June 9-11 & 17-18 2016

12th ANNUAL

#HAAPIFEST2016

HAAPI FILM FESTIVAL

OCA: EMBRACING THE HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS OF ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICANS

OCA - Greater Houston is funded in part by a grant from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

A SPECIAL THANKS to our

A Message from our FESTIVAL DIRECTORS

Welcome to HAAPI Fest 2016!

Thank you for joining us at the 12th Annual Houston Asian American Pacific Island-er Film Festival! We are excited to showcase 24 diverse feature and short films that capture the essence of the Asian American Pacific Islander experience to the City of Houston.

With the hard work and dedication from our festival committee, we are fortunate to present our inaugural filmmaker workshops and Local Shorts competition to this year’s festival to encourage and inspire budding filmmakers.

To close off, we give a huge thank you to our sponsors and community partners for their continued support of our mission, and to all of the volunteers for their tireless work!

We hope you enjoy these next two weekends!

Steven Wu, Tengah Nguyen & Debbie Chen

SPONSORS

IN-KIND SPONSORS

Special Thanks

COMMUNITY Partners MEDIA Partners

Pin Lim, Forest Photography, Victoria Cooke Media Specialist, HiFives Design

WWWA Productions

Eugene Lee Images

TX Chinese Radio AM 1050

iTalkBB

• Korean-American Society of Houston (KASH)• QFEST• FANHS (Filipino American National Historical Society)• SWAMP(Southwest Alternate Media Project)• Kollaboration Houston• Houston Film Commission• Gender Reel Houston• ColorReel• BPSOS - Houston (Boat People SOS - Houston)• PAIR (Partnerships Advancement and Immersion of Refugees)

• APAHA (Asian Pacific American Heritage Association)•JACL - Houston (Japanese American Citizens League-Houston)•JASH (Japan American Society of Houston)• Banyan Foods• Museum of Fine Arts Houston

“Southwest Airlines, Official Airline of OCA. Stop searching for low fares and start traveling! Go to southwest.com—the only place to find all of Southwest Airlines’ low fares to the places you love!”

About USFounded in 1973, OCA is a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States. Established in 1979, the OCA-Greater Houston Chapter (OCA-GH) is one of OCA’s 100+ chapters and college affiliates, with a long track record of programs/initiatives that work to advance the 4 main goals of the OCA mission statement:

• to advocate for social justice, equal opportunity and fair treatment;• to promote civic participation, education, and leadership;• to advance coalitions and community building; and• to foster cultural heritage.

OCA-Greater Houston Chapter is a volunteer driven organization of community advocates that strives to meet the current and evolving needs of a diverse population through a comprehensive continuum of pro-grams targeting different life stages and needs of AAPIs. The board members along with key community volunteer members work to fundraise, implement our programs, and monitor our national and local advoca-cy, policy positions, and initiatives.

OCA-GH works on local programs that empower the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community through leadership training, education workshops, cultural and advocacy awareness, legal clinics, intern-ships, scholarships, mentoring, and civic engagement. The Annual HAAPI Film Festival & Arts Night is an OCA-GH community event which strives to promote and educate the community on Asian American Pacific Islander experiences and creative deliveries through the arts.

Arts Nights & Artist DiscussionsOCA-Greater Houston partners with community organizations to raise awareness of the historyand/or culture of Asian American Pacific Islanders through Arts Nights during the year. Duringthe Houston AAPI Film Festival, participants also have the opportunity to meet film directors,screen writers, and artists.

A Message from our OCA-GH President

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the 12 th Annual Houston AAPI Film Festival and Arts Night! On behalf of our board of direc-tors, members, and volunteers, I thank you for joining us this year. This event would not have been possi-ble without the many hours of volunteer work put in by the HAAPIFF Steering Committee and Volunteers and the kind support of our sponsors and community partners.

OCA-Greater Houston started the Houston Asian American Pacific Islander Film Festival 12 years ago be-cause we view it as ‘edu-tainment’ to reach out to the community, to educate on issues, to tell the stories of our communities, and to support Asian American Pacific Islander artists and filmmakers. As we work to better our communities, it is important that we appreciate the diversity of the Asian AmericanPacific Islander community and the commonalities we share. The emotional and visual impact of film as an expression of the creativity of individuals, is the perfect medium to showcase the diversity and richness of the AAPI experience and we hope you join us to enjoy this year’s selections of films with us.

Sincerely,

Cecil Fong

President, OCA-Greater Houston

VOLUNTEERS

2016 OCA-GH Board Members: Cecil Fong (President), Jeff Shieh (Vice President), Marianne Xu (Secretary), Kuan Zhao (Treasurer), Rogene Calvert, Jennie Yang Chang, John Chen, Dr. Stephen Chao, Jonas Chin, Elizabeth Hwong, Grace Huang, Mariam Issa, Jan Kish, Maria Kong, Bo

Kim, Catherine Le, Jean Lin, Thu Nguyen, Tengah Nguyen, Cecilia Pham, Christy Poiset, Anne Sung, Ada Wang, Steven Wu, Paul Yin

haapiff.com

DATES & LOCATIONS

Godson AzieAarica Chambers

Melissa ChanMillie Chen

Caroline CaoBryan Dupont-Gray

Queen Epomba

Andrew ChangDeborah Chen

John ChenVictoria Cooke

Francine DiCelina Gore

SPECIAL THANKS to our STEERING COMMITTEE and VOLUNTEERS

Jorge ForeroConnie FooMy Hoach

Nghia HuynhGeorge Jing

Priyanka RanchodStephen Samuel

Hina ImtiazZack Leal

Eugene LeeBryan Lin

Lindsey LueTengah Nguyen

STEERING COMMITTEEThu Nguyen

Shu-ying SunRen Tea

Tina TranKathy TrieuSteven Wu

Julie TeaAnjan Thomas

Armand ViscarriJoy Wong

Danting Yin

Thursday June 9 | 7-10PM | Asia Society Texas Center (1370 Southmore Blvd., Houston, TX 77004)

Friday June 17 | 7PM-10PM | Harmony Public School

Saturday June 18 | 11AM-6PM | Harmony Public School

Saturday June 18 | 7PM-10PM | Harmony Public SchoolArts Night

Friday June 10 | 7-10PM | Harmony Public School (9321 W Sam Houston Pkwy S., Houston, TX 77099)THEME: OFF THE BEATEN PATH

7:20 PM KUMU HINA (77 MIN)

8:40 PM IN FOOTBALL WE TRUST (87 MIN)

THEME: HOMETOWN FAVORITES FRIDAY

7:10 PM RITUAL ECHOES OF NORTH KOREA (4 MIN)

7:14 PM LOTUS (9 MIN)

7:23 PM THE BUBBLE (4 MIN)

7:27 PM DINNER AT KUNIYOSHI’S (4 MIN)

7:31 PM AMERICAN DYNASTY (26 MIN)

8:00 PM Grandy Jury Prize - Best Local Short Annoucement

Q&A with Filmmaker!

8:30 PM MERU (90 MIN)

THEME: FAMILY BONDS

1:10 PM FRANK AND KASS (7 MIN)

1:20 PM LEON’S DILEMMA (10 MIN)

1:30 PM CHANGING SEASON: ON THE MASUMOTO FAMILY FARM

(60 MIN)

2:35 PM GIAP’S LAST DAY AT THE IRONING BOARD FACTORY

(26 MIN)

3:00 PM ANNIE UNDOCUMENTED (25 MIN)

3:30 PM 9-MAN (89 MIN)

5:00 PM 9-MAN Skype Q&A Featuring: Ursula Liang

5:25 PM OFF THE MENU (56 MIN)

THEME: OFF THE BEATEN PATH

11:00AM FILM MAKER WORKSHOP! Featuring: Chris Dinh

1:00 PM VIMANA (17 MIN)

1:30 PM VIMANA Q&A Featuring: Faroukh Virani (15 MIN)

1:45 PM MISS TIBET: BEAUTY IN EXILE (71 MIN)

3:00 PM LITTLE MANILA: FILIPINOS IN CALIFORNIA’S

HEARTLAND (30 MIN)

3:35 PM OPERATION POPCORN (81 MIN)

5:05 PM CHANTHANDETH (12 MIN)

5:20 PM WE ROCK LONG DISTANCE (87)

6:50 PM THE LOST ARCADE (79 MIN)

8:10 PM THE LOST ARCADE Q&A: Irene Chin (25 MIN)

8:55 PM PALI ROAD (95 MIN)

THEME: OFF THE BEATEN PATH

7:10 PM CRUSH THE SKULL (83 MIN)

8:35 PM CRUSH THE SKULL Q & A Featuring Chris Dinh

(83 MIN)

Saturday June 11 | 11AM-10PM | Harmony Public School

haapiff.com

Thursday, June 9, 2016: 7-10PM - OPENING NIGHTAsia Society Texas Center

CRUSH THE SKULL | 2015By Viet Nguyen83 min

On the surface, Ollie and Blair are a typical fun, young couple, secure enough to start making long-term plans together. They just happen to earn a dishonest living by breaking and entering into poorly secured, upper-class homes. After falling into debt when their last job goes comically, horribly awry, they find themselves having to pull one more last job. Unfortunately for them, the job was set up and planned by Blair’s irresponsible younger brother, Connor. Of course, the “easy target” turns out to be anything but easy, as it becomes clear that this seemingly innocuous home is actually a sadistic torture den with an unseen killer stalking them from the shadows. Ollie, Blair, and the rest of the would-be rob-bers now have to fight for their lives.

8:35PM | CRUSH THE SKULL Q & AFeaturing: Chris Dinh |25 min

Join us afterwards for a Q&A and VIP Reception (Food/Drinks provided!) with Chris Dinh, Lead Actor/Screenwriter of CRUSH THE SKULL!

About the filmmaker:Chris is an actor, writer, and producer. He co-wrote and acted in shorts such as “Crush the Skull,” “Crush the Skull 2,” and “Things You Don’t Joke About” among others. He was also a co-writer on a number of award-winning sketches, web-series, and films through his work with Wong Fu Produc-tions where he currently develops content for over 2 million subscribers. Chris recently completed co-writing Wong Fu Production’s first feature film, “Everything Before Us”.

WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised. Some films shown during the festival may not be suitable for children or persons sensitive to foul language, violence, drugs, sexual themes, or graphic content. Please direct questions about films to the Co-Directors. TH

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FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2016: 7-10PM - OFF THE BEATEN PATHHarmony Public School

7:20PMKUMU HINA | 2014By Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson77 min

Imagine a world where a little boy can grow up to be the wom-an of his dreams, and a young girl can rise to become a leader amaong men. Welcome to Kumu Hina’s Hawai’i.

During a momentous year in her life in modern Honolulu, Hina Wong-Kalu, a native Hawaiian māhū, or transgender, teacher uses traditional culture to inspire a student to claim her place as leader of the school’s all-male hula troupe. But despite her success as a teacher, Hina longs for love and a committed relationship. Will her marriage to a headstrong Tongan man fulfill her dreams? An incredible docu-drama that unfolds like a narrative film, KUMU HINA reveals a side of Hawai’i rarely seen on screen.

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8:40PM IN FOOTBALL WE TRUST | 2015By Tony Vainuku87 min

IN FOOTBALL WE TRUST is an insightful and moving documen-tary feature film exploring in rich detail the remarkable story behind the Polynesian Pipeline to the NFL.

A contemporary American story, the film transports viewers deep inside the tightly-knit and complex Polynesian commu-nity in Salt Lake City, Utah, one of the chief sources for the modern influx of Pacific Islander NFLers. With unprecedented access and shot over a four year time period, the film intimate-ly portrays four young Polynesian men striving to overcome gang violence and near poverty through the promise of Ameri-can football.

WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised. Some films shown during the festival may not be suitable for children or persons sensitive to foul language, violence, drugs, sexual themes, or graphic content. Please direct questions about films to the Co-Directors.

haapiff.com

SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016: 11AM-10PM | OUR HOME Harmony Public School

11:00AMFILM MAKER WORKSHOP!Featuring: Chris Dinh

Aspiring to be a filmmaker? Want to know the ins-and-outs for screenwriting/acting? Join HAAPIFest and our special guest, Chris Dinh, as we hold a special workshop on screenwriting and acting.

1:00PMVIMANA | 2014By Faroukh Virani17 min

Set in the near future, three Indian astronauts are on a one-way trip to settle a distant planet, Gliese-581g. Unfortu-nately, the ship’s captain, Rishi, passes away after an adverse reaction to the hyper-sleep. Now it’s up to the two remaining astronauts, Pankaj and Naaz, to come together and land the vessel in his memory.

1:45PMMISS TIBET: BEAUTY IN EXILE | 2014By Norah Shapiro71 min

High in the Indian Himalayas, in the epicen-ter of the exiled Tibetan world, a maverick Tibetan impresario stages an unexpected spectacle: a western-style beauty pageant. When a Tibetan-American teenager trav-els to India to participate in this ‘pageant with a difference,’ she finds herself not just competing for a crown, but confronting the intersection between her cultural identity and life in the western world.

3:00PMLITTLE MANILA: FILIPINOS IN CALIFORNIA’S HEARTLAND | 2008By Marissa Aroy 30 min Filled with chop suey houses, gambling dens, and dance halls, Little Manila was the area in Stockton notoriously called, “Skid Row,” but it was also the closest thing Filipi-nos had to a hometown. In its heyday in the 30s, this lively area had the largest population of Filipinos outside of the Philippines. We tell the story of Jimmy Ente, Jr., a long-time Stockton resident recruited to work in the asparagus fields. Jimmy, and many other like him, faced backbreak-ing work, low wages, and at times extreme racism to fulfill their dreams. Narrated by famed Filipino-American pro-ducer, Dean Devlin (Independence Day, The Patriot) this documentary tells the immigrant story as Filipinos experi-enced it.

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WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised. Some films shown during the festival may not be suitable for children or persons sensitive to foul language, violence, drugs, sexual themes, or graphic content. Please direct questions about films to the Co-Directors.

1:30PMVIMANA Q&AFeaturing: Faroukh Virani15 minJoin us afterwards as Fa-roukh from VIMANA answers questions about the film and future projects!

haapiff.com

3:35PMOPERATION POPCORN | 2015By David Grabias81 min

During the Vietnam War, the CIA recruited Hmong tribesmen in Laos to fight against the Commu-nists. Afterwards, tens of thousands of Hmong were forced to flee to the U.S. as refugees. Nearly 40 years later, video is smuggled out of Laos showing that the Communist government continues to persecute those Hmong still living there. California-based activist Locha Thao discovers that few politicians care about stragglers from a decades-old conflict, but then, out of the blue, an arms dealer named Steve contacts Locha, offering weapons for the Hmong in Laos to defend them-selves. Believing that Steve might be connected to the CIA, Locha becomes embroiled in a danger-ous web of intrigue that could land him and the beloved leaders of his community in prison for the rest of their lives. Through surveillance recordings of Locha’s meetings with Steve, we follow the operation to its dramatic conclusion. An epic story, OPERATION POPCORN shows how the after-shocks of war reverberate across continents and generations.

5:20PMWE ROCK LONG DISTANCE | 2015By Justin Schnell87 min

WE ROCK LONG DISTANCE weaves together the sounds and stories of three Twin Cities hip-hop art-ists (M.anifest, Maria Isa, and Tou SaiKo Lee) as they journey home to Ghana, Puerto Rico, and Thailand to create unique and unexpected collaborations across generation and geography.

5:05PMCHANTHANDETH | 2015By Chanthadeth Chanthalangsy and Joseph Mills12 min

CHANTHANDETH is a documentary short by Chanthadeth “Lucky” Chanthalangsy. Chanthadeth grew up hating his name. Although he was born of Lao and Cambodian parents, he grew up with his Cambodian mother, and he did not have a connection with his Lao father and relatives. This left him with a sense of being incomplete - and his name felt like a burden. In this short, Chanthadeth explores his bicul-tural identity and the meaning of his name. Through self-reflec-tions and interviews, he learns the impor-tance of acknowledg-ing both of his cultural heritages.

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8:55PMPALI ROAD | 2015By Jonathan Lim95 min

PALI ROAD is a mesmerizing journey into the mystery of the human psyche and the power of love. Lily (Michelle Chen), a young doctor, wakes up from a car accident to discover she is now married to her boyfriend’s rival, Dr. Mitch Kane (Sung Kang). Determined to reclaim a life everyone insists is nothing more than an illusion, Lily eventually begins to doubt her own sanity. Struggling to overcome her seeming-ly hopeless situation, Lily endures a series of unexplainable and haunting incidents while bravely making her way to an ultimate mind-bending truth about the power of true love.

8:10PMTHE LOST ARCADE Q&AFeaturing: Irene Chin25 min

Join us afterwards as Irene Chin, producer of THE LOST ARCADE answers your questions about the film!

About the filmmaker: Irene Chin is an NYC based artist and film-maker. She attended the School of Visual Arts where she first started working with video. Her experimental film, “The Bache-lorette Party”, screened at Anthology Film Archives. She is producer and writer for, The Lost Arcade. Irene co¬founded the distribu-tion company 26 Aries in 2016.

6:50PMTHE LOST ARCADE | 2015By Kurt Vincent and Irene Chin79 min Chinatown Fair opened as a penny arcade on Mott Street in 1944. Over the decades, the legendary gathering place, known for its tic-tac-toe playing chicken, became an institution, surviving turf wars between rival gangs, rising rents and the explo-sive growth of home gaming systems like Xbox and Playstation that shuttered all other arcades in the city. But as the neighborhood gentrified, this haven for a diverse community faced its strongest challenge, inspiring its biggest devotees to next-level greatness.

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WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised. Some films shown during the festival may not be suitable for children or persons sensitive to foul language, violence, drugs, sexual themes, or graphic content. Please direct questions about films to the Co-Directors.

haapiff.com

FRIDAY JUNE 17, 2016: 6PM-10PM - HOMETOWN FAVORITES FRIDAYHarmony Public School

7:10PMLOCAL SHORTRITUAL ECHOES OF NORTH KOREA | 2011By Sharad Patel4 min

Artist David Chung manifests a form of North Korean landmark in Ann Arbor, Michigan while both subverting and adhering to the dogma associated with the original. He manages this through a communal construction of a lantern replica of the torch, thereby suggesting the lantern lighting tradition of Buddhism, a type of ceremony persecuted by the State of North Korea. The opening shots of the tower in Pyongyang are special effects created from still photos. The stadium footage was taken from David Chung’s home videos of the Mass Games: Arirang Festival, which he managed to sneak out of North Korea.

7:14PMLOCAL SHORTLOTUS | 2014Director & Painter: Shiva AhmadiProducer, Animation, Editor, Sound Design: Sharad K. PatelScore composed and performed by Nima Mohandesan9 min

Shiva Ahmadi & Sharad K. Patel’s “Lotus”, is a new single-channel animation, commissioned by Asia Society and based on two traditional Buddhas from the Asia Society Museum Collection. The anima-tion is based on Shiva’s’s 2013 triptych painting at Leila Heller Gallery, NYC.

Sharad created the animation over a period of six months by dissecting detail photos of the finished painting into separate elements and used digital techniques to introduce movement and transforma-tion.

The work appropriates the image of the Buddha as the representation of a wise, forgiving deity to illustrate the devolution of a pure and well-intentioned ruler into an irresponsible and corrupt despot under the influence of absolute power.

This work was commissioned by Asia Society Museum, New York

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WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised. Some films shown during the festival may not be suitable for children or persons sensitive to foul language, violence, drugs, sexual themes, or graphic content. Please direct questions about films to the Co-Directors.

haapiff.com

7:23PMLOCAL SHORTTHE BUBBLE | 2013By Sharad Patel4 min

An elderly couple wander through an art museum as the husband attempts to jog the fading memory of the wife. Some-thing magical and spectacularly cosmic unfolds. This extremely short film travels a giant scope of focus from a miniature sculpture to a vast galactic view while hitting themes of consciousness and mortality.

7:31PMLOCAL SHORTAMERICAN DYNASTY | 2015By Hussein Marouf26 min Author Evelyn Han was America’s favorite Chinese tiger mom. Her readers savored her charming memoirs, putting her four children in front of a national audience. Unfortunately for her children, The Hans: An American Dynasty wasn’t a series of memoirs, but works of fiction. Christopher, Vivian, Rachel, and Jacob Han grew up walking a fine line between their mother’s fiction and their reality. The world is stunned when Evelyn commits sui-cide, and the siblings must now clarify their iden-tities. Will the Hans continue to live up to Evelyn’s expectations, or will they take their own path?

7:27PMLOCAL SHORTDINNER AT KUNIYOSHI’S | 2016By Ranma “Koomah” Kumayama4 min The character of Mr. Yunioshi from “Breakfast at Tiffa-ny’s” is a prime example of yellowface by white actors and depictions racist stereotypes in celebrated Amer-ican film. In DINNER AT KUNIYOSHI’S, actor/director Koomah (Ranma Kumayama) aims to reclaim this character by replacing the image of Mickey Roony as Yunioshi with their own image. The character is further humanized by Mr. Yunioshi being re-imagined Japanese American artist Yasuo Kuniyoshi, who was a friend of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” author Truman Capote, and who is believed to be the inspiration for the Yunioshi charac-ter in the novel.

8:00PMGRAND JURY PRIZE - BEST LOCAL SHORT ANNOUNCEMENT + DIRECTOR Q&A!FEATURING: WINNING DIRECTOR!20 min

Join us as we announce the winner of our inaugu-ral Grand Jury Prize - Best Local Short and a Q&A with the winning director!

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8:30PMMERU | 2015By Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi90 min

After suffering dramatic set backs in their person-al lives, three close friends who are among the world’s best professional climbers battle their com-plicated pasts, inner demons and nature’s harshest elements in an attempt to confront the Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru, the most technically complicated and dangerous peak in the Himalayas. MERU is the story of their journey, an expedition to impossible new heights.

haapiff.com

1:10PMFRANK AND KASS | 2015By Norbert Shieh7 min

FRANK treks back home to his par-ents after recently being laid off with his young daughter KASS in tow. With their lives packed in a pickup truck, they drive across the Californiadesert, hoping to make it to their destination in one piece.

1:20PMLEON’S DILEMMA | 2015By Morris Fung10 min

Leon Lee, 15, and his Chinese father are thieves who move from suburb to suburb. Leon’s job is simple: drug his friends, inducing them to hallucinate, while his father robs them. Then, the father and son move to the next suburb and do the same thing again, each time with Leon’s leaving behind “friends” with whom he’ll never keep in touch.But this time, Leon is torn. Leon realizes that he values a friendship with Michael, a waspy teenager who lives alone with his mother. On the night she leaves town for a busi-ness meeting, the father and son strike. Leon must decide between his devotion to his father and to Michael; his Asian culture and his Americanized upbringing. And most importantly, he must decide between what is right and wrong in order to save this friendship.

SATURDAY JUNE 18, 2016: 11AM-6:30PM - FAMILY BONDSHarmony Public School

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1:30PMCHANGING SEASON: ON THE MASUMOTO FAMILY FARM | 2014By Jim Choi60 min “How many harvests do you have in you?” is the perennial echo that reverberates across the Masumo-to Family peach farm. CHANGING SEASON chronicles a transitional year-in-the-life of famed farmer, slow food advocate, and sansei, David “Mas” Masumoto, and his compelling relationship with daugh-ter Nikiko, who returns to the family farm with the intention of stepping into her father’s work boots. Mas’ hopes and hesitations for the future are shored up with his daughter’s return, as the family must navigate the implications of Mas’ 60th birthday and triple bypass surgery. The film is interspliced with moments of Nikiko’s razor sharp meditations on her family’s internment during WWII and her role as a queer, progressive farmer in the Central Valley.

2:35PMGIAP’S LAST DAY AT THE IRONING BOARD FACTORY | 2015By Tony Nguyen26 min

In 1975, Vietnamese refugee and seven-months-pregnant Giap escaped Saigon via boat and, within weeks, found herself working on an assembly line in Seymour, Indiana. Her son and aspiring filmmaker Tony follows Giap to her final day working at the factory 35 years later as he captures a painful yet lov-ing journey of the thorny Asian American version of the American Dream.WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised. Some films shown during the festival may not be suitable for children or persons sensitive to foul language,

violence, drugs, sexual themes, or graphic content. Please direct questions about films to the Co-Directors.

haapiff.com

3:00PMANNIE UNDOCUMENTED | 2014By Daniel Hsia25 min

Inspired by a real-life story, ANNIE UNDOCUMENTED is a timely new web series about a teenage girl who discovers that she’s an undocumented immigrant.

5:00PM9-MAN Skype Q&AFeaturing: Ursula Liang25 min

Join us afterwards as Ursula Liang, Director/Producer for 9-MAN, answers questions about the film and future projects!

3:30PM9-MAN | 2014By Ursula Liang89 min

9-MAN uncovers an isolated and unique streetball tour-nament played by Chinese-Americans in the heart of Chinatowns across the USA and Canada. Largely undis-covered by the mainstream, the game is a gritty, athletic, chaotic urban treasure traditionally played in parking lots and back alleys. A 9-Man tournament grew in the 1930’s, at a time when anti-Chinese sentiment and laws forced restaurant workers and laundrymen to socialize exclusively amongst themselves. Today it’s a lasting con-nection to Chinatown for a dynamic community of men who know a different, more integrated world, but still fight to maintain autonomy and tradition.

About the filmmaker: Ursula Liang (director, producer, cinematog-rapher) is a journalist who has told stories in a wide range of media. She has worked for The New York Times Op-Docs, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, ESPN The Maga-zine, Asia Pacific Forum on WBAI, StirTV, the Jax Show, Hyphen magazine and currently freelances as a film and television produc-er (“Tough Love,” “Wo Ai Ni Mommy,” “UFC Countdown,” “UFC Primetime”) and story consultant. Liang also works for the film pub-licity company, the 2050 Group, is a founding member of the Filipino American Museum, and sits on the advisory board of the Dynasty Project. Liang grew up in Newton, Mass. and lives in the Bronx, New York. “9-Man” is her debut as a director.

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WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised. Some films shown during the festival may not be suitable for children or persons sensitive to foul language, violence, drugs, sexual themes, or graphic content. Please direct questions about films to the Co-Directors.

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5:25PMOFF THE MENU: ASIAN AMERICA | 2015By Grace Lee56 min

OFF THE MENU, a co-production of CAAM and KQED, celebrates how family, tradition, faith, and geography shape our relationship to food. Traveling across the United States, the documentary delves into a wealth of stories, traditions, and unexpected characters that help nourish America as a nation of immigrants. The Houston scenes spotlight Glen Gondo, “The King of Sushi,” and Carol and Gary Chiu from the Banyan Foods tofu empire.

OCA-GH “They Serve With Honor” Outstanding AAPI Employee Awards Dinner

Fri., Sept. 23, 2016 Awards Reception 6:00pm | 8:30pm Charity Casino & Silent Auction | Ocean Palace Restaurant

Register Here: https://tswh2016.eventbrite.com

HAAPI FILM FESTIVAL 2017June 8, 9, 10 ; June 16, 17

haapiff.com

SAVE the DATE!

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Joy and Nico are a cou-ple who have been in an exclusive relationship for 5 years, while their per-formance and friendship relationship spans 9 years. They met through music while working together in various community show-cases, Nico playing guitar

while Joy sang. In fact, the duo participated in the Kollaboration Houston 4 showcase winning the title of “People’s Choice Award”. Joy is currently a Pre-dental major at the University of Houston while Nico is grad-uated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering Design from the University of Houston and currently works as a designer for Welker in Sugar land.

Sang Ly is a singer-songwriter from Houston who enjoys the good things in life, including great music. His covers span a range of musical styles, and his own songs reflect his broad influences. Recently he has begun experimenting with the use of music software to create a range of effects and backgrounds.

My name is Deeya Shah. I am 10 years old. I am Indian by origin, was born in Boston, Massa-chusetts, and have lived in The Woodlands, Texas for the past 8 years. I am currently in 4th grade and my hobbies are sing-

ing, dancing, art, and drama.

Darrel James Materum is a jazz saxophonist. A frequent performer, he is also a proud UH Cougar and general lover of jazz.

SATURDAY JUNE 18, 2016: 7-10PM - CLOSING ARTS NIGHTHarmony Public School

7:00PMARTS NIGHT!

Join us and community partners as we close off #HAAPIFest2016 with our Arts Night Program filled with music, dance, and comedy!

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For the past 15+ years, DJ ALX has performed at some of the world’s hot-test clubs and wedding venues! When it comes to pleasing the crowd, this California-born, now Texas-based DJ, seam-lessly blends together today’s hits with all-time classics including:

dance, rock, reggae, pop, classic, funk, hip-hop and Bollywood/Bhangra

Lee Yun Hwa Dance Group is a performance group focused on the traditional Korean cultural dance.

The performers dress in beautifully colored dresses and garments while sway-ing to the flow of traditional Korean music.

Their movements and techniques are very smooth, creating an almost hypnotic effect to the audience.

A martial art as old as Korea itself, Kuk Sool Won involves hapkido (throwing), self defense maneuvers, archery, knife throwing, gymnastics, and so much more.This martial art was created by combining three ancient forms of Korean martial arts known as BoolKyo MuSool (Buddhist

Martial Arts), KoongJoong MuSool (Royal Court Martial Arts), and SahDoh MuSool (Tribal Martial Arts), by the now known Grand-master of Kuk Sool Won In-hyuk Suh in 1958. Kuk Sool Won has been continuously promoted internationally by the World Kuk Sool Association and is recognized in the martial arts community as one of the most effective and comprehensive systems of tradi-tional Korean martial arts in existence today.

Scott Li was born in Chi-cago, IL and is attending college in Plano, TX. Three of his favorite things to do is exercising, singing and relaxing.

Victor Tran is a stand up co-median, and, God, he is so bad at writing bios. He’s worked at comedy clubs, festivals, and col-leges all over. All over the place. Just like this bio. You’d think he’d be better at this by now. Look, his act is better than this, just give him a chance

Kathleen Nguyen is a 21-year-old singer-song-writer. She is currently a senior at the University of Houston. Aside from being a full-time student, Kathleen also posts videos on her YouTube channel, where she has managed to gain over 76k+ subscribers.

Peter Kimiso is a Hous-ton-based indie producer, composer, and musician. Af-ter working for many years as a chemical engineer for Shell, he decided to leave his job to follow his passion for music full-time. He also enjoys the great outdoors, travel, riding his motorcycle, and playing with his forever-puppy Jessy. Website: www.kimiso.com

Son Tran was a finalist in the Showdown at the Showcase as well as Kollaboration Houston and the Funniest in South Texas contests. He recently performed at LaughFest comedy festival.

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June 9-11 & 17-18 2016

Build Community & Be A Supporting Member!For Sponsorship Info please contact oca@ocahouston.org

OCA Embracing the Hopes and Aspirations of Asian Pacific Americansocanational.org | ocahouston.org | haapiff.com

http://www.facebook.com/OCAGreaterHouston9800 Town Park #142, Houston, TX 77036

To donate to support our programs please go to http://seatforchange.eventbrite.com