Director/writer Musa Syeed and producer Nicholas Bruckman were awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Best Overall Narrative Feature for their moving Valley Of Saints. The Festival’s Outstanding Director Award also went to Musa Syeed for Valley Of Saints, with a Special Jury Mention to Lily Mariye for her film Model Minority.

Additional narrative film awards given out included: Outstanding Screenplay to writer H.P. Mendoza for the script for Yes We’re Open; Outstanding Cinematography to John Matysiak for Model Minority; and Outstanding First Feature Award went to Daniel Hsia for Shanghai Calling, his feature directorial debut.

Acting awards given out this year included: Dante Basco receiving Best Actor Award, for his performances in Paradise Broken; Best Newcomer Actor Awards going to Nichole Bloom of Model Minority and Kevin Wu of Hang Loose; and Best Ensemble Acting Award went to Sunset Stories, which features performances from Sung Kang, Monique Curnen, Michelle Krusiec, Joshua Leonard and Sandy Martin.

In the documentary jury competition, Where Heaven Meets Hell directed by Sasha Friedlander received the Grand Jury Prize for Best Film. Debbie Lum was awarded the Outstanding Director Award for her film, Seeking Asian Female. The award for Outstanding Cinematography was a tie and it went to Sasha Friedlander and Bao Nguyen for Where Heaven Meets Hell and to Sun Shaoguang for China Heavyweight.

Filmmakers Michael Collins and Marty Syjuco received the Special Jury Award For Human Rights, for their film Give Up Tomorrow which chronicles the frenzied legal and media circus that surrounds the decade long campaign to execute or save one young man, Paco Larrañaga.

Short films this year were in abundance, with over 140 shorts being screened at the festival. The moving film Nani from Justin Tipping received the Golden Reel Award, while Mitsuyo Miyazaki was honored with the Linda Mabalot New Directors/New Visions Award.

Rounding out the event was the presentation of the C3: Project Market Award. This is a new program started at this year’s festival recognizing new projects with a $5,000 prize for the best project pitch.

“Over the course of two days, the C3: Project Market filmmakers had over 140 meetings connecting them to financiers, producers, production companies, agents, managers and industry executives,” states Milton Liu, Director of Programs and Artists Services. “These wonderful voices evidence the depth, breadth and continued strength of Asian American storytellers, and we are so proud that they made the inaugural C3: Project Market an overwhelming success.”

The C3: Project Market Jury Award went to Liselle Mei and Derek Nguyen for their project titled, Seeing Red. An honorable mention was awarded to Musa Syeed and Nicholas Bruckman for The Doctor.

The 2012 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival kicked off on May 10 with Shanghai Calling, directed by Daniel Hsia and starring Daniel Henney. The Fest will conclude May 18 -20 with encore screenings of award winners along with special Pacific Islander and Cambodian programming in Long Beach , including: The Orator directed by Tusi Tamasese; Siones 2: Unfinished Business (aka Samoan Wedding 2) directed by Simon Bennett; and Golden Slumbers directed by Davy Chou.

For more info go to www.vconline.org

Audience Awards will be announced next week, after the final day of the festival.

Michael Collins, Jason Baldwin, and Marty Syjuco

This past Wednesday night we went to the 5^th Annual Cinema Eye Honors event in Queens at the Museum of the Moving Image, hosted by filmmakers (and co-chairs) Esther Robinson and AJ Schnack. This is a celebration of the documentary community like no other, and it is an evening full of magical, heartfelt, and often hilarious moments. This year was no exception, and if you were to ask those who attended about their favorite moment, no doubt they would struggle to name just one.

For me the highlight of the evening came early and very unexpectedly in the lobby of the museum, shortly before we entered the theater. Near the ticketing line I saw Jason Baldwin, one of the West Memphis Three, whose story is the subject of the brilliant Paradise Lost Trilogy by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (it was to be honored that night with the first ever Hell Yeah Prize). I have been following his case ever since I saw the first film about 15 years ago. Jason spent nearly 20 years in prison, one of 3 teenage boys convicted for a brutal murder that they had absolutely nothing to do with. They were finally set free from prison less than 5 months ago.

Jason Baldwin with Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger as they receive the HELL YEAH PRIZE

When Marty noticed I wasn’t moving forward in the line with him to pick up our tickets, he came back to me with an expression of “What?” I told him Jason was nearby and we had to talk to him. He agreed and we somewhat nervously approached him. It’s not that he was intimidating, if anything he is quite the opposite and has the most welcoming presence, it was just intense to be so close to someone in person who you’ve watched grow-up behind bars on film and the Internet, someone you’ve been rooting for at a distance for more than a decade. I’m always amazed at how close we can feel to people we’ve only met on screen.

Jason and his girlfriend warmly welcomed us, and we proceeded to have the most wonderful conversation. We learned about his recent travels – how he had difficulty crossing into Canada to see a Pearl Jam concert but had no trouble getting into Amsterdam where he attended IDFA. We heard of his plans to go to college in Seattle, and of his girlfriend’s concern that between his studies and love of video games, she will never get to see him.

Jason Baldwin, Bruce Sinofsky, Esther Robinson, and Joe Berlinger get photographed before the show

We told him about Paco’s situation and what a huge inspiration Paradise Lost had been in the process of making our film. We learned that he and Paco are exactly the same age. He asked the most thoughtful questions about the case as only someone with his understanding could, and he listened with every ounce of his being. Jason was present in a way that was so refreshing, inspiring, and absolutely contagious; as we spoke the sounds of the crowd seemed to fade and time ceased to exist. I would have been happy talking with him all evening, but after a while he was called away to take photos with the Paradise Lost team.

As he walked away I realized that whatever he suffered during nearly two decades behind bars (and I know he suffered tremendously) he had emerged as one of the most extraordinary people I had ever met. I felt so lucky to have had that time with him. It reminded me so much of our last visit with Paco.

Jason Baldwin (West Menphis 3) and his girlfriend.

As we got back in line a bit dazed, I saw Jason break away from his group to rush back and tell me something. I could see the urgency in his eyes. “Tell Paco not to give up”, he said with both sincerity and authority. He knew exactly what those words meant. He waited a moment to make sure I understood, and that I would deliver his message. “I will” I assured him, and with a smile and a wave he was off again. My throat began to tighten and my vision began to blur. I realized that although I’ve heard those words from so many in the past year, coming from Jason they carried more weight than I had ever felt, and apparently it was more than I could handle at the moment, because tears began to roll down my face.

I turned to Marty to and tried to repeat what Jason had said, which only opened the flood-gates further. We both began to laugh– maybe it was at the absurdity of my emotional state in a ticket line surrounded by our friends, colleagues, and heroes, or maybe it was at the beauty of it all. I cannot explain exactly what I was feeling at the moment, but I know I was left overflowing with gratitude and hope. Gratitude for my time with Jason and seeing how well he was doing, and Hope that Paco too would be able to reenter society soon with so much clarity and enthusiasm; with so much grace.

Michael Collins
Jan 13, 2012

SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THE EVENING HERE

Dear friends,

My name is Mimi, and I am Paco’s sister. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the interest you have already shown in my brother and his terrible situation.

Every day I wake up and pray that today will be the day I get my brother back.
Today, I truly feel that we are getting closer, because today we officially launch our website www.FreePacoNow.com.

Please visit, have a look around, and take up the various actions available to be made. And when you’re done, please share it with everyone you know. The more people who lend their voice to our cause, the more the politicians who can change Paco’s life will have to listen.

Together, we can Free Paco Now!

Yours in hope and justice,

Mimi Larrañaga

GIVE UP TOMORROW, LA HISTORIA DE PACO LARRAÑAGA, GANA EL PREMIO DEL PÚBLICO DEL IV FESTIVAL DE CINE Y DERECHOS HUMANOS.

La película que inauguró el certamen, Give up tomorrow, del norteamericano Michael Collins, se ha alzado con el premio especial del público, dotado con 1.000 € y concedido por primera vez en esta edición del festival.

Valencia, 28 de noviembre de 2011. La emocionante historia de Paco Larragaña, condenado a muerte en Filipinas y cuya pena, conmutada por cadena perpetua, termina de cumplir en una prisión española, conmovió a las más de 700 personas que asistieron a sus proyecciones, tanto en la inauguración como en las dos sesiones especiales en el centro penitenciario de Picassent.

El público, que termina la proyección convencido de la inocencia de Paco Larrañaga y lo injusto de su condena, premia de esta forma la labor que durante 7 años han realizado Michael Collins y Marty Sijuco, director y productor de la cinta, junto con la familia Larrañaga, para mostrar al público las idas y venidas de este caso que, en su momento, acaparó la atención de la opinión pública, primero en Filipinas y, después, en España.

Protagonista de una campaña mediática en nuestro país, su caso desapareció de las portadas de los periódicos y los telediarios al llegar a España hace dos años para cumplir aquí el resto de su condena. Hoy la historia vuelve a la actualidad en la campaña para pedir su indulto que el público del festival secundó con entusiasmo.

El certamen, patrocinado por la Consellería de Justicia y Bienestar social de la Generalitat Valenciana, se ha desarrollado desde el 19 de noviembre hasta ayer en 6 salas de Valencia con un total de 14 películas, tanto documentales como de ficción, con un denominador común: la denuncia de situaciones de violación de derechos humanos y la defensa de los mismos.

Asimismo el festival convocó el concurso de cortometrajes 1 minuto/1 derecho, ganado por Lupe Bohorques con su corto 25.uno que, en un solo minuto, nos llama la atención sobre el derecho a contar con medios de vida suficientes y protección social en estos momentos en que la crisis está situando a mucha gente en riesgo de exclusión.

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Days 6 sustanon 250 buy and 7 at the Vancouver International Film Festival bring the usual mix of dramas, documentaries, and buzz films but I’m going to start with a truly incendiary piece of journalism. It got standing ovations and a major award at the Tribeca Film Festival and hopes to free a wrongly convicted man from prison… Read Article

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