LOS ANGELES—Visual Communications highlights its award-winning filmography of documentary, experimental, animated, and narrative films examining the relationship between Asian Pacific American peoples and communities. Looking at other communities of color adjacent to Little Tokyo, watch a two-part program that celebrates all the aspects that make Little Tokyo a vibrant community. Moreover, these films examine the causes that threaten it. SOMETHING’S ROTTEN IN LITTLE TOKYO (United States, 1977) Dir.: Visual Communications, project directors Duane Kubo, Eddie Wong A VC staff production that indicts the social and market-driven forces that conspire to displace low-income Little Tokyo residents from the only homes and community they knew. 41 mins. NO VACANCY (United States, 1986) Dir.: Naomi Hirahara A VC-produced documentary that profiles two Asian American middle-aged men who face the depletion of low-cost housing, forcing them to find ways to survive in downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo and Chinatown. This documentary is a poignant view of a segment of Asian American underclass rarely talked about. 10 mins. Wednesday, May 22, 2019, 7:30 pm 341 E 1st Street Los Angeles, CA 90012
Presented by Visual Communications, CENTERING THE MASSES is a series of free pop-up events and programs at 341 FSN, in the heart of Los Angeles Little Tokyo’s historic district. This nine-week series running from April 5th to May 30, 2019 will bring together artists, cultural workers, entertainment professionals, and civic personalities to celebrate and explore all the ways that motion pictures and media artworks impact our lives. Through intimate conversation, screenings, and visual art presentations, this project will be a space to address the current realities of a community that sits at the crossroads of shifting racial, generational, and economic conditions.
Click here for a downloadable calendar of all the events.
This project is supported by a Humanities for All Quick Grant.
