The USC Asian Pacific Film Fest (APFF) is a collaborative project between students and alumni to highlight Asian Pacific Islander (API) cinema and filmmakers from the University of Southern California. USC APFF seeks to showcase short films that are produced, written, directed and/or starring API Trojans or that address topics of interest to the API community. The festival also serves to highlight API Trojans in the entertainment industry.
The event stats with on-stage discussions with the jury made up of successful API industry professionals. In the past, the jury has featured director Jon Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, Now You See Me 2); actress Tamlyn Tomita (Karate Kid II, Joy Luck Club); and culture critic Phil Yu (Angry Asian Man). The jury selects one film to receive the Jury Award while the audience votes for the Audience Award. The afternoon concludes with a reception.
All proceeds from the event go towards the newly established Jon M. Chu APAA Cinematic Arts Scholarship fund for USC School of Cinematic Arts undergraduate students whose creative work demonstrates a commitment to telling stories about the API community.
Past APFF Winners
Shange “Z” Zhang
Jury Award – Director/Producer, The Five Minutes
A businessman in mourning uses a special telephone booth to have a final conversation with his recently deceased wife in the afterlife.
Omar Al Dakheel
Audience Award – Writer/Director, Ablution
Waleed washes his disabled father Khaled five times a day for Muslim prayer. But when Waleed’s sexuality is revealed, both father and son are torn between religion, duty and self.
Bruce Chiu
Jury Award – Director, Sunset Sunrise
Owing to the self-condemnation of not being a good mother, Lily, a traditional Chinese woman struggles to come to terms with her son’s sexuality as her attempt to “change” him ultimately backfires.
Kalyan Sura
Audience Award – Writer/Director/VFX Supervisor, The Lie Game
A desperate computer scientist struggling to fund her anti-depression AI application faces her toughest challenge yet.
(PW: crew)
Eleanor Cho
Audience Award – Director, Joseon’s Bride
Joseon’s Bride is a period piece following a young Korean bride who is trying to immigrate to America to escape from the dangers of Japanese colonialism.
Isaac Deol
Jury Award – Writer/Director, Warm Sweets
Long, the son of Chinese immigrant Linda must decide whether to fulfill his own dreams and move away for college or stay in South Los Angeles and take over his Mother’s bakery.