VC PROGRAMS

Since 1970, Visual Communications is the pioneer in the development of Asian Pacific American film, video and media. Visual Communications has evolved from its early days as a filmmakers' cooperative into the preeminent media arts center dedicated to honest and accurate portrayals of Asian Pacific peoples, communities and heritage through the media arts. The organization has created award-winning productions, nurtured and given voice to our youth, promoted new talent, present new international and national Asian Pacific American and Asian international cinema, and preserved our history.

In continuation of our pursuit of excellence, Visual Communications strives to define the cutting edge of media arts communication through a variety of programming and productions at our new, technologically-advanced facility located in the Union Center for the Arts (120 judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles).

COMMUNITY MEDIA EDUCATION
Visual Communications' community workshop activities including the Frame by Frame: Youth Media Program, the Digital Arts Network, a Cal Arts Community Arts Partnership program; our Internship Program and Open Studio LA provides opportunities for upcoming generation of young artists and Los Angeles arts organizations to learn and enhance their media production skills.

THE VC MEDIA LAB
From such early award-winning works such as Manzanar, Pieces of a Dream, Crusin' J-Town to trailblazing productions as Hito Hata: Raise the Banner, Vaitafe: Running Water , and Pak Bueng on Fire, Visual Communications many film and video productions--totaling nearly 100 in all-continue to win critical and popular acclaim for affording incisive and fully-dimensioned perspectives on Asian Pacific American communities and histories. These productions can be found in our distribution catalog. In addition, Visual Communications provides direct support for filmmakers through our professional media seminars such as the Visual Communications' Monday Nite VC series and the Independent Asian Pacific Feature Workshop, held during Visual Communications' Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film and Video Festival; and through our fiscal sponsorship and production support program. Take a look at the projects that have been completed and are in-progress. Visual Communications is the proud sponsor of the 1997 Academy Award winning film, VISAS and VIRTUE, by Chris Tashima, Tim Toyama, and Chris Donahue.

DIGITAL ACCESS & EQUIPMENT
A multimedia learning center is the cornerstone of the Community Media Education and VC Media Lab units. Workshops in video and multimedia production are aimed to empower new generations of Asian Pacific media artists, community members and educators to develop skills and create stories from our communities. Visual Communication provides web presence and hosts the artists and organizations in Open Studio LA websites. Screenplay.com and Adobe have provided software for our learning center.

HISTORICAL PRESERVATION and ARCHIVES
Visual Communications' archival collections are recognized as the nation's most comprehensive resource of Asian Pacific photographic, video and film imagery. Current productions include: Heading East: California's Asian Pacific Experience, a traveling photographic exhibit. an edu-game CD-Rom, entitled Time Rangers. Visual Communications has also preserved the 1981 Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians hearings, a Civil Liberties Public Education Fund Preservation Project with National Coalition for Redress Reparations, entitled Speak Out for Justice. These 26 hours of videotapes and index catalog are available for purchase. PRESENTATION
Visual Communications promotes the best of Asian Pacific media and provides Asian Pacific filmmakers opportunities to showcase and discuss their work at high-profile Southland venues. Our annual screening activities include: the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film and Video Festival; Remapping LA.., a year-round series of films and videos; and the ever popular ChiliVisions, a spectacular chili cook-off that culminates in a screening of new film and/or video works.

LISTSERVS
Visual Communications manages several listservs. The Visual Communications listserv (vc-list) is an open list that covers community issues and events, job postings, and occasional media-related discussions. If you would like to join this list, please write to majordomo@lists.apanet.org and then type subscribe to vc-list in the body of the e-mail. The VC-exhibit listserv is a close listserv that is solely devoted to promoting the programs of Visual Communications. If you only want to receive VC program announcement, this is the list to join. You can do so by writing majordomo@lists.apanet.org and then type subscribe to vc-exhibit in the body of the e-mail.