LOS ANGELES, CA-April 8, 2016 – The Mixed Remixed Festival, the nation’s largest gathering of mixed-race and multiracial families and people, will take place at the Japanese American National Museum in downtown Los Angeles (100 N. Central Avenue), June 10-11, 2016.
Now in its third year, the Festival celebrates stories of multiracial Americans and families, the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. A free public event, the Festival brings together film and book lovers, innovative and emerging artists, and multiracial and multicultural families and individuals for workshops, readings, performances, and film screenings.
The Mixed Remixed Festival attracted close to 700 people from across the country last year and featured dozens of writers, scholars and performers including Comedy Central’s Al Madrigal and New York Times best-selling author Jamie Ford.
The Festival, a non-profit arts organization, is produced by The New York Times best-selling writer, Heidi Durrow, and a talented team of volunteers.
“It’s exciting to finally see mixed people and families in mainstream media and to connect with each other on-line,” says Durrow who calls herself an Afro-Viking because she is African-American and Danish. “But the Festival is the only nationwide cultural arts event where we get to meet each other and network.”
Registration is now open for the third annual Mixed Remixed Festival, a free event that is open to the public. The complete Festival schedule can be found online at www.mixedremixed.org.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
- The Festival hosts the largest West Coast Loving Day Celebration, Saturday, June 11, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. with the annual Storyteller’s Prize presentation and live show. The Festival will present the Storyteller’s Prize to film and TV star Taye Diggs and his collaborator, Shane Evans, for their ground-breaking children’s book Mixed Me as part of a dynamic live show featuring comedians, musicians, and spoken-word poets.
- Families can enjoy interactive craft activities as well storytelling events as part of the JANM Free Family Day.
- The Festival will present several notable short films including the award-winning Fall Seven Times Get Up Eight: Japanese War Brides (dirs. Kraft, Kasmauski, Tolbert), a documentary about three Japanese women who immigrated to the US to raise their Hapa kids. Chill (dir. Jennifer Frappier), a press-darling documentary about egg-freezing makes its debut at Mixed Remixed. Immediately following each screening, there will be a Q & A session with the filmmakers.
- The Festival includes author readings by New York Times bestselling author Jamie Ford (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet; Songs of Willow Frost); Sunil Yapa, the author of the breakout national bestseller, The Heart Is A Muscle the Size of Your Fist; Natashia Deon, author of the acclaimed debut novel, Grace; the celebrated writer and activist Willy Wilkinson; and many others. The Festival is also pleased to present Skylight Books as the Festival’s official bookseller.
- More than a dozen esteemed panelists will speak on diverse topics related to the mixed-race and multicultural experience, including: award-winning writer Faith Adiele and two-time Peabody Award winner Dmae Roberts who has released her important new memoir.
Festival sponsors include: Silver Sponsor Mixed Chicks, Emerging Sponsor Home Advisor, Japanese American National Museum, Zevia, Zapier, Algonquin Books, My Family Builder.