Bruce Lee, Cultural Icon: 70th Birthday Celebration

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is pleased to observe the 70th anniversay of Bruce Lee’s birthday with a slate of activities honoring the legendary actor and martial artist. Comprised of film screenings and panel discussions featuring celebrities and Bruce Lee’s own family members, our tributes will take place from April 30th to May 2 at the DGA, Madang the Courtyard, and Laemmle’s Sunset 5.

To legions of martial arts enthusiasts and pop culture aficionados alike, Bruce Lee is simply a hero. Bruce Lee’s infectious charisma on the big screen was and still remains captivating because as Tim Kwok, Visual Communications Board Member, puts it: “Bruce was not only an icon for many of us Asian Americans, but for everyone around the world. The celebration of his life and the discussion around him as a person, a friend, a family man, and a martial artist and actor will be moving”.

So if you count yourself as one of the many appreciative fans of the Bruce Lee canon, come respectfully and joyously celebrate his work and rediscover Bruce Lee with screenings of THE CHINESE CONNECTION and ENTER THE DRAGON, two films that defined Bruce Lee as an esteemed actor and artist, as well as with two panels entitled, “How Bruce Lee Influenced Pop Culture” and “Bruce Lee: The Family Man”.

Hosted by a collaborative effort between the Film Festival and Bruce Lee Enterprises, these programs will offer new and revelatory insight not only into Bruce Lee, Hollywood myth and mystery, but Bruce Lee, the man: the father, the husband, and the dear friend to many.

THE CHINESE CONNECTION, the movie that first gave a taste of Bruce Lee’s eclectic style to young urban and Asian American audiences, will have a FREE outdoor screening at Madang the Courtyard on Friday, April 30th. The screening will commence shortly after sundown and will be preceded by festivities and a performance by the local quartet LiLA at 7:00 PM.
621 S. Western Ave. (one block north of Wilshire Blvd.), Los Angeles Koreatown.

ENTER THE DRAGON, the last film Bruce Lee starred in before his untimely death, will be screened at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 on Saturday, May 1st at 12:00 PM. Following the screening will be “How Bruce Lee Influenced Pop Culture”, a comprehensive panel moderated by Phil Yu of AngryAsianMan.com and featuring daughter Shannon Lee, Linkin Park’s Joseph Hahn, actor/martial artist Bob Wall, and directors Reginald Hudlin and Brett Ratner.
8000 W. Sunset Blvd. (one block west of the DGA), West Hollywood.

“Bruce Lee: The Family Man”, a special, FREE panel discussing Bruce Lee as a person who was more than just an image on the screen, will take place at the Director’s Guild of America, Atrium on Sunday, May 2 at 4:00 PM. Guests will include Bruce Lee’s wife Linda Cadwell, daughter Shannon Lee, goddaughter and actress Diana Lee Inosanto, and more.