“Wandering Daydreams” follows the life of Makara Thach Sernett, a refugee-turned-artist, and her journey to spread comfort and joy through impressionist paintings. From her early years in a Thai refugee camp to her acclaimed career as an American artist, this heartfelt, dream-like documentary explores Makara’s struggles and resilience to form her own identity in the wake of political upheaval, and the solace she finds in painting. Makara’s story showcases the healing power of art and its ability to reconcile both the beauty and pain in our lives. Director Biography -&nbsp;Josh Hendrix<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/2e7c8eb0f36a1fa2ce46db1269182a59.jpg" width="218">Josh Hendrix, an Atlanta native now residing in Louisville, KY, began his filmmaking career in the non-profit sector, focusing on stories that highlight the positive impact individuals and organizations make in their communities. This foundation in meaningful storytelling has shaped his approach to film.﻿As a freelance director of photography and documentary filmmaker, Josh now brings his experience and eye for detail to a variety of projects. His work is recognized for its clarity and authenticity, capturing the essence of his subjects with both precision and empathy.Josh Hendrix continues to explore compelling narratives through his lens, driven by a passion for storytelling that resonates with audiences and sheds light on important stories.

Wandering Daydreams: The Art of Makara Thach Sernett

Artist Xin Liu combines the tools of art and science to express what it means to be human in the face of technologies and developments motivated by efficiency, productivity, and optimization. Documenting Liu’s process as she works toward two solo exhibitions in Texas and New York, this short film provides a glimpse into the artist’s diverse body of work and personal journey. Director Biography -&nbsp;Andrea Yu-Chieh Chung<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/763c4fc1310b0fa1ce4308836a14f7d9.jpg" width="208">Andrea Yu-Chieh Chung is a Taiwanese nonfiction filmmaker based in the New York metropolitan area. Her documentary shorts, including Finding Nasseebi and Sleepwalker, have screened at festivals around the world, such as London International Documentary Festival, Riga International Film Festival, Sharjah Film Platform, and Cinequest Film Festival. She has produced and edited digital shorts for VICE World News, Reel Works, and Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies. She holds an MFA from Stanford University.﻿

Xin Liu's Inward Expeditions

Ace is a lonely art student who struggles with perfectionism. A charcoal drawing of a hyperrealistic eye he created in the past haunts him as he tries to create new artworks in the present. He attends an art exhibition of Vivian, an artist who creates abstract, colorful paintings about her family's history. There, he interacts with Marian, an older Asian lady, and his feelings about Vivian's art are revealed as judgmental and not "good art." He comes to realize that Marian is actually Vivian's mother, and the exhibition is based on the harm Vivian and her family faced due to the radiation following the nuclear blast in Nagasaki. Ace's internally conflicted, and talks to Vivian later about his views on art. Vivian tells him a radically different way of viewing art, which prompts Ace to create something by destroying the art of the past to create something new. Director Biography -&nbsp;Hank Yang<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/3bec30eadee5ff6f805a003b0c553d38.jpg" width="228">Hank began his journey into fiction filmmaking when he realized there is a lack of Asian American writers and directors telling our experiences in the world. Hank was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved around from California, Mississippi, Florida, and Illinois throughout his life. He graduates from Northwestern University with a Bachelor's of Science in Journalism and minors in Religious Studies.﻿

Avant-Garde

Music is a common ground we all share. For fifty years Alan Furutani and the groups Visions and Fujazz have provided a common language for our community. Emerging out of the Asian American Movement his music had root elements in the spirit of Coltrane, the heart of Laura Nyro and would add the samba of Brazil.

See you, Den

Carry On was a garage band in Los Angeles during the Asian American dance era 1965-1985. The era was a right of passage and undoubtedly the best times of our lives. Carry On was the most popular band of the era. They performed at hundreds of dances held at dance halls and ballrooms. This is their story. Director -&nbsp;Mitchell Matsumura<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/945164bbfa4667ecb5e7141660affc54.jpg" width="188">

The Carry On Story

Chinese Canadian dance artist Tony Chong dives into his family‚Äôs history to find his place in the world. A heartwarming and sometimes absurd film that blissfully and cautiously surrenders to the great adventure of life. A playful interpretative recounting of an immigrant‚Äôs story and legacy that launches a world of possibilities and repercussions for a diaspora future generation that seeks to find and re-identify themselves.Revealing the Invisible, weaves and dances through the telling of a Chinese family‚Äôs story - an imaginative jigsaw puzzle crossing between reality, fiction and fantasy with larger-than-life heroic characters. Creating a fractal kaleidoscope with dance as a portal that leads us to other dimensions of time, jumping in and out of a non-linear journey into the past and back to the present. Director Biography -&nbsp;Marlene Millar, Tony Ming Chong<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/cc90b4bd7cd12464cbc2f68692f4d811.jpg" width="286">MARLENE MILLARFor over 30 years filmmaker Marlene Millar has created screen dance, documentaries and experimental media productions. With a background in design, contemporary dance and filmmaking (BFA Concordia University, Montreal), Marlene pursued graduate filmmaking at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, before she received a Pew Dance Media Fellowship at the University of California (Los Angeles). Millar’s expansive career was honoured at her first solo exhibition, a retrospective of her 30-year practice at Threshold Artspace, UK (2019).Since 2000, Millar has co-created a critically acclaimed collection of dance media work with Philip Szporer through their production company, MOUVEMENT PERPÉTUEL. Their award-winning films have been broadcast nationally and widely circulated at international festivals and influential exhibition spaces: the 2010 Cultural Olympics, World Exhibition in Shanghai, and a UNESCO tour of Latin America.Founded in 2014, the MIGRATION DANCE FILM PROJECT series (LAY ME LOW, PILGRIMAGE, MOVE, TRAVERSE, NAVIGATION), produced/directed by Millar and produced/choreographed by Sandy Silva, has garnered over 25 awards internationally. This process-driven continuum comes to life as Millar transposes the choreography to the screen, creating a poignant visual language that reveals the intricacies of these issue-driven, performative stories centred on migration.www.marlenemillar.comwww.migrationdance.comwww.mouvementperpetuel.net TONY CHONGTony Chong is a multifaceted artist, born and raised in Vancouver, who has been living in Montreal since 1993. He is a versatile choreographer, dancer, performer, and creative director, with a keen interest in various forms of art such as dance, circus, theatre, new media technology, film, cooking, and photography. Tony has been recognized for his creative pursuits and works, receiving the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseils des Arts et des Lettres du Québec.Tony's experience as the Artistic Assistant Director on Cirque du Soleil's show Totem in 2018-2019 paved the way for him to launch his Collective RNTF (Remember Not To Forget) with Carol Prieur, where he continues to pursue various creative projects, including their latest 50-minute solo Invisible无形.After completing his Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Dance at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tony furthered his studies in New York at NYU's The Tisch School for the Arts and in San José, California, with The Limon West and The Limon Company. He began his career working with Kokoro Dance Theatre and other Vancouver-based choreographers such as the late Grant Strate before moving to Montreal. He also danced in the works of Tom Stroud and the late Tedd Robinson with The Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg.www.tonythecompany.comwww.bluemouthinc.livehttps://www.lafabriqueculturelle.tv/capsules/12126/l-art-culinaire-de-tony-chong

Revealing the Invisible

Chronicles of a Sansei Rocker is the perspective of Harry Manaka, writing his memoirs for his children and grand children during the Covid pandemic. His book Chronicles of a Sansei Rocker became an overwhelming best seller post Covid within the Japanese American community which is now in its sixth printing. The book transports the lives of thousands of Japanese American dance party goers during the coming of age during an era ravaged by the controversial Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam war. The popularity of this book has spawned a resurrection of a few of the author‚Äôs original band members after 50 years to perform in a series of nostalgic concerts these past couple of years to sellout performances. Director -&nbsp;Cory Shiozaki<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/c2035bcae637b2d96ef5516c4b3fa763.jpg" width="231">Mr. Shiozaki is a Vietnam veteran who retired after 40 years as a cameraman from the International Cinematographers guild his notable credits include films like Back To The Future, the Terminator, Training Day and Dances With Wolves. Amongst a plethora of television credits, he is probably best known for his theatrically released award-winning documentary film the Manzanar Fishing Club. In July of 2012 his film was screened before members of Congress on Capitol Hill and received a Certificate of Congressional Recognition. Although retired, he is currently working on his third film project about the Manzanar confinement site.

Chronicles of a Sansei Rocker

Canada

United States of America

Art and Music

Virtual Admission

Thank&nbsp;you&nbsp;for your generous donation to the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest, a production of CATS (Contemporary Asian Theater Scene), a non profit 501c3. EIN: 77-0402633 Thank&nbsp;You,Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest<a href="https://www.svapfilmfest.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.svapfilmfest.org</a>

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