Every End Has a Beginning.

 

In Origin Story, Kulap Vilaysack explores her tangled family tree to find out who she is. When Vilaysack was 14, she took her father’s side in an argument and her mother replied, “Why are you defending him? He’s not your real dad.” Twenty years later, she’s finally ready to learn what that means.

 

The documentary is a feature-length, international quest with stops in Los Angeles, Minnesota, and Laos to meet the biological father she never knew. On the road, unforeseen revelations strike as hilarious or heartbreaking, rarely in between. An avid comic book reader with a vigilante character named after her in the DC Comics universe, Kulap must summon the courage of Katharsis, because each question is another step out on a limb.

 

Origin Story is a deeply personal but universally relevant tale of immigration, conflict, addiction, and personal responsibility. Interviewees in the film include extended family, husband Scott Aukerman, and close friends, like Sarah Silverman, Casey Wilson, June Diane Raphael and Howard Kremer. 

 

Origin Story is now available on Amazon Prime Video!

PAST TOUR DATES:

Houston Asian American Pacific Film Festival (HAAPIFEST)

June 27th, 2019 at 7:30pm

International Conference on Lao Studies at Cornell University

June 14th, 2019 at 2:30pm

Los Angeles Natural History Museum

May 30th, 2019 at 6:00pm

Free Screening with RSVP

Upright Citizens Brigade - Sunset

May 18th, 2019 at 8:00pm - Inner Sanctum

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

May 7th, 2019 at 6:15pm at Regal LA Live

University of Wisconsin Madison - Association of Asian American Studies Conference  

April 25th, 2019 at 7:00pm at the Cinematheque, 4070 Vilas Hall

Free Public Screening. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime. No one will be admitted 15 minutes after the scheduled start time.

Chicago Asian American Showcase

April 6th, 2019 at 8:00pm at the Gene Siskel Film Center

Seattle Asian Asian American Film Festival:

February 21st, 2019 at 7:00pm at the Broadway Performance Hall

Twin Cities Film Festival:

October 26th, 2018 at 3:00 PM

October 27th, 2018 at 10:00 AM

Austin Asian American Film Festival

November 6, 2018 at 7:30 PM at the Austin AFS Cinema

San Diego Asian Film Festival

November 10th, 2018 at the UltraStar Mission Valley

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival

November 12th, 2018 at 5:45PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

Philadelphia Asian American Film Fest

November 18th at 3:00PM