Visual Communications presents the 41st edition of the VC Film Fest / Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival from May 1 to May 7, 2025. The Festival will feature a robust lineup of in-person programming, along with virtual programming for our audiences at home in Southern California and beyond.

This will be the LA Premiere of Luka Yuanyuan YANG's (ACC 2017) film Chinatown Cha-Cha alonsige a book signing.

Filmmakers in attendance. Film program will be followed by Q&A.

At the remarkable age of 92, Coby Yee, a former starlet and owner of the illustrious “Forbidden City Nightclub,” reclaimed her place in the spotlight with the senior dance troupe, Grant Avenue Follies. Led by Cynthia Yee, the ensemble brings to life the luminous nightclub era of San Francisco’s Chinatown, simultaneously shattering the conventional image of aging Asian women.

Their transnational tour across the US, Cuba, and China unfurls an exploration of diasporic Chinese entertainment and a profound understanding of their own Chinese American identities. In Havana, their co-performance with local Chinese Opera singers sparked a vibrant renaissance in the city’s dwindling Chinese community.

An emotive journey back to her father’s homeland in China gave Coby a chance to reflect on familial memories and observe the startling transformation of urban landscapes.

The film stands as a poignant chronicle of Coby’s final journey before her passing at 93, preserving her indomitable spirit. Meanwhile, the Grant Avenue Follies dance on, carrying the torch of their shared heritage.

 

 

Cathy Linh CHE's (ACC 2024) We Were The Scenery is the story of Hoa Thi Le and Hue Nguyen Che, who, in 1975, after fleeing the Vietnam War by boat and docking in the Philippines, were utilized as background extras in the filming of APOCALYPSE NOW.

Learn more and reserve tickets here.