Monthly Film Festival | InFocus: Veteran Cinema

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) hosts its October line-up, featuring its annual InFocus: Veteran Cinema program. The weekend’s programming also includes an exciting collection of October Shorts as well as  the Los Angeles  premiere of director Jean Shim’s feature narrative A Great Divide. 

The day begins with October Shorts, a collection of shorts presented as part of NFMLA’s ongoing monthly program. The program offers an eclectic mix of comedy and drama, inviting us into the perspectives of a great defender, a determined remote worker, a lover, a nervous first date, a loving granddaughter, a fighter,  a man struggling with his mental health, and a formerly incarcerated woman looking for a fresh start. 

The day continues with InFocus: Veteran Cinema Shorts, which spotlights the talent of military veterans from the U.S. and beyond in front of and behind the camera.  This selection digs into serious topics in thoughtful and novel ways through vignettes, intimate portraits, historical storytelling,  comedy, romance and action.

The night concludes with the Los Angeles Premiere of A Great Divide, the feature directorial debut of  Emmy Award-winning director Jean Shim, starring Ken Jeong. Arising from a personal story for Shim, this deeply thoughtful  film follows a Korean American family that moves from the west coast to a rural small town  during the height of the pandemic and faces  both anti-Asian racism and an intergenerational reckoning with how to process it. “My way to reach people’s hearts is through story. It’s the best way I know to counter racism and hate,” says Shim. 

NFMLA showcases films by filmmakers of all backgrounds throughout the year, across both our general and InFocus programming. All filmmakers are welcome and encouraged to submit their projects for consideration for upcoming NFMLA Festivals, regardless of the schedule for InFocus programming, which celebrates diversity, inclusion and region by spotlighting  communities of filmmakers within our filmmaking community as part of our monthly program. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The South Park Center is an ADA compliant venue and is wheelchair accessible. We request captioned films from all filmmakers participating at our Festival. For any accessibility needs, please send a request to info@nfmla.org at least 72 hours prior to the event.