The line up:

Chihiro Wimbush’s silent film Double Feature tackles the themes of loneliness and connection with the Balboa Theater as its backdrop.

Kevin Wong’s Sunflowers similarly looks at the connection between strangers, aided by a shared joint in Golden Gate Park and a milkshake.

Nara Denning’s stunning modern spin on a Lumière Brothers-esque silent film Madelien the Small was a crowd favorite, following the eponymous protagonist as she tries to find a place for herself in the big city. The visual effects, according to cinematographer Oliver Ferrasci, were done all by Denning as she chain-smoked in front of her Mac. Now that’s dedication. You can watch the short courtesy of IMDb Video here.

Vivian Wenli Lin’s documentary Loving Work was the only film of the night preceded with a warning of explicit sex and nudity. You were wondering where “whips” fit into the title this post, weren’t you? Lin follows Simon and Tigerr, an English couple who work together making fetish videos and also bring the work home. Scenes of Tigerr as Simon’s “pet” (leashes, eating from dog bowls, barking) are juxtaposed with the straight-up business side of their work and the commonplace interactions of the couple making dinner and being…couple-y.

Tanuj Chopra (pictured above) was the featured artist during Film Night and the audience got to see bits of his work from his film school days and his 2006 Sundance Official Selection film Punching at the Sun which focuses on the lives of Desi youth in Queens post-9/11. Interestingly enough, I was most compelled by the tribute video he directed on SAYA (South Asian Youth Action) based in New York City, featuring youth talk about how important the organization is to them during its 10-year anniversary. But then again, I'm a bit of a sap and hearing empowered youth speak always gets me misty-eyed.

N.B. Lisa Loeb was not actually in attendance at APAture 2009's Film Night. But the audience was treated to comedian/performance artist Philip Huang’s hilarious profanity-laden speech on why Oakland ‘s Chinatown is way better than Fruitvale and a heartfelt rendition of Loeb's "Stay" in the crowded aisles of a Ranch 99 market. Watch Huang puts the bespectacled one-hit singer-songwriter to shame: