On Monday, the Asian Pacific Film Festival kicked off its second week of screenings in Little Tokyo after a first-rate run at the prestigious Director's Guild last week.
However, a handful of films will continue to screen at intimate little Theatres @ Laemlle 5 in West Hollywood until Thursday (May 7th).
Since a trek downtown by car in the mean streets of the big bad city is definitely not my cup of tea, I hopped on the red line to catch a music video program that was causing a buzz on the Festival cicuit.
Once on board, I happened to plunk down next to three young boys on their way home from school, but thought nothing of it
A few minutes later, one of the lads noticed my wrist watch, and asked what time it was.
I obliged.
The impromptu action on the part of the grade-schooler triggered a conversation between the four of us.
Personally, I was curious about their studies and the Los Angeles teaching system.
I was surprised to learn that parents in the inner city are allowed to pick-and-choose the learning institution their children will attend each September even if the facility is outside of their immediate neighborhood.
When I was a kid (I must be getting old when I use a tired old phrase like that) students were required to sign up each calendar year for classes nearest the family residence (unless it was a Catholic or Special-learning school).
One of the bolder lads asked me where I was off to after he noticed my eye-catching "press" badge for the Asian Pacific Film Festival.
In respone, I excitedly noted that I was on my way downtown to take in a couple of videos.
"Ever been to the Asian Film Festival," I innocently asked.
"I'm not Asian," one boy quickly responded.
"You don't have to be Asian to attend," I pointed out matter-of-fact.
The silence was so loud it fell with a thud to the floor!
"There are many exciting foreign films being screened from around the world that focus on a myriad of cultures," I added.
"The independent films are not all from Japan or China, 'ya know?"
The comment appeared to stir up a reaction or two beneath the surface.
"Hasn't your teacher ever taken you to a movie on a class outing?"
No, they responded unanimously.
As this juncture, one of the students confessed that their courses basically focused on a mandatory curriculum which consisted of Social Studies, English, and Math.
Suddenly, without warning, two of the boys jumped up at their stop when it was announced, and dashed off into the fray without so much as looking back.
The third boy remained on the Metro vehicle for a few more blocks.
"What do you want to be when you're an adult," I asked.
"A fireman," he replied without hesitation.
"That's a great job, 'cause you'd be helping people and saving lives . You must be very brave, eh?"
He smiled proudly.
But, when he waved good-bye and quickly exited, I was a little overwhelmed by emotion.
Was no one teaching these kids how to create a piece of art from scratch, or even giving them a little incentive to imagine a profession that went beyond the norm or the stereotypical "in-the-box" variety so much touted by society?
Perhaps, if teachers took their students out to a movie or a museum, now and then, they might dream bigger!
If one day excursion inspired a talented visionary child to craft a film that touched the soul or design a piece of architecture that turned out environmentally-friendly, let's say, wouldn't the journey have been worth it?
George Santayana said it best:
"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child."
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