By: Kat Guevara
Downtown LA, CA (The Hollywood Times) 05/15/2023 – NewFilmmakers LA held its monthly InFocus festival last Friday with a rotating spotlight and public screening on Asian cinema for emerging, innovative and up-and-coming filmmakers.
A week-long event for the selected filmmakers, which consisted of panels and workshops, was rounded up with a showcase of well-curated and eclectic programming from directors spanning from Singapore to New York City.
The first program introduced eight short films on topics from gambling addiction in a drama to diasporic ancestry in experimental documentary form. The second programming presented five shorts, with a 40-minute autobiographical experimental film directed by Dani Pudi called “Running.” Ending the night was the final programming with a feature length directed by Gavin Fields called “Brutal Season.”
NFMLA is a nonprofit, which ensures there are enough avenues for filmmakers all year long. The deadliness festival means the film programming committee is constantly reviewing films.
“[NFMLA is] like a heavy boulder you have to push really hard,” said founder Larry Laboe on the uphill battle in allowing the non-profit to blossom through its ambitiousness when it comes to supporting talent to the best of their ability.
Some notable alumni who participated in the past include Shaz Bennet and Ari Aster.
As for the current Writers Guild of America Strike, which began on May 2, Laboe said he and his team checked with the labor union right away to ensure that there would be no clashes with signatory companies for TV writing workshops provided for NFMLA’s filmmakers.
“We always stand with creators,” added Laboe.
The next InFocus festival will take place on June 17 with a spotlight on LGBTQ+ cinema at South Park Center in downtown.
For more information, visit: www.nfmla.org.