Give as a gift
These films are available for viewing starting Friday, May 8th at 7pm PT. Livestreams are available to watch on the Visual Communications Youtube Channel and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Facebook page!
During these tough times, our thoughts are with our communities, especially our immediate community of Little Tokyo. VC's success is closely integrated with our partnerships with local organizations, small businesses, and residents. Check out what our partners are doing to see how you can help.
Community Partners: Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), FYI Films, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Alliance (NHPIA), Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum
As Visual Communications celebrates 50 years, we look back at VC Classic films centered around our Native Hawaian & Pacific Islander communities. Join Visual Communications and friends for an engaging conversation about how they utilize media to build, connect, and empower communities.
Featuring:
Kiki Rivera (Host)
Kiki Rivera is an internationally produced, award-winning theatre artist, educator, and arts activist. Kiki has her BA in Theatre as well as her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and is a member of the 2018 ArtEquity cohort who holds workshops to encourage the growth of future indigenous storytellers. As an educated gender-queer person of color (Samoan-Filipinx born and raised in Hawaii) that is cis-femme presenting, Kiki recognizes her privilege and responsibility to those marginalized communities. Her work focuses on cultural and sexual identity and the effects of colonization. Kiki is one of many voices for Pacific Islanders in the diaspora and is published in Samoan Queer Lives edited by Yuki Kihara and Dan Talaupapa McMullin. Kiki believes in self-reflective storytelling from a contemporary indigenous perspective and creating space for marginalized theatre artists of color.
Micki Davis
Micki Davis is a multimedia artist, educator and, most notably, an Armed with a Camera Alum! She values Visual Communications for its commitment to the pan-asian and pacific communities here in Los Angeles and is committed herself to advocacy of these perspectives in the arts.
Alex Muñoz
Alex Muñoz is an award winning filmmaker who founded FYI FILMS in 2004 to lead filmmaking workshops with incarcerated youth from marginalized communities. He has led over 35 film workshops with youth in LA County, Guam and Hawaii. Drawing on his experience supervising and shaping their collective storytelling efforts, Muñoz has directed award winning documentary and fiction films such as LITTLE SCRAPPY BOY and SPOUT.
Tavae Samuelu
Tavae Samuelu is the Executive Director for Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), providing strategic oversight towards realizing EPIC’s mission to promote social justice by engaging the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities through culturally relevant development, advocacy, and research. She’s passionate about liberation work and supporting the political consciousness and growth of youth. Tavae was born and raised in Long Beach, CA, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with an Ethnic Studies degree. Before joining EPIC, she served as the Development Director for the RYSE Youth Center in Richmond and has since become a member of RYSE’s Board of Directors.
Kawen T. Young
Kawen T. Young currently serves as the Executive Director for the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Alliance (NHPIA), a national advocacy organization in Gardena, California. The NHPIA is dedicated to advocacy, education, research and promotion of the health and well-being as well as other related services (e.g., immigration & citizenship, healthcare, veterans, and voters registration) for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders within the United States. She also served as a Staff/Scheduler and an Executive Assistant/Case Manager for over 17 years with former House of Representatives delegate Eni FH Faleomavaega in both his Washington, D.C. and American Samoa district offices.
Abe Ferrer
Abraham Ferrer is the Archives and Distribution Manager at Visual Communications, who has been involved with the production and fabrication of museum and site-specific exhibitions including “Visual Communications: A Celebration of Community” as part of Photoville L.A, and “At First Light: The Dawning of Asian Pacific America,” co-produced with the Japanese American National Museum. He has also served as a program consultant for international film festivals including the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, Cinemanila International Film Festival, and the Singapore International Film Festival; served on awards juries ranging from the Hawaii International Film Festival to the International Documentary Association; and has written extensively on issues relevant to the development of Asian Pacific American cinema.
These films are available for viewing starting Friday, May 8th at 7pm PT. Livestreams are available to watch on the Visual Communications Youtube Channel and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Facebook page!
During these tough times, our thoughts are with our communities, especially our immediate community of Little Tokyo. VC's success is closely integrated with our partnerships with local organizations, small businesses, and residents. Check out what our partners are doing to see how you can help.
Community Partners: Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), FYI Films, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Alliance (NHPIA), Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum
As Visual Communications celebrates 50 years, we look back at VC Classic films centered around our Native Hawaian & Pacific Islander communities. Join Visual Communications and friends for an engaging conversation about how they utilize media to build, connect, and empower communities.
Featuring:
Kiki Rivera (Host)
Kiki Rivera is an internationally produced, award-winning theatre artist, educator, and arts activist. Kiki has her BA in Theatre as well as her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and is a member of the 2018 ArtEquity cohort who holds workshops to encourage the growth of future indigenous storytellers. As an educated gender-queer person of color (Samoan-Filipinx born and raised in Hawaii) that is cis-femme presenting, Kiki recognizes her privilege and responsibility to those marginalized communities. Her work focuses on cultural and sexual identity and the effects of colonization. Kiki is one of many voices for Pacific Islanders in the diaspora and is published in Samoan Queer Lives edited by Yuki Kihara and Dan Talaupapa McMullin. Kiki believes in self-reflective storytelling from a contemporary indigenous perspective and creating space for marginalized theatre artists of color.
Micki Davis
Micki Davis is a multimedia artist, educator and, most notably, an Armed with a Camera Alum! She values Visual Communications for its commitment to the pan-asian and pacific communities here in Los Angeles and is committed herself to advocacy of these perspectives in the arts.
Alex Muñoz
Alex Muñoz is an award winning filmmaker who founded FYI FILMS in 2004 to lead filmmaking workshops with incarcerated youth from marginalized communities. He has led over 35 film workshops with youth in LA County, Guam and Hawaii. Drawing on his experience supervising and shaping their collective storytelling efforts, Muñoz has directed award winning documentary and fiction films such as LITTLE SCRAPPY BOY and SPOUT.
Tavae Samuelu
Tavae Samuelu is the Executive Director for Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), providing strategic oversight towards realizing EPIC’s mission to promote social justice by engaging the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities through culturally relevant development, advocacy, and research. She’s passionate about liberation work and supporting the political consciousness and growth of youth. Tavae was born and raised in Long Beach, CA, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with an Ethnic Studies degree. Before joining EPIC, she served as the Development Director for the RYSE Youth Center in Richmond and has since become a member of RYSE’s Board of Directors.
Kawen T. Young
Kawen T. Young currently serves as the Executive Director for the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Alliance (NHPIA), a national advocacy organization in Gardena, California. The NHPIA is dedicated to advocacy, education, research and promotion of the health and well-being as well as other related services (e.g., immigration & citizenship, healthcare, veterans, and voters registration) for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders within the United States. She also served as a Staff/Scheduler and an Executive Assistant/Case Manager for over 17 years with former House of Representatives delegate Eni FH Faleomavaega in both his Washington, D.C. and American Samoa district offices.
Abe Ferrer
Abraham Ferrer is the Archives and Distribution Manager at Visual Communications, who has been involved with the production and fabrication of museum and site-specific exhibitions including “Visual Communications: A Celebration of Community” as part of Photoville L.A, and “At First Light: The Dawning of Asian Pacific America,” co-produced with the Japanese American National Museum. He has also served as a program consultant for international film festivals including the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, Cinemanila International Film Festival, and the Singapore International Film Festival; served on awards juries ranging from the Hawaii International Film Festival to the International Documentary Association; and has written extensively on issues relevant to the development of Asian Pacific American cinema.