Films
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Please peruse the multitude of films available during the festival below.
Visit the Schedules page for a short listing of film times and locations. Buy your tickets to these screenings here - http://dcapafilm-eorg.eventbrite.com. |
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Festival Awards
"Model Minority"
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"Mr. Cao
Goes to Washington" |
"Shanghai Calling"
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"Bleached"
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Film Listing
"Mr. Cao Goes to Washington"
(Best Documentary)
(Best Documentary)
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Director: S. Leo Chiang
2012, USA, 72 minutes October 4, 7:00 pm – Opening Night Landmark E Street Cinema What happens when the naiveté of a political rookie clashes with the realities of racial politics in the South and the partisan power struggles of Washington, DC? Mr. Cao Goes to Washington is a fascinating character study of then-Rep. Joseph Cao (R-New Orleans), the first Vietnamese-American elected to the Congress and the only Republican to vote for President Obama’s Health Care Reform Bill. Will Mr. Cao make it through his term with his idealism intact? |
"Traces No. 2: Union"
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Director: Joel Quizon and Maya Santos
2012, USA, 11 minutes October 4, 7:00 pm – Opening Night (Preceding Feature) Landmark E Street Cinema The stately structure at 120 Judge John Aiso Street is an enduring landmark that has experienced pivotal moments in the history of Los Angeles. |
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"Mrs. Judo: Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful"
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Director: Yuriko Gamo Romer
2012, USA, 66 minutes October 5, 7pm Freer & Sackler Gallery of Art Throwing thousands of years of tradition to the wind, Keiko Fukuda chose to follow her own destiny and become the highest ranking woman in judo. Mrs. Judo: Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful tells the inspirational story of Ms. Fukuda’s lifelong journey spanning four continents, nine decades, and two distinct cultures to overcome adversity and ultimately transform into a living legend. Today, at 99 years old, Ms. Fukuda holds the highest rank available in judo, the tenth degree. She continues teaching judo three days a week from her San Francisco dojo and is the last living link to judo’s origins. |
"Two Seconds After Laughter"
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Director: David Rousseve
2011, Indonesia, 16 minutes October 5, 7pm Freer & Sackler Gallery of Art With a narrative inspired by choreographer Sri Susilowati’s return to Indonesia after 20 years in America, this film is a conversation on the nature of memory, a cry of longing caused by separation, and a tale of joy and emotional dislocation experienced by immigrant people. |
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"The Crumbles"
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Director: Akira Boch
2012, USA, 75 minutes October 5, 8:00 pm Goethe-Institut The Crumbles is an indie rock, slice-of-life, tragicomedy about Darla, an overly serious musician whose life is shaken up when her long lost best friend Elisa shows up and crashes on her couch... indefinitely. Free-spirited Elisa has just moved back to Los Angeles after a devastating break-up, and no one else in her group of friends is willing to help her out. She’s the perfect partner for the band that Darla has long wanted to start up, but when the band gets rolling, obsession, insecurity, heartache, and oversized egos all work against them. While they both share dreams of rocking the globe, they may not be able to get their new band out of the garage. |
"The Nice Girls Crew (Parts 1 & 2)"
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Director: Tanuj Chopra
2012, USA, 14 minutes October 5, 8:00 pm Goethe-Institut Three frenemies join a book club where they never actually talk about the book. Their subjects of interest? Sex, cannibalism, drugs, and just about everything else you’d expect in good company. |
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"I am a Ghost"
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Director: H.P. Mendoza
2012, USA, 75 minutes October 5, 10:00 pm Goethe-Institut Emily is a troubled spirit who haunts her own house every day and wonders why she can’t leave. With the help of Sylvia, a clairvoyant hired to rid the house of spirits, Emily is forced into a patient/therapist relationship and uncovers mysteries about her past that may help her move on to the next place. Spooky, atmospheric, and experimental, I am a Ghost is Director H.P. Mendoza’s second narrative feature. |
"The Company of Thieves"
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Director: Shilpa Sunthankar
2011, USA, 17 minutes October 5, 10:00 pm Goethe-Institut A thief seeks vengeance after he is left for dead by his partner. He makes a deal with the Devil and goes on a mission to kill his partner and get his loot back. |
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"Touch"
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Director: Minh Duc Nguyen
2011, USA, 109 minutes October 6, 2:00 pm Goethe-Institut At V.I.P. Nails, a Vietnamese manicurist named Tam has a new customer: Brendan, a shy mechanic who literally has a problem on his hands. He can never get rid of the oil stains around his nails, and when he tries to be intimate with his aloof wife, she always rejects him with the same excuse: “Your hands are filthy!” Desperately seeking to save his marriage, Brendan goes to the nail salon every day, where Tam scrubs his hands clean and offers him advice on how to get his wife to love him again. But soon, Tam and Brendan find themselves drawn to each other, an attraction which becomes harder and harder to resist. Meanwhile, Tam struggles to communicate with her stern father, who has been confined to a wheelchair after a tragic accident. This film explores the sense of touch and its emotional impact – how with just a simple touch, we can reveal our deepest longings and even heal a wounded soul. |
"Daylight Savings"
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Director: Dave Boyle
October 6, 4:00 pm 2012, USA, 78 minutes Goethe-Institut Daylight Savings rejoins San Francisco musician Goh Nakamura (playing himself) one year after Surrogate Valentine left off. Goh finds commercial success in his fledgling career when his song gets licensed in a national TV commercial. With newfound fame, an upcoming national tour, and a decision to settle down in Los Angeles with his long distance girlfriend Erika (Ayako Fujitani), Goh is devastated when he gets dumped right before the big move. He reconnects with his old flame Rachel (Lynn Chen), but finds himself drawn toward fellow indie musician Yea-Ming (playing herself). Goh’s cousin Mike (Michael Aki) is a “man with a plan,” but their road trip goes awry and Goh is forced to face his romantic issues on his own. |
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"The Champions"
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Director: Gilani Sumida-Moiseff
2011, Singapore, 12 minutes Goethe-Institut October 6, 4:00 pm A superstitious, neurotic family seeks the help of their next door neighbor to exorcise their house. |
"Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey"
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Director: Ramona S. Diaz
2012, USA, 113 minutes October 6, 6:00 pm – Closing Night U.S. Navy Memorial Halfway around the world, Journey, the iconic, quintessentially American rock band who recorded eight platinum-certified albums in during their heyday, has chosen a new lead singer in a manner befitting this internet age: they found him through YouTube. As the band navigates the difficult task of preserving a legacy and moving on with their new lead singer, Filipino Arnel Pineda, can they turn this media moment into something more than just a footnote in their thirty-year career? Will Arnel return home to Manila with Journey, to the place where it all started, as a global superstar? And just how will his journey affect him and the band? Only time will tell. |
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"The Problem of Gravity"
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Director: Trevor Zhou
2012, USA, 5 minutes October 6, 6:00 pm – Closing Night U.S. Navy Memorial A little boy, who is fascinated by flight, sets out to find a way to take to the skies. |
"Shanghai Calling"(Best Narrative)
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Director: Daniel Hsia
2011, China/USA, 100 minutes October 6, 8:00 pm – Closing Night U.S. Navy Memorial When ambitious New York attorney Sam (Daniel Henney) is sent to Shanghai, he immediately stumbles into a legal mess that could end his career. With the help of a beautiful relocation specialist (Eliza Coupe), a well-connected old-timer (Bill Paxton), a clever journalist (Geng Le), and a street-smart legal assistant (Zhu Zhu), Sam might just save his job, find romance, and learn to appreciate the many wonders of this gorgeous, modern city. |
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"Bleached"
(Best Narrative Short)
(Best Narrative Short)
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Director: Jess dela Merced
2011, USA, 14 minutes October 6, 8:00 pm – Closing Night U.S. Navy Memorial Lenny, a Filipino-American girl, is forced by her image-obsessed mother to use a bleaching cream to lighten the color of her skin. |
"Obake"
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Director: Christopher Makoto Yogi
2012, USA, 13 minutes October 7, 1:00pm (part of a Shorts program) Goethe-Institut Living out his last days on the north shore of Hawaii, an elderly Japanese man is visited by the ghosts of his past. |
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"Dol (First Birthday)"
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Director: Andrew Ahn
2011, USA, 11 minutes October 7, 1:00pm (part of a Shorts program) Goethe-Institut A gay Korean-American man yearns for a family life just out of reach. |
"Incoming"
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Director: Mozhan Marnò
2011, USA, 14 minutes October 7, 1:00pm (part of a shorts program) Goethe-Institut A loner who has recently lost custody of her son meets an endearing stranger who likes to sunbathe in the parking lot beneath her balcony. |
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"Couch"
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Director: Anya Meksin
2010, USA, 7 minutes October 7, 1:00pm (part of a Shorts program) Goethe-Institut An irreverent reenactment of the real-life international media scandal that erupted when a black family found a racial slur on the label of their brand new sofa. |
"Hip Hop Maestro"
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Director: Christine Lee
2010, USA, 43 minutes October 7, 1:00pm (part of a Shorts program) Goethe-Institut Double G leads his orchestra, daKAH, from a Los Angeles night club to center stage at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. |
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Director: Lily Mariye
2012, USA, 95 minutes October 7, 3:00 pm Goethe-Institut L.A. teenagers grow up in the treacherous world of peer pressure, drug dealers, juvenile hall, and dysfunctional families. Kayla Tanaka, a 16-year-old underprivileged Japanese-American, endangers her promising future as an artist when she becomes involved with a drug dealer. Will she be able to survive this world and move on to a better life? |
"Wonder Boy"
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Director: Corrie Chen
2011, Australia, 15 minutes October 7, 3:00 pm Goethe-Institut Ten-year-old Clancy is stuck between a life he doesn’t know and a life he wants to belong to. |
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"Salad Days"
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Directors: Hiram Chan, Jeff Mizushima, Emily Yoshida
2011, USA, 75 minutes October 7, 6:00 pm Goethe-Institut A comedic love triangle told through three interconnected stories, Salad Days offers a funny and unique perspective on the identities people create to protect themselves from the frustration and heartbreak of relationships in the real world. Caitlin is in the midst of a quarter-life crisis and has created “Condor Hero,” a profile to communicate with a secret internet crush. Now she must decide whether or not they should meet in person. A devastating car wreck forces Alex to reexamine his life, which includes reconciling with a lost love, his ex-girlfriend Caitlin. And Anthony, a misunderstood computer nerd, has the chance to meet the girl of his dreams. But finding an internet connection so he can contact her proves to be more difficult than he thought. |
