“Lil Tokyo Reporter” will screen as part of a program titled “A Look Back” during the 29th L.A. Asian Pacific Film Fest on Sunday, May 12, at 3 p.m. at the CGV Cinemas, 621 S. Western Ave. (between 6th and Wilshire), Los Angeles.
“To close out Festival Week 2013, we’re pleased to present a trio of works by some of the film festival’s up-and-coming new directing talents,” said Abraham Ferrer of Visual Communications. “Casting a trained eye on the past (and on those who blaze a trail for newer generations) can offer valuable clues as to our attitudes today, and affords an opportunity to salute those unsung heroes whose sacrifices enrich our lives.”
• “Lil Tokyo Reporter” (2012, 30 minutes), directed by Jeffrey Chin; featuring Chris Tashima, Keiko Agena, Ikuma Ando, Eijiro Ozaki, Sewell Whitney.
While the country struggles through the Great Depression, the Japanese American community unites for survival. Sei Fujii, intrepid newspaperman, promotes positive images of Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo in preparation for his larger mission to acquire equal rights for all minorities. His law partner and former classmate, J. Marion Wright, uncovers the ill intentions of a local businessman bent on taking advantage of and corrupting the people of the community that Fujii and his newspaper serve.
Confronted with such dire circumstances, Fujii must make a decision between “saving face” and compromising his values or confronting the corrupting elements of his community head-on, perhaps at the risk of his own life.
• “Keye Luke” (2012, 12 minutes), directed by Timothy Tau; featuring Feodor Chin, Archie Kao, Kelvin Han Yee.
This expanded version of Tau’s “Armed with a Camera” short tells the story of Keye Luke, a pioneering Asian American actor most known for being the original Kato in the 1940s feature “The Green Hornet” and the “Number One Son,” Lee Chan, in the Charlie Chan films. With credits in over 200 film and television roles, Luke’s story has largely been untold. Using dramatic enactments and a staged monologue delivered, “Keye Luke” tells the story of this acting pioneer’s early life and work.
• “Dino” (Indonesia, 2013, 15 minutes), directed by Edward Gunawan; featuring Cut Mini, Surya Saputra, Fiath Unru.
Successful door-to-door encyclopedia seller Linda finds her livelihood threatened with the advent of the Internet. Despite encouragement from her friend Paul, she struggles to adapt to the new technology. As a single mother, she also feels she is losing her son Jimmy, who develops an interest in computers and asks her to buy him one. Linda has to learn to adapt with the times by incorporating the technology in her life and passion, in order to avoid the fate of the now-extinct dinosaurs of her son’s imagination.
This program is co-presented by the Asian American Journalists Association.
For more information or to order tickets, go to http://laapff.festpro.com/films/.
Parking: Enter the Madang parking structure through Manhattan Street entrance and a valet parking entrance on Western Avenue. A validated ticket from CGV Cinemas gives you three hours of free parking in the structure.
