FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 19, 2010 CONTACT: PAOLA MARDO paola@vconline.org, (213) 680-4462 Ext. 34 VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS PRESENTS VC SUMMER SERIES 2010: V FOR VUVUZELA! AUG. 5 IN LITTLE TOKYO Visual Communications (VC) proudly presents V for Vuvuzela!, a selection of short films to be screened as part of the VC Summer Series 2010, on Thursday, August 5, 2010, 8:00 PM at the David Henry Hwang Theatre in Los Angeles Little Tokyo. V for Vuvuzela! includes works from the 26th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival as well as newer pieces by local L.A. artists, including Wong Fu Productions and Patricio Ginelsa. V for Vuvuzela! is being curated and assembled by Visual Communications summer interns. The interns screening program which began in 2003 as a means of sharing with the public their enthusiasm for the ongoing achievements of Asian Pacific Artists cinema artists has grown since its inception into a highly anticipated annual summertime event that draws fans of Asian Pacific American cinema both young and old. V for Vuvuzela! promises to be a fun and exciting mid-summer happening for the local L.A. filmgoing community and offers just a taste of the wide range of artistic expression of our community s artists, says Abraham Ferrer, Exhibitions Director at Visual Communications. Our summer interns Paola Mardo, Liezl-Anne Sarte, and Eliana Yoneda have put together a compelling program of brand new and recent works and we look forward to sharing them with one and all! The program lineup for V for Vuvuzela! includes: BRIDES WANTED by Michael Wong Jatesh, a 20-something Indian male must deal with his family and culture face on, in the matters of traditional arranged marriage customs. While he secretly dates girls against his parents wishes, his parents are heavily pursuing the perfect future daughter-in-law. LOST TO LUCK by Wesley Chan Feeling lost and unaccomplished, a young man spends a day to catch up with his younger sister. In their odd quest to find a "reincarnated" pet goldfish, the brother comes to see that he is not as alone and unlucky as he once thought. Sometimes, help can come in the most peculiar and unexpected forms. Part of Wong Fu Productions The
One Days HK series, LOST TO LUCK was shot in one day in Mong Kok and Central in Hong Kong. JUNKO S SHAMISEN by Solomon Friedman A young Japanese orphan, and her mystical friend, exact poetic justice on a malevolent samurai lord. RECESSION LEMONS by Kristina Wong and D Lo Times are tough for these two performance artists Kristina Wong and D'Lo... so tough that they actually need to go get jobs... like... real jobs... Watch as they find real inspiration from Santa Monica's Christie Bickerstaff and Liz Pritchard (The Lemonade Girls) who got television press when they used their lemonade stand to network for their dream jobs. Kristina and D'Lo thought: Let's turn our lemons into lemonade too! But of course, copy catting their innocent idea doesn't quite pan out as planned. ONE YEAR by John Raposas A couple's hidden side of a relationship is revealed during the course of an argument on their one year anniversary celebration. TO GET A DATE by Jeannie Wong After a failed marriage and several bad relationships, Jeannie Wong turns to her diverse group of friends to seek advice on how to get a date. TELEVISNU by Prithi Gowda A surreal tale of a young Indian woman who works at a call center. Her computer breaks down and in an attempt to fix it she falls into a magical, mythical web of electronic wires where memories, secrets, and hidden desires reveal themselves. BLUE MOON DAY by Rachel Tejada Set in the heart of Los Angeles's Chinatown, Jane is coping with a bad day, which she hopes will only get better. SPOUT by Alex Munoz A motherless young boy and his aunt react to his father's dubious choices in women, all presumably in line to replace his mum. OLD MAN RAPS by Patricio Ginelsa This music video collaboration between director Patricio Ginelsa and Filipino American hip-hop artist Bambu serves as the sequel to the award-winning music video, CROOKS AND ROOKS. A reception will be held in the courtyard of the David Henry Hwang Theatre before and after the screening. Food, drinks, live music, a raffle, and a silent auction of art pieces will be featured at the reception. The pre-reception begins at 7:00 PM and the post-reception will follow immediately after the screening. The proceeds from V for Vuvuzela! will be donated to fund Visual Communications projects geared toward the youth community and promoting new artistic talent. As interns, we ve learned the importance of education in helping build community, says Exhibitions Program Associate Paola Mardo. By starting a fund for VC s projects geared towards the youth, our goal is to help the younger generation of Asian Pacific Americans become educated in APA media and learn the
tools of filmmaking so that they may use film as a medium for telling their stories and documenting APA history in order to strengthen and build our community. V for Vuvuzela! is presented by Visual Communications, the nation s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center. Visual Communications promotes intercultural understanding through the creation, presentation, preservation and support of media works by and about Asian Pacific Americans. Visual Communications strives to create an environment for critical thinking, necessary to build a more just and humane society. Visual Communications is funded in part by the Aratani Foundation, California Community Foundation, Getty Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, Japan Foundation, Japanese American community Services (JACS), Sony, Takahashi Foundation, National Film Preservation Fund APCF, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, Academy Foundation, Union Bank, National Endowment for the Arts Recovery Act Grant, VC Stakeholders and corporate and community supporters. V for Vuvuzela! will be presented on Thursday, Aug. 5, 8:00 PM at the David Henry Hwang Theatre, 120 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Parking is available at City Lot #7 (entrance adjacent to the Theatre; enter at Judge John Aiso St.). Tickets are: $10 General, $8 for Senior Citizens/Students/Friends of Visual Communications Members w/i.d., and will be available on location 1 hour prior to the screening at 7:00 PM. For more information call (213) 680-4462 x34, or visit www.vconline.org. - 30 -
Two lovers (Victoria Garza and Sean Muramatsu) exchange presents in John Raposas ONE YEAR. The film will be presented on August 5th at the David Henry Hwang Theatre.
Junko (Clemece Wong) confronts her grandfather s murderer in Solomon Friedman s JUNKO S SHAMISEN. The film will be presented on August 5th at the David Henry Hwang Theatre.
A man peers outside his window in the music video OLD MAN RAPS featuring Filipino American hip-hop artist Bambu and directed by Patricio Ginelsa. The music video will premiere on the big screen on August 5th at the David Henry Hwang Theatre.