The Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience

Established in 2002 in Park City, Utah to honor and recognize the cinematic artists whose works premiered at the Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals, the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience foregrounds and celebrates the creative products of Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Asian international cinema artists.

In our eighteen-year history, we’ve been happy to learn that the opportunities to celebrate our communities’ cinematic storytelling voices cannot be confined to a cold weekend each January in northern Utah. Thus, we celebrate The Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience in cities where we congregate to celebrate and foreground our artists, whether it be in Austin, TX, Los Angeles, CA, New York City, Toronto, ON, and points between. We look forward to you following us as we center and celebrate our communities’ artists!

JOIN US, SATURDAY, MAY 7, 4 -6 PM PST: Join us at WOKCANO West Hollywood (8000 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90046) as we CELEBRATE and CENTER our communities’ artists, storytellers and filmmakers! COME and hang out for a networking celebration where you can meet the filmmakers!

RSVP to #APALOSANGELES HERE

WELCOME

With this edition of the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience, organizers have declared a cautious but confident return to in-person engagement with our latest foray into the wild, wild city of Austin, Texas — home to the South by Southwest Conference and Film, Interactive, and Music Festivals. As we move forward (vaxx’d up, masked up) from the continuing COVID-19 global pandemic, we pivot once again, from a virtual celebration and centering of our Asian American and Pacific Islander cinematic artists back to an in-person celebration platform, we continue celebrating our communities’ artists whose debuts at SXSW affirms once again the power of our cinematic visions and voices. We’re not out of the woods yet — COVID hasn’t yet gone away, and lest anyone has forgotten, SXSW takes place in TEXAS, a state that can’t seem to get out of its own way when it comes to attacks on civil liberties, let alone physical acts of violence against persons of Asian descent. Despite all this, we proudly join with our filmmakers and partners in realizing a safer, saner, and yes, a more egalitarian movie-watching and filmmaker celebratory experience.

With that, the organizers of the Experience continue our eighteenth year, and our third presentation of the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience in Austin. Through a series of online chats, discussions, and partnerships among a broad range of constituents throughout the Asian American and Pacific Islander filmmaking community, we continue to CELEBRATE and CENTER our communities’ cinematic artists.

OVERVIEW: #APAAustin2022 class

DETAILS: #APAAustin 2022 DAY ONE at Pour Choices here

DETAILS #APAAustin 2022 DAY TWO at Austin Convention Center here

RECAP: #APAParkCity2022

FOLLOW #APAAUSTIN IN-PERSON OR FROM HOME

Starting Thursday, March 10, the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience team will be both physically and virtually on the ground preparing for a full line-up of events in support of our communities’ cinematic artists. Hit us on our Facebook event page for timely updates and special announcements pertaining to South by Southwest Film Festival artists. And be sure to hashtag us! #APAAustin and #AsAmCreatorRollCall to let one and all know you support our communities’ creators.

INTRODUCING…OUR #APAAUSTIN ARTISTS!

For the third time, we bring the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience to Austin, Texas! We are pleased to work with partners, the Austin Asian American Film Festival to celebrate a solid slate of works by Asian American and Pacific Islander filmmakers that are premiering as part of the South by Southwest Film Festival (March 11 through 19, 2022). This stellar class of filmmakers offers proof that Asian American and Pacific Islander cinema inspires and illuminates perspectives, straight from the cultural epicenter of The Lone Star State.

MEET OUR 2022 #APAAustin ARTISTS

ASIAN PACIFIC FILMMAKERS EXPERIENCE ON THE ROAD

In recent years, members of the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience organizing team have “hit the road” to celebrate the cinematic achievements of Asian American and Pacific Islander filmmakers and media artists whose works have premiered at mainstream film festivals throughout North America. From Austin TX (site of the South-By-Southwest Film, Media and Music Festival) to Toronto, Ontario (home to the Toronto International Film Festival), we have engaged with our friends including the Austin Asian American Film Festival, Asian CineVision, the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, and others who share with us the goal of spotlighting and foregrounding our communities’ cinematic artists. Stay tuned, as we’ll continue to share our ongoing adventures as we continue to celebrate our artists — at whichever mainstream film festival they are spotlighted.