By: THE LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL | April 21, 2015
Diversity is a word that the Hollywood industry has been tossing around this year 2015 on all fronts ® film; television; and content creation. The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) not only talks about ®diversity® but lives it every day with artists, creatives and industry execs in front of and behind the camera. In the past, Hollywood had constantly stated that there were no Asian American filmmakers, actors, writers, editors and others to employ. At this year®s Festival, the LAAPFF presented by Visual Communications (VC) is bringing together an unprecedented two-day conference during the festival celebrating diversity ® or rather normalcy ® with four of the industry guilds including the Directors Guild of America (DGA), Writers Guild of America (WGA), Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG), and the Screen Actors Guild ® America Federation of Television and Radio Association (SAG - AFTRA).
In it®s fifth edition, the Conference for Creative Content (C3), presented by Sony Pictures Entertainment, is the premier entertainment media conference bringing together top industry and creative professionals, especially from Asian American content creators who are breaking new ground. Over two days, these esteemed panelists connect with the audience that include academics, filmmakers, new media creatives, industry executives and community organizations by not only speaking about their craft, but to reflect on the new directions in which creative visions are finding expression. C3 will bring the major entertainment guilds together to create a dialogue in how they view their particular segment and how it encompasses and overlaps with the entirety of the entertainment landscape. ?
®As showrunner and creator Sondra Rhimes said in March - telling stories involving women, people of color and LGBTQ characters should not be considered rare and ®diverse®. It is a reflection of our world, and in this case, ®normalizing®,® states Milton Liu, VC®s Director of Programs and Artist Services. ®Partnering with the industry guilds, this year®s C3 will be dissecting ways in which normalizing continues to be a constant battle in Hollywood.®
Panelists will include actor Randall Park (FRESH OFF THE BOAT); director JON M. CHU (STEP UP 3D; GI JOE: RETALIATION); Oscar® winning director FRIEDA LEE MOCK (ANITA); editor MAYSIE HOY (THE JOY LUCK CLUB; MADEA®S CHRISTMAS); editor JULIA WONG (XMEN) THE LAST STAND; and others.
Randall Park
Freida Lee Mock
John M. Chu
The schedule and panels for C3: CELEBRATING NORMALCY is as follows: Saturday, April 25 (10:00am - 2:00pm) ®Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG): Visual and Audio Storytelling for Blockbuster Films ®Moderated by Walt Louie (editor: FORBIDDEN CITY USA, RESTORING THE LIGHT) ®Alan E. Bell (editor: THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE & MOCKINGJAY, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) ®Tim Chau (sound designer/editor: THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE, HERCULES, THE HANGOVER) ®Maysie Hoy (editor: THE JOY LUCK CLUB, MADEA GOES TO JAIL, MADEA'S WITNESS PROTECTION) ®Julia Wong (editor: X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, RED RIDING HOOD, HERCULES) ®Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA): Fresh Off the Season - Asian American Talent and Casting in Primetime TV ®Moderated by Parvesh Cheena (actor: A TO Z, SEAN SAVES THE WORLD, OUTSOURCED, TRANSFORMERS: RESCUE BOTS) ®Usman Ally (actor: MADAM SECRETARY, PERSON OF INTEREST, DAMAGES) ®Joy Osmanski (actor: THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA, THE FOLLOWING, MULANEY, SAVE ME, GREY'S ANATOMY) ®Randall Park (actor: FRESH OFF THE BOAT, THE INTERVIEW, WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: FIRST DAY OF CAMP) ®Lucille Soong (actor: FRESH OFF THE BOAT, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, FREAKY FRIDAY) ®Leslie Woo (casting director/department: SILICON VALLEY, TOGETHERNESS, SCOUNDRELS, SHANGHAI CALLING) Sunday, April 26 (10:00am - 2:00pm) ®Writers Guild of America (WGA): TV Writing Landscape ® Network v. Cable v. New Media ®Moderated by Iram Parveen Bilal (director/producer/writer: JOSH, DHO DALA: THE SIN WASHER) ®Ken Cheng (consulting producer/writer: SIN CITY SAINTS, BETAS, WILFRED) ®Sonny Lee (supervising producer/writer: SILICON VALLEY, IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, OUTSOURCED) ®Helen Shang (writer: HANNIBAL, THE CHICAGO CODE, BODY OF PROOF) ®Cori Uchida (writer: HELIX, EYE CANDY, HEROES REBORN) ®Directors Guild of America (DGA): You've Made Your First Film... Now What? ®Moderated by Henry Chan (director: 100 DAYS, A TO Z, THE NEIGHBORS, DON'T TRUST THE B----- IN APT. 23) ®Jon M. Chu (director: JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS, G.I. JOE: RETALIATION, STEP UP 3D) ®Anthony Hardwick (director of photography: THE COMEDIANS, BRUNO, BORAT; director: RIZZOLI & ISLES) ®Benson Lee (director: SEOUL SEARCHING, BATTLE OF THE YEAR, PLANET B-BOY) ®Freida Mock (director: ANITA - SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER, MAYA LIN: A STRONG VISION) ®Sharat Raju (director: LAW & ORDER: SVU, AMERICAN MADE, DIVIDED WE FALL)
