TIMELINE

THE LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL: HISTORICAL TIMELINE
The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival has grown exponentially since its first edition in 1983, reflected not only by increases in both number of total works and artists, but also by substantial increases in attendance. Initially housed in the then-Japan America Theatre, the Film Festival is now ensconced at the Directors Guild of America and the recently rechristened Aratani/Japan America Theatre, in addition to the Laemmle’s Sunset 5 Theatre, the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy (newly re-christened as the Tateuchi Democracy Forum), and Downtown Independent. The Festival has experienced drastic fluctuations in both the volume of cinematic offerings and audiences, as well as shifting tastes and interests from audiences over what qualifies as “Asian” cinema (both homegrown and foreign). Still, the growing support of a loyal and hardworking staff of volunteers who have elevated the recognition and prestige of this keystone event on Southern California’s cultural calendar have made the film festival what it is today. Nowhere is this evolution more apparent than in the Film Festival’s very name, which has undergone no less than five major revisions in its twenty-five year existence.

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1983