization and the festival for over two decades.

“This year was one of the best festivals to date,” said Francis Cullado, Executive Director of Visual Communications. “With 184 films from 31 countries and audiences from all over Southern California, the United States and the world, we were able to showcase our extraordinary talent in front of and behind the camera.  Our festival, our artists and our films are proof that there ‘ain’t no whitewashing here’ nor does there need to be.”

The 2017 LAAPFF jury members included:  Andrew Ahn; Lena Khan; Tilane Jones; Amy J. Jelenko; Charmaine Parcero; Charlize Toratani; Daryn Okada; Vera DeVera; Lily Mariye; Chris Tashima; Giselle Tongi-Walters; Parvesh Cheena; Lily Niu; Kat Iniba; Ringo Le; Senain Keshagi; Bong Monsanto; and Janice Tanaka.

The LAAPFF is the largest festival of its kind and this year, extended their reach from greater Los Angeles to Orange County with extended programming and encore films from May 5 – May 11 in Buena Park at the brand new CGV Cinemas – bringing these films and  stories to new audiences.

The Festival partnered with following screening venues across Los Angeles and Southern California

Egyptian Theatre – (Hollywood)

Aratani Theatre @ JACCC – Little Tokyo (DTLA)

Art Share LA- (DTLA – Arts District)

Tateuchi Democracy Forum @ Japanese American National Museum – Little Tokyo

Downtown Independent – Downtown LA (DTLA)

CGV Cinemas – Koreatown – Mid-Wilshire

CGV Buena Park 8 Cinemas – Buena Park (Orange County)

The Great Company – Downtown LA (DTLA)

Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (DTLA – Little Tokyo)

Directors Guild of America – West Hollywood

The 2017 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is sponsored by:

PLATINUM: Comcast NBCUniversal; HBO

GOLD: Directors Guild of America; Nielsen; LAIKA; UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

SILVER: Little Tokyo Service Center; Pechanga; Sony Pictures

BRONZE: Motion Pictures Editors Guild; SAG-AFTRA; SAGindie; Taiwan Academy; The Famous Group; Hawaiian Airlines; Korean Film Council; Union Bank;  Writers Guild of America, West

STAR: Cathay Bank; Metro

GOVERNMENT: Dept. of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles; Los Angeles County Arts Commission; California Arts Council; National Endowment for the Arts

FOUNDATION: Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences; Aratani Foundation; Asian Pacific Community Fund; Screen Actors Guild-Producers Industry Advancement & Cooperative Fund

MEDIA: Angry Asian Man; LA18 KSCI-TV; Apple Daily

IN KIND/RECEPTION: Asahi; Brewyard; Found Coffee; Far Bar; First Street Catering; Nature’s Bakery; The Park’s Finest

VENUE:ArtShare L.A; Chinese American Museum; CGV Cinemas; Downtown Independent; Directors Guild of America; Geffen Contemporary at MOCA; Japanese American Cultural & Community Center; Japanese American National Museum; The Great Company

 

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Below is the complete list of winners

THE 33RD LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL 2017 AWARDS

COMPLETE AWARDS LIST

NORTH AMERICAN NARRATIVE FEATURE AWARDS

 

GRAND JURY PRIZE

GOOK – directed by Justin Chon

BEST DIRECTOR

Justin Chon (GOOK)

BEST ACTRESS

Simone Baker (GOOK)

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

COLUMBUS

JOHN CHO, HALEY LU RICHARDSON, PARKER POSEY,

RORY CULKIN, MICHELLE FORBES

 

BEST SCREENPLAY

Kogonoda (COLUMBUS)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Elisha Christian (COLUMBUS)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS

Reid Asselstine (WEXFORD PLAZA)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR

Keigian Umi Tang (THE LOCKPICKER)

NORTH AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY FEATURE AWARDS

GRAND JURY PRIZE

Save My Seoul  – directed by Jason Y. Lee

BEST DIRECTOR

Dinesh Sabu (Unbroken Glass)

BEST EDITOR

Tadashi Nakamura (Mele Murals)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Joey Muñoz and Johann Leitner (Ghost Magnet Roach Motel)

SPECIAL JURY PRIZES

A Time to Swim – directed by Ashley Duong

95 And 6 To Go – directed by Kimi Takesue

INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE AWARDS

GRAND JURY PRIZE

THE SOWER – directed by Yosuke Takeuchi

BEST DIRECTOR

Sam Voutas (KING OF PEKING)

BEST ACTRESS

Dimen Zandi (RESEBA – THE DARK WIND)

BEST ACTOR

Kentaro Kishi (THE SOWER)

BEST YOUNG TALENT

Suzuno Takenaka (THE SOWER)

BEST SCREENPLAY

Yosuke Takeuchi (THE SOWER)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Daniel Miller (SOUL OF THE TIGER)

SPECIAL JURY AWARD

SAVING SALLY

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FEATURE AWARDS

 

GRAND JURY PRIZE

Plastic China (China) directed by Jiu-Liang Wang

BEST EDITING

Anna Price    (Tokyo Idols) (Japan/UK/Canada)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Jiu-Liang Wang (Plastic China) (China)

DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER PIONEER AWARD

Ramona Diaz (Motherland) (Philippines/USA)

SHORT FILM AWARDS

GOLDEN REEL AWARD

PRIA (Indonesia) directed by Yudho Aditya

*Eligible for qualifying for the Short Live Action Film Oscar®

LINDA MABALOT NEW DIRECTORS/NEW VISIONS AWARD

Makoto Nagahisa

And So We Put Goldfish in the Pool (Japan)

 

SHORT DOCUMENTARY AWARDS

GRAND JURY PRIZE

Please Come Again – directed by Alisa Yang

BEST DIRECTOR

Jennifer Zheng (Tough)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Jeff de Broeder and Michael Palmieri (Forever Chinatown)


AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS

Audience Awards were voted on in the following festival programs:

NORTH AMERICAN NARRATIVE FEATURE

GOOK  – directed by Justin Chon

NORTH AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY FEATURE (tie)

MIXED MATCH  – directed by Jeff Chiba Stearns

FINDING KUKAN – directed by Robin Lung

INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE

SAVING SALLY (Philippines) directed by Avid Liongren

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

SMALL TALK (Taiwan) directed by Huang Hui – chen

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

JOSHUA: TEENAGER VS. SUPERPOWER – directed by Joe Piscatella

  

PHOTOS BELOW

COURTESY OF VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS/THE LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL

Gook_1-24130.jpg

Director/producer/writer/ actor JUSTIN CHON with 11 year old SIMONE BAKER in a scene from the 4 time award winning film GOOK.

 

The Sower_1_21074.jpg

A scene from the 4 time award winning film THE SOWER – directed by Yosuke Takeuchi

 

cho_posey_columbus.JPG

JOHN CHO and PARKER POSEY in a scene from the award winning film COLUMBUS directed by Kogonada

Plastic China_1_26131.jpg

Young girl lives in the plastic recycling area of China in a scene from the Grand Jury Prize Award winning PLASTIC CHINA – a film by Jiu-Liang Wang (China)

 Saving Sally - Film Still -22.jpg

Live action intertwines with animation in the Audience Award winning SAVING SALLY – A FILM BY AVID LEONGREN (Philippines)

joshua teenager_2-26558.jpg

JOSHUA in a scene from the Audience Award winning film JOSHUA: TEENAGER VS. SUPERPOWER –  a film by Joe Piscatella

 SMALL TALK PHOTO.jpg

A scene from the Audience Award International Documentary – SMALL TALK – directed by Huang Hui-chen (Taiwan)

 

reseba_hr_2-18318.jpg

Best Actress Dimen Zandi (center) in a scene from the film RESEBA – THE DARK WIND, directed by Hussein Hassan

PRIA_MIRROR_THISONE.jpg

A scene from the Golden Reel Award Winner – PRIA, directed by Yudho Aditya

This short film is now eligible to qualify for the Short Live Action Film Oscar®

[via LAAPFF]

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