by Julia Pierrepont III


LOS ANGELES Cheap Hydro Flask 24oz Standard Mouth Black Australia , June 24 (Xinhua) -- "LA Independent," better known for their star-studded Independent Spirit Awards that celebrate achievements in independent filmmaking, social awareness, and community spirit, wrapped up their high profile LA Film Festival on Friday amongst fanfare, accolades and awards.


Capturing world attention to celebrate new voices and applaud the best in independent cinema is no mean feat in a company town beholden to the "Big Six" Hollywood studios, which routinely cater to male-driven, blockbuster fare.


But, for the past 23 years, the festival has been an enduring showcase for independent cinema and an outspoken champion for the largely unsung and diverse talents who create them.


This year's festival focus spoke to diversity and inclusiveness, and featured an enticing line up of exceptional films that included a laudable number from women Cheap Hydro Flask 21oz Standard Mouth W Sport Cap Pacific Blue Australia , LGBT, and artists of color.


Though Asians may comprise the largest population segment in the world, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Indians, Pakistanis, Indonesians, etc., combined, only make up 3.6 percent of the U.S. population Cheap Hydro Flask 21oz Standard Mouth Mint Green Australia , and suffer accordingly from under-representation in American media.


Hispanics at 17.4 percent and African Americans at 12 percent, and even women at 51 percent, fare only marginally better.


The Festival highlighted excellent works by artists of color, including Asian, African American, and Hispanic filmmakers, who rarely share the spotlight in mainstream media. Their line up included the Asian-themed:


"The Housemaid," a gothic horror romance in the grand tradition of Laurence Olivier's classic, "Rebecca," written and directed by Derek Nguyen. Lead Actress, Kate Nhung Cheap Hydro Flask Coffee 20oz Blueberry Australia , swept up a Special Jury Prize for her stirring performance.