Melissa Bisagni

Festival Director

Melissa Bisagni is a film curator, consultant and festival programmer specializing in Indigenous and Asian American film. She is currently the Festival Director for the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival. Melissa is also a member of the Four Quarters Collective along with Nzingha Kendall, Joanna Raczynska and KJ Mohr and a contributing partner in the Asian American Pacific Islander Film Festival Organizers Collaborative. She served for 15 years as the Film and Video Program Manager at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, where she continues to work in Museum Learning and Programs. Melissa’s other passion, education equity, has given her the opportunity to work with other parents and community leaders advocating for children in DCPS through district-wide Head Start, Kindred Communities and DC PAVE.

Laketch "Lucky" Haile

PUBLICIST

Lucky works for a public relations firm based in Washington D.C. and currently handles publicity and press outreach for the DCAPA Film Festival.

Jerry Kim

Volunteer Coordinator

Jerry, volunteer coordinator of DC APA Film, has been volunteering in various DC APA Film events since 2014. 

Aside from his passion for Asian representation in media, he is a foodie who loves rich flavors and an avid fan of San Francisco 49ers.

Nancy Pham

Webmaster

Nancy is a content designer at a global news organization. She started volunteering at DC Asian Pacific American Film in 2020 and previously volunteered at Asian American LEAD (AALEAD) as a College and Career Mentor. Nancy holds a B.A. from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

Jennifer Vu

Marketing Intern

Jennifer Vu is currently a student at George Mason University majoring in film directing and minoring in marketing. She discovered her passion for film in high school and has experience in various facets of filmmaking. From writing short films, directing commercial and media content for school organizations, to pitching a PSA to Alamo Drafthouse, she continues to explore all avenues of the industry. She is an advocate for increased representation in the media and entertainment industry. With her work, she strives to give a voice to marginalized communities and shed a light on stigmatized topics such as mental health.

Tiffany Vu

Social Media Intern

Tiffany Vu is a current film student concentrating in directing at George Mason University. Before becoming an intern for the DC APA Film Festival, she directed narrative short films and created social media content for the National Center for Victims of Crime. Her work has aided people of color in receiving resources to recover from violent crimes. Her goal is to uplift her community through both narrative storytelling and marketing. She has a strong passion for telling authentic Asian American stories that tell the nuances of being Asian American. She strives to continue advocating for Asian creatives through working on and directing feature films and television series with an Asian American cast and crew.