Los Angeles Film Festival

Los Angeles Film Fest Announces Panels & Conversations, Keynote Speaker Chris McGurk

Sophia Savage — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:38:57 GMT

The Los Angeles Film Festival (June 14-24), which will open with Woody Allen's "To Rome with Love" and close with Steven Soderbergh's "Magic Mike," has booked Cinedigm's Chairman and CEO Chris McGurk as its keynote speaker. The LAFF also reveals its schedule of Coffee Talks, Poolside Rants, Spotlight on the Craft, panels and conversations. McGurk's keynote on June 16 will address the "Renaissance of Indie Film" and kick off the festival's offerings, detailed below. Highlights include a conversation with cinematographer Wally Pfister ("Inception," "The Dark Knight") and Coffee Talks with the likes of directors Lawrence Kasdan and Catherine Hardwicke, screenwriter/director John August and composer Cliff Martinez.

Film Independent's director of education Maria Bozzi says the fest is "a unique opportunity for us to share with a wider audience what Film Independent does year-round for filmmakers—go behind the scenes to provide a comprehensive view of the art and craft of filmmaking."

Spotlight on the Craft, free multiple panels will be held that explore the various filmmaking tools and digital technologies that have revolutionized the way we make and see movies. The Festival will explore the impact these changes bring to the craft and the process, and help deepen one’s understanding of what happens behind the screen.

June 23: Poolside Rant: Gather at the JW Marriot ION Rooftop Pool Bar where the Festival brings together a group of comedians to riff about movies in general, and what bugs them in particular.

June 16: “Long Story Short” will delve into the art and power of online storytelling with Thom Zadra (Head of Business Development for Original Video, Yahoo!), Amber Lawson (Chairman of The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Interactive Media Peer Group Membership), Jake Avnet (COO, WIGS), and Eddie Schmidt (director, Good Bread; executive producer, Beauty is Embarrassing).

June 17: The Festival’s popular Coffee Talks with a focus on Directors, Actors, Screenwriters and Composers. Enjoy a cup of coffee and listen to actors Jason Isaacs, Melanie Lynskey, directors Lawrence Kasdan, Catherine Hardwicke, screenwriters John August, Zak Penn, composers Rolfe Kent, Cliff Martinez, Michael Penn and more talk about the various aspects of their craft.

June 17: Café Latino brings together the filmmakers of Latin American films at the LA Film Fest and explores their roles as storytellers in an increasingly global world. Join moderator Reed Johnson (Arts and Culture Reporter, Los Angeles Times), directors Arturo Pons (writer/director, The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man), Everardo González (director, Drought), José Alvarez (writer/director, Canícula), Dominga Sotomayor (writer/director, Thursday till Sunday), Bernardo Ruiz (director, El Reportero), and Alejandro Brugues (writer/director, Juan of the Dead) for this free discussion, as they compare notes about their filmmaking experiences in Argentina, Chile, Cuba and Mexico.

June 17: “In the Air and On the Go: Pioneer Filmmaking” will include a screening of the short film Departure Date, the first film to take extreme location shooting (and editing) to a new high: 35,000 feet, and clips from the feature film Olive, which is the first full-length film shot entirely on a camera phone. Hear from directors Kat Coiro, Hooman Khalili and their cinematographers Doug Chamberlain and Patrick Gilles about how they pulled it off.

June 19: Marc Maron brings his wildly popular and critically acclaimed “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast to the Festival by recording an intimate conversation in front of a live Festival audience with a special guest. Maron’s 25-year career in comedy has exploded in recent years, thanks to his hilariously irreverent and refreshingly honest podcast.

June 23: “Capturing Ron Howard’s Imagin8ion: A Case Study from Canon U.S.A., Inc." will join some of the key creative and technical minds behind When You Find Me—a short film from Ron and Bryce Dallas Howard, presented by Canon’s Project Imagin8ion—for a special screening and unique discussion of the production. Moderator Tim Smith (Canon Advisor, Film & TV Division) will lead the panel with Andres Lascarsis (Director of Photography), Kevin Chinoy (Producer, Freestyle Picture Company) and Evan Pesses (Chief Lighting Technician).

June 23: “Kodak Focus” will shine the spotlight on Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister (Inception, Moneyball), best known for his long-time collaboration with director Christopher Nolan. He will discuss his craft, his career and screen highlights from his work.

June 23: “The Sound of Stories" will bring together filmmakers, sound designers, technology innovators and industry experts to speak about what’s involved in achieving the ultimate immersive sound. Carolyn Giardina (Contributing Editor, Tech, The Hollywood Reporter) will be moderating, with panelists to be announced.

June 21: “Talk Score To Me: Emerging Filmmakers on Collaborating with Composers" will bring together Film Independent’s Project Involve Fellows for a screening and discuss on collaboration between directors and composers and their experience in the inaugural ASCAP/Project Involve Composers Workshop. Panelists include Project Involve Fellows Erin Li, Mason Richards, Susana Casares, Aaron Celious and ASCAP composers Dan Mufson, Robert Allaire, Kevin Teasley and Sarah Schachner.

To keep track of all the fun happenings at the Los Angeles Film Festival, iPhone users can now download the official mobile app by visiting the App Store.

Cinedigm's Chris McGurk to Give LAFF's Keynote Address

Austin Dale — Tue, 29 May 2012 17:51:37 GMT

The Los Angeles Film Festival today announced that Chris McGurk, Chairman and CEO of Cinedigm Entertainment Group, will be the Keynote Speaker for the 2012 Festival.

McGurk is a film industry leader who came to Cinedigm with 25 years of experience with MGM, Overture Films, Anchor Bay, Universal, Disney, Pepsico and Price Waterhouse.

LAFF's Keynote Speech, which takes place June 16, is an annual state-of-indie-film address that kicks off the festival's many panels and conversations. It will be followed by a live "WTF" podcast with Marc Maron and more of the festival's popular Coffee Talks, set to include Lawrence Kasdan, Catherine Hardwicke, and Melanie Lynskey, among others. There are also panels with Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister and the crew of "When You Find Me," a new short from Ron and Bryce Dallas Howard.

LAFF's full festival event details are reprinted below:

FILM INDEPENDENT ANNOUNCES CINEDIGM’S CHRIS MCGURK AS

2012 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER

- Panelists Announced for Coffee Talks, Poolside Rant, Spotlight on the Craft & More -

- Official Festival Mobile App Now Available -

LOS ANGELES (May 29, 2012)– Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. LIVE, announced that Chris McGurk, Chairman and CEO of Cinedigm Entertainment Group, will be the Keynote Speaker for the 2012 Festival. The Keynote serves as a kick-off to multiple panels and conversations running for a week during the Festival that gives movie lovers and emerging filmmakers a behind-the-scenes look at the entertainment industry. Coffee Talks, a Poolside Rant and free Spotlight on the Craft and Café Latino panels all feature some of today’s most fascinating film personalities discussing their craft with their peers in a fun and accessible environment. In addition, comedian Marc Maron will pull back the curtain on his wildly popular “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast by recording an episode in front of a live audience at the Festival.

“The LA Film Fest is a unique opportunity for us to share with a wider audience what Film Independent does year-round for filmmakers—go behind the scenes to provide a comprehensive view of the art and craft of filmmaking. This year, we have a wide selection of panels that explores online short storytelling, animation, television, cinematography and sound with some of the top leaders in their field,” said Maria Bozzi, Film Independent’s Director of Education.

McGurk will present his Keynote Speech on June 16about the art and business of independent film by addressing the Renaissance of Indie Film. It will also serve to open a full day of panels presented by different film organizations at the AFCI Locations Show, which runs June 15-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Los Angeles Film Festival Keynote is recognized in the filmmaking community as the mid-year, state-of-independent-film address, with past speakers including Graham Taylor, Jim Stern, Mark Gill, Ted Hope, Ron Yerxa and Albert Berger. With over 25 years of experience in senior leadership positions at MGM Studios, Overture Films, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Universal Studios, Disney Studios, Pepsico and Price Waterhouse, McGurk is well-versed in all areas of the entertainment business, including financing, marketing and globally releasing entertainment projects as diverse as big budget blockbusters, social action documentaries, horror pictures, network and syndicated TV series and independent films.

On June 19, Marc Maron brings his wildly popular and critically acclaimed “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast to the Festival by recording an intimate conversation in front of a live Festival audience with a special guest. Maron’s 25-year career in comedy has exploded in recent years, thanks to his hilariously irreverent and refreshingly honest podcast. Past guests have included comedians, actors and artists, such as Judd Apatow, Louis CK, Jon Hamm, Patton Oswalt and Amy Poehler.

The Festival’s popular Coffee Talks return on June 17 with a focus on Directors, Actors, Screenwriters and Composers. Enjoy a cup of coffee and listen to actors Jason Isaacs, Melanie Lynskey, directors Lawrence Kasdan, Catherine Hardwicke, screenwriters John August, Zak Penn, composers Rolfe Kent, Cliff Martinez, Michael Penn and more talk about the various aspects of their craft. Coffee Talks are sponsored by the Directors Guild of America, SAGIndie/Screen Actors Guild, BMI and Writers Guild of America, West.

With the Poolside Rant on June 23, gather at the JW Marriot ION Rooftop Pool Bar where the Festival brings together a group of comedians to riff about movies in general, and what bugs them in particular. The Poolside Rant is sponsored by JW Marriot Los Angele L.A. LIVE.

For Spotlight on the Craft, free multiple panels will be held that explore the various filmmaking tools and digital technologies that have revolutionized the way we make and see movies. The Festival will explore the impact these changes bring to the craft and the process, and help deepen one’s understanding of what happens behind the screen.

On June 16, “Long Story Short,” sponsored by FOCUS FORWARD Short Films, Big Ideas, will delve into the art and power of online storytelling with Thom Zadra (Head of Business Development for Original Video, Yahoo!), Amber Lawson (Chairman of The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Interactive Media Peer Group Membership), Jake Avnet (COO, WIGS), and Eddie Schmidt (director, Good Bread; executive producer, Beauty is Embarrassing).

“Capturing Ron Howard’s Imagin8ion: A Case Study from Canon U.S.A., Inc.,” on June 23, will join some of the key creative and technical minds behind When You Find Me—a short film from Ron and Bryce Dallas Howard, presented by Canon’s Project Imagin8ion—for a special screening and unique discussion of the production. Moderator Tim Smith (Canon Advisor, Film & TV Division) will lead the panel with Andres Lascarsis (Director of Photography), Kevin Chinoy (Producer, Freestyle Picture Company) and Evan Pesses (Chief Lighting Technician).

“Kodak Focus” on June 23 will shine the spotlight on Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister (Inception, Moneyball), best known for his long-time collaboration with director Christopher Nolan. He will discuss his craft, his career and screen highlights from his work.

On June 17, “In the Air and On the Go: Pioneer Filmmaking,” sponsored by Virgin America, will include a screening of the short film Departure Date, the first film to take extreme location shooting (and editing) to a new high: 35,000 feet, and clips from the feature film Olive, which is the first full-length film shot entirely on a camera phone. Hear from directors Kat Coiro, Hooman Khalili and their cinematographers Doug Chamberlain and Patrick Gilles about how they pulled it off.

“The Sound of Stories,” on June 23 and sponsored by Dolby Laboratories, will bring together filmmakers, sound designers, technology innovators and industry experts to speak about what’s involved in achieving the ultimate immersive sound. Carolyn Giardina (Contributing Editor, Tech, The Hollywood Reporter) will be moderating, with panelists to be announced.

On June 21, “Talk Score To Me: Emerging Filmmakers on Collaborating with Composers,” sponsored by ASCAP will bring together Film Independent’s Project Involve Fellows for a screening and discuss on collaboration between directors and composers and their experience in the inaugural ASCAP/Project Involve Composers Workshop. Panelists include Project Involve Fellows Erin Li, Mason Richards, Susana Casares, Aaron Celious and ASCAP composers Dan Mufson, Robert Allaire, Kevin Teasley and Sarah Schachner.

Café Latino, sponsored by HBO, brings together the filmmakers of Latin American films at the LA Film Fest on June 17 and explores their roles as storytellers in an increasingly global world. Join moderator Reed Johnson (Arts and Culture Reporter, Los Angeles Times), directors Arturo Pons (writer/director, The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man), Everardo González (director, Drought), José Alvarez (writer/director, Canícula), Dominga Sotomayor (writer/director, Thursday till Sunday), Bernardo Ruiz (director, El Reportero), and Alejandro Brugues (writer/director, Juan of the Dead) for this free discussion, as they compare notes about their filmmaking experiences in Argentina, Chile, Cuba and Mexico.

To keep track of all the fun happenings at the Los Angeles Film Festival, iPhone users can now download the official mobile app by visiting the App Store. Features include a real-time, searchable film guide, ability to customize a personal schedule, purchase tickets, stream trailers, navigate the L.A. LIVE campus and parking, find Festival discounts at downtown restaurants, and engage with the Festival via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. To access features of the iPhone app on other mobile devices, visit http://lafilmfestival.quickmobile.net/

Returning to downtown Los Angeles and headquartered at L.A. LIVE for a third year, the Festival will run from Thursday, June 14 to Sunday, June 24. Now in its eighteenth year, the Festival is widely recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema, and is produced by Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that also produces the Spirit Awards.

Passes and tickets are currently on sale to Film Independent members and the general public. In addition to screenings and events, Festival passes provide access to a series of networking receptions and entry to the Filmmaker Lounge, where Festival pass holders can interact with Festival filmmakers and professionals in the film community. Contact the Ticket Office for passes, tickets and event information by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866.345.6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com.

For the seventh year, the Los Angeles Times will serve as the Festival’s Presenting Media Sponsor and will once again produce the Official Film Guide, the comprehensive source for all movie info, screenings, locations and related special events. The Film Guide will top the paper on Sunday, June 10 in Los Angeles and Orange County, and will be made available throughout downtown Los Angeles during the ten-day event.

First Look: Gorgeous Images From LAFF Narrative Competitor 'Dead Man's Burden'

Nigel M Smith — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:30:27 GMT

Producer Jared Moshe ("Silver Tongues," "Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel") makes the leap to the director's chair with his debut feature "Dead Man's Burden." The Western, starring Barlow Jacobs ("Shotgun Stories"), David Call ("Tiny Furniture") and newcomer Clare Bowen, is making its world premiere in the Narrative Competition at the upcoming Los Angeles Film Festival (June 14-24).

Below check out two exclusive photos of the film. Here's the official synopsis:

The year is 1870, and a fragmented America still strains to pick up the pieces from a savage Civil War. Martha (Bowen) and her husband Heck (Call) are living on a homestead Martha’s father purchased on the rural New Mexico frontier and struggle to make ends meet. When a mining company expresses interest in buying their land, Martha and Heck see their ticket to a better life.

Their hopeful plans are soon complicated when Martha’s oldest brother Wade (Barlow Jacobs, "Shotgun Stories")—whom she had thought killed during the war —returns to the family homestead after learning of their father’s death. A defector to the Union Army, Wade soon discovers that Martha is hiding secrets of her own. As the two siblings become reacquainted, torn between a desire to reconcile with the only family they have left and their clashing convictions, tension and suspicion continue to mount.

The film premieres June 16.

LAFF Announces Guest Director William Friedkin; Artists in Residence Elfman, Voltaggio & Saadiq

Anne Thompson — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:56:37 GMT

Continuing to move away from their Film Independent indie branding, The Los Angeles Film Festival has named Hollywood veteran filmmaker William Friedkin as Guest Director for this summer's 2012 Festl. The director of "The Exorcist," "The French Connection," "The Boys in the Band," "To Live and Die in L.A." and "Cruising" will screen his latest, indie fest circuit film "Killer Joe," starring Matthew McConaughey, at LACMA on June 15, where the director will participate in an on-stage interview.

The Fest's Artists in Residence include composer Danny Elfman, chef Michael Voltaggio and musician and record producer Raphael Saadiq.

And recognizing the blurring divide between movies and television, the Fest is adding, following SXSW's debut of three episodes of Lena Dunham's "Girls," Conversations at the summer festival with the team and talent behind both AMC's "Breaking Bad" and HBO's upcoming "The Newsroom." (Even venerable Cannes booked HBO's "Hemingway & Gellhorn.")

Screenings have also been added to the fest's lineup and are listed below. Here's the full lineup for the festival.

Full details on the Conversations, Artists in Residence and the fest's spotlight on "Women of Wonder – A Celebration of Women in Animation" - are at Indiewire.

ADDITIONAL FILMS & PROGRAMMING

Guest Director Film:

• "Killer Joe," William Friedkin

Artists in Residence Selections:

• "Dinner Rush" (2000), Bob Giraldi

Members-Only Screening:

• "The Do-Deca-Pentathlon," Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

The Beyond

• "The King of Pigs," Yuen Sang-ho – South Korea – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

International Showcase:

• "Easy Money," Daniél Espinosa – Sweden (Weinstein Company)

Free Community Screening:

• "Question Bridge: Black Males," Hank Willis Thomas, Chris Johnson, Bayeté Ross Smith, Kamal Sinclair

William Friedkin to Serve As Guest Director for LAFF 2012; Conversations & Screenings Added

Nigel M Smith — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:14:27 GMT

Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin ("The French Connection") will serve as the Guest Director for the upcoming 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival (June 14-24), the event announced today. The filmmaker will be at the festival this year with his latest "Killer Joe," starring Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch. In addition, the festival named composer Danny Elfman, Los Angeles chef Michael Voltaggio and Grammy Award-winner Raphael Saadiq as this year's Artists in Residence.

New conversations added include a chat with the talent behind AMC's "Breaking Bad," HBO's upcoming series "The Newsroom," and a series of panels on women in animation. Additional films added to the lineup include the North American premiere of Yuen Sang-ho's "The King of Pigs," "Easy Money" by Daniel Espinosa and "The Do-Deca Pentathlon," directed by Jay and Mark Duplass.

Full release below:

FILM INDEPENDENT ANNOUNCES WILLIAM FRIEDKIN AS GUEST DIRECTOR FOR 2012 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

- Danny Elfman, Michael Voltaggio & Raphael Saadiq to Serve as Artists in Residence -

- Conversations & Screenings Added -

LOS ANGELES (May 15, 2012) – Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. LIVE, announced Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin as Guest Director for the 2012 Festival. Legendary musician and composer Danny Elfman, award-winning Los Angeles chef Michael Voltaggio and Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and record producer Raphael Saadiq will be the Artists in Residence. Intimate conversations will be held with filmmakers and talent from AMC!s acclaimed Breaking Bad, HBO!s long anticipated series The Newsroom, which includes a screening of the premiere episode, and a series of panels on Women of Wonder – A Celebration of Women in Animation. Additional films screening at the Festival include a Film Independent members-only screening of The Do-Deca-Pentathlon, the North American Premiere of The King of Pigs in the Beyond section, Easy Money in the International Showcase section and Question Bridge: Black Males in the Free Community Screenings section. There will also be an Exclusive Sneak Preview held on June 17, so follow us @LAFilmFest on Twitter for clues and additional details. The LA Film Festival Keynote Speaker, Coffee Talks, Poolside Rant and additional panels will be announced later this month.

“Los Angeles is the center of entertainment, so it!s befitting that the LA Film Fest is hosting a broad spectrum of talent across all disciplines. We look forward to sharing screenings, conversations, music events and surprises with everyone this summer!” said Festival Director Stephanie Allain.

In his role as Guest Director, Friedkin will be screening his latest film Killer Joe at LACMA!s Bing Theater on Friday, June 15 at 7:30 pm, preceded by an onstage interview. The film follows 22- year-old Chris (Emile Hirsch) in debt to a drug lord and he must hire a hit man to dispatch his mother, whose $50,000 life insurance policy benefits his sister Dottie (Juno Temple). Chris finds Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a creepy, crazy Dallas cop who moonlights as a contract killer. When Chris can!t pay Joe upfront, Joe sets his sight on Dottie as collateral for the job. An iconoclastic filmmaker with a fiercely independent spirit, William Friedkin has bravely forged his own path through the American cinema of the past forty years. Hollywood is still reeling from Friedkin!s one-two punch of The French Connection and The Exorcist, two films that heralded a new era of filmmaking. Raw and visceral, with an authenticity that cannot be denied, Friedkin!s movies—including The Boys in the Band, Sorcerer, To Live and Die in L.A., and Cruising—are bold, exciting works that have frequently courted controversy, only to go on to become contemporary classics. LD Entertainment will release Killer Joe on July 27.

As an Artist in Residence, Danny Elfman will present hand-picked film clips featuring his favorite scores on Saturday, June 16 at 8:00 pm. He!ll discuss how the medium!s music has shaped him into one of today!s most celebrated film composers. The award-winning composer has always had a particular affinity for connecting with directors with distinctive points of view, such as Sam Raimi, Caroline Thompson, Gus Van Sant, Peter Jackson, Ang Lee and, of course, Tim Burton, starting with the director!s feature debut, Pee-wee!s Big Adventure, and extending to his latest, Dark Shadows. The evening is sponsored by Regal Entertainment Group.

Michael Voltaggio will present a screening of Bob Giraldi!s Dinner Rush (2000) on June 20 at 7:50 pm, followed by a conversation. After his award-winning tenure as Chef de Cuisine for The Bazaar by José Andrés, Chef Michael Voltaggio went on to become a household name after winning the sixth season of Bravo!s reality cooking show Top Chef. From there, Voltaggio opened his immensely popular and highly praised restaurant ink. in West Hollywood, which was named “best new restaurant in America” by GQ Magazine this year.

Raphael Saadiq will present a screening of his choice on Friday, June 15 at 7:30 pm. followed by a conversation with KCRW!s Chris Douridas. Recently lauded as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine, the Grammy Award-winning Saadiq is one of today!s most highly regarded recording artists. Since his early days with the groundbreaking soul trios Tony! Toni! Toné! and Lucy Pearl, he has carried the torch for old school-futuristic R&B.

Currently gearing up for its final 16 episodes, AMC!s Breaking Bad has boldly and relentlessly tested the boundaries of television, developing an antihero never before seen. In his portrayal of anxiety-ridden, recession-burdened provider Walter White, Emmy Award-winning actor Bryan Cranston skillfully evokes a man!s riveting, complex descent from good to bad. Join Cranston, Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn with series creator Vince Gilligan on Saturday, June 16 at 5:30 pm as they discuss how a show about a high school chem teacher wit ha mobile meth lab in the New Mexico desert has evolved into what many consider the best hour on television.

On the eve of Aaron Sorkin!s long-anticipated HBO series The Newsroom, join the Festival on Friday, June 22 at 8:00 pm for an exclusive screening of the series premiere episode and a dialogue with Sorkin, executive producer Alan Poul and director Greg Mottola. The three men will discuss what it took to develop the show, assemble the amazing cast, which includes Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer and Sam Waterson, and bring their behind-the-scenes look at the intricacies of the fast-paced 24-hour cable news world to air.

This year, the Los Angeles Film Festival shines the spotlight on the contributions of women to the world of animation. At Women of Wonder – A Celebration of Women in Animation, join us on Sunday, June 17 from 2:30-5:00 pm for an afternoon celebrating women!s accomplishments in this field, examine the broader challenges for women in the industry and explore the models that better cultivate and draw on the talents of women as film artists, producers executives. Panelists include Kristine Belson (Executive Producer of Dreamworks Animation!s How to Train Your Dragon), Karen Rupert Toliver (Twentieth Century Fox Animation!s VP of Production), Katharine Sarafian (Producer of Pixar!s Brave), Michelle Murdocca (Producer of Sony Pictures Animation!s Hotel Transylvania) and more to be announced. The event is sponsored by the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television and includes a luncheon hosted by FOX Audience Strategy.

Passes are currently on sale to Film Independent members and the general public. In addition to screenings and events, Festival passes provide access to a series of networking receptions and entry to the Filmmaker Lounge, where Festival pass holders can interact with Festival filmmakers and professionals in the film community. General admission tickets to individual films go on sale beginning May 29. Contact the Ticket Office for passes, tickets and event information by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866.345.6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com.

For the seventh year, the Los Angeles Times will serve as the Festival!s Presenting Media Sponsor and will once again produce the Official Film Guide, the comprehensive source for all movie info, screenings, locations and related special events. The Film Guide will top the paper on Sunday, June 10 in Los Angeles and Orange County, and will be made available throughout downtown Los Angeles during the ten-day event.

ADDITIONAL FILMS & PROGRAMMING Guest Director Film:

• Killer Joe, William Friedkin Artists in Residence Selections:

• Dinner Rush (2000), Bob Giraldi Members-Only Screening:

• The Do-Deca-Pentathlon, Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass The Beyond:

• The King of Pigs, Yuen Sang-ho – South Korea – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE International Showcase:

• Easy Money, Daniél Espinosa – Sweden (Weinstein Company)

Free Community Screening:

• Question Bridge: Black Males, Hank Willis Thomas, Chris Johnson, Bayeté Ross Smith, Kamal Sinclair

Los Angeles Film Fest Reveals Full Lineup; Will Close With A Lap Dance

Sophia Savage — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:43:08 GMT

Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival is finalizing its full lineup. From June 14-24, the 18th annual festival will showcase nearly 200 features, shorts and music videos representing over 30 countries at its LA Live venue. Opening the fest is Woody Allen's "To Rome with Love," while Steven Soderbergh's "Magic Mike" will close with a world premiering strip dance--and we can hope, a lap dance from Channing Tatum.

Highlights of the fest include fest circuit hits from Benh Zeitlin (Gala "Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Malik Bendjelloul ("Searching for Sugar Man"), Eugene Jarecki ("The House I Live In"), Jonathan Lisecki ("Gayby") and Ava DuVernay ("Middle of Nowhere") and the gala world premieres of Loren Scafaria's "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" (Focus) and "Star Trek" writer-turned-director Alex Kurtzman's "People Like Us," starring Chris Pine (DreamWorks). An outdoor sing-a-long screening of "Dirty Dancing" will sell out fast.

Check out the lineup below:

Narrative Competition (10): The Narrative Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Filmmaker Award. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors, and films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature or Best International Feature.
•   All Is Well, Pocas Pascoal – Portugal – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
•   Breakfast with Curtis, Laura Colella – WORLD PREMIERE
•   The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man, Arturo Pons – Mexico – NORTH AMERICAN    PREMIERE
•   Crazy and Thief, Cory McAbee – NORTH PREMIERE
•   Dead Man’s Burden, Jared Moshé – WORLD PREMIERE
•   Four, Joshua Sanchez – WORLD PREMIERE
•   A Night Too Young, Olmo Omerzu – Czech Republic – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
•   Pincus, David Fenster – WORLD PREMIERE
•   Red Flag, Alex Karpovsky – WORLD PREMIERE
•   Thursday till Sunday, Dominga Sotomayor – Chile – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Documentary Competition (9): The Documentary Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Documentary Award. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors, and films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature or Best International Feature.
•   25 to Life, Mike Brown – WORLD PREMIERE
•   A Band Called Death, Jeff Howlett, Mark Covino – WORLD PREMIERE
•   Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives, Sara Lamm, Mary Wigmore – WORLD PREMIERE
•   Call Me Kuchu, Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall – US PREMIERE
•   Drought, Everado González – Mexico – US PREMIERE
•   The Iran Job, Till Schauder – USA/Germany/Iran – WORLD PREMIERE
•   Sun Kissed, Maya Stark, Adi Lavy – WORLD PREMIERE
•   Vampira and Me, R. H. Greene – WORLD PREMIERE
•   Words of Witness, Mai Iskander – Egypt/USA – US PREMIERE

International Showcase (15): The International Showcase highlights innovative independent narrative and documentary features from outside of the United States. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.
•   Bestiaire, Denis Côté – Canada
•   Bunohan: Return to Murder, Dain Said – Malaysia (Oscilloscope Pictures)
•   Canícula, José Álvarez – Mexico
•   The First Man, Gianni Amelio – France – US PREMIERE
•   The Last Elvis, Armando Bo – Argentina
•   Neighboring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho – Brazil (The Cinema Guild)
•   On the Edge, Leila Kilani – France/Morocco/Germany
•   P-047, Kongdej Jaturanrasamee – Thailand
•   Return to Burma, Midi Z. – Taiwan/Myanmar
•   Sister, Ursula Meier – Switzerland (Adopt Films) – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
•   The Strawberry Tree, Simone Rapisarda Casanova – Canada/Cuba/Italy
•   Summer Games, Rolando Colla – Switzerland
•   Teddy Bear, Mads Matthiesen – Denmark (Film Movement)
•   Unforgivable, André Téchiné – France (Strand Releasing)
•   Without Gorky, Cosima Spender – UK

Summer Showcase (16): The Summer Showcase section offers an advance look at this summer’s most talked about independent film releases from the festival circuit. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.
•   About Face, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (HBO Films)
•   Beauty Is Embarrassing, Neil Berkeley
•   Big Easy Express, Emmett Malloy
•   Celeste and Jesse Forever, Lee Toland Krieger (Sony Pictures Classics)
•   Gayby, Jonathan Lisecki (Wolfe Releasing)
•   Gimme the Loot, Adam Leon (IFC Films)
•   The House I Live In, Eugene Jarecki
•   It’s a Disaster, Todd Berger – WORLD PREMIERE
•   La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus, Mark Kendall - USA/Guatemala
•   Neil Young Journeys, Jonathan Demme (Sony Pictures Classics)
•   An Oversimplification of her Beauty, Terence Nance – USA/France
•   People Like Us, Alex Kurtzman (Dreamworks Pictures) – WORLD PREMIERE
•   The Queen of Versailles, Lauren Greenfield (Magnolia Pictures)
•   Reportero, Bernardo Ruiz
•   Robot and Frank, Jake Schreier (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
•   Searching for Sugar Man, Malik Bendjelloul (Sony Pictures Classics)

Community Screenings (6): These films will be presented free to the public. New films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature or Best Documentary Feature.
•   Dirty Dancing (1987), Emile Ardolino – Grand Performances Screening
•   E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Steven Spielberg – FIGat7th Screening
•   G-Dog, Freida Mock – WORLD PREMIERE
•   The Invisible War, Kirby Dick (Cinedigm)
•   LUV, Sheldon Candis – Project Involve Screening (Indomina)
•   Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Nicholas Meyer – FIGat7th Screening

The Beyond (3): The Beyond offers films that dare to be different. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature or Best Narrative Feature.
•   The History of Future Folk, J. Anderson Mitchell, Jeremy Kipp Walker – WORLD PREMIERE
•   Juan of the Dead, Alejandro Brugués – Cuba
•        Saturday Morning Massacre, Spencer Parsons – WORLD PREMIERE

Retro (3):
•       Ballads, Blues and Bluegrass (1961), Alan Lomax – WORLD PREMIERE
•       Banishment (2007), Andrey Zvyagintsev – Russia – LAFCA’s The Film That Got Away
•       The Breaking Point (1950), Michael Curtiz – Film Foundation Screening

Short Films (48): Shorts are shown before features and as part of four short film programs. With their diverse and complex content, these films shine brilliantly. Most short films, domestic and international, will compete for prizes in Narrative, Documentary, and Animation/Experimental categories. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors. An Audience Award for Best Short Film is also presented.
•   Shorts Program 1-4

Future Filmmakers Showcase: High School Shorts (31): These two programs of shorts are made by high school students from around the country, featuring work by the next generation of filmmakers.
•   Programs 1-2

Music Videos (40): The Music Video Showcase consists of two programs. Eclectic Mix is a visual mix tape of this year’s best independent music videos with a few innovative major label artists thrown in for good measure. As a Special Focus, DANIELS and Walter Robot go head to head in an event peppered with music videos, shorts, production secrets, feats of strength, audience challenges and possible mime. Music videos will compete for an Audience Award.
•   Eclectic Mix 1
•   Thunderdome: DANIELS vs Walter Robot

'Magic Mike' To Close Los Angeles Film Festival; Full Lineup Announced

Austin Dale — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:01:58 GMT

The 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival, in conjunction with the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. Live, has announced its Closing Night selection and its US and international selections. LAFF's 18th edition will run from June 14 through June 24.

The big announcement is the World Premiere of Steven Soderbergh's latest, the much-discussed male stripper film "Magic Mike," which will close the festival. Other highlights include "Bestiaire," Andre Techine's "Unforgivable," "The Queen of Versailles" and Jonathan Demme's "Neil Young Journeys."

Previously announced film include Opening Night film "To Rome With Love," Woody Allen's latest and "Seeking A Friend For The End of the World," as well as "Middle of Nowhere" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild," both of which were Sundance award winners.

Full line-up reprinted below:

Narrative Competition (10): The Narrative Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Filmmaker Award. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors, and films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature or Best International Feature.

· All Is Well, Pocas Pascoal – Portugal – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

· Breakfast with Curtis, Laura Colella – WORLD PREMIERE

· The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man, Arturo Pons – Mexico – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

· Crazy and Thief, Cory McAbee – NORTH PREMIERE

· Dead Man’s Burden, Jared Moshé – WORLD PREMIERE

· Four, Joshua Sanchez – WORLD PREMIERE

· A Night Too Young, Olmo Omerzu – Czech Republic – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

· Pincus,David Fenster – WORLD PREMIERE

· Red Flag,Alex Karpovsky – WORLD PREMIERE

· Thursday till Sunday, Dominga Sotomayor – Chile – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Documentary Competition (9):The Documentary Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Documentary Award. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors, and films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature or Best International Feature.

· 25 to Life, Mike Brown – WORLD PREMIERE

· A Band Called Death, Jeff Howlett, Mark Covino – WORLD PREMIERE

· Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives, Sara Lamm, Mary Wigmore – WORLD PREMIERE

· Call Me Kuchu,Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall – US PREMIERE

· Drought,Everado González – Mexico – US PREMIERE

· The Iran Job, Till Schauder – USA/Germany/Iran – WORLD PREMIERE

· Sun Kissed, Maya Stark, Adi Lavy – WORLD PREMIERE

· Vampira and Me, R. H. Greene – WORLD PREMIERE

· Words of Witness,Mai Iskander – Egypt/USA – US PREMIERE

International Showcase (15): The International Showcase highlights innovative independent narrative and documentary features from outside of the United States. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.

· Bestiaire, Denis Côté – Canada

· Bunohan: Return to Murder, Dain Said – Malaysia (Oscilloscope Pictures)

· Canícula, José Álvarez – Mexico

· The First Man, Gianni Amelio – France – US PREMIERE

· The Last Elvis, Armando Bo – Argentina

· Neighboring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho – Brazil (The Cinema Guild)

· On the Edge, Leila Kilani – France/Morocco/Germany

· P-047, Kongdej Jaturanrasamee – Thailand

· Return to Burma, Midi Z. – Taiwan/Myanmar

· Sister, Ursula Meier – Switzerland (Adopt Films) – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

· The Strawberry Tree, Simone Rapisarda Casanova – Canada/Cuba/Italy

· Summer Games, Rolando Colla – Switzerland

· Teddy Bear, Mads Matthiesen – Denmark (Film Movement)

· Unforgivable, André Téchiné – France (Strand Releasing)

· Without Gorky, Cosima Spender – UK

Summer Showcase (16): The Summer Showcase section offers an advance look at this summer’s most talked about independent film releases from the festival circuit. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.

· About Face, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (HBO Films)

· Beauty Is Embarrassing, Neil Berkeley

· Big Easy Express, Emmett Malloy

· Celeste and Jesse Forever, Lee Toland Krieger (Sony Pictures Classics)

· Gayby, Jonathan Lisecki (Wolfe Releasing)

· Gimme the Loot, Adam Leon (IFC Films)

· The House I Live In, Eugene Jarecki

· It’s a Disaster, Todd Berger – WORLD PREMIERE

· La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus, Mark Kendall – USA/Guatemala

· Neil Young Journeys, Jonathan Demme (Sony Pictures Classics)

· An Oversimplification of her Beauty, Terence Nance – USA/France

· People Like Us,Alex Kurtzman (Dreamworks Pictures) – WORLD PREMIERE

· The Queen of Versailles, Lauren Greenfield (Magnolia Pictures)

· Reportero, Bernardo Ruiz

· Robot and Frank, Jake Schreier (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

· Searching for Sugar Man, Malik Bendjelloul (Sony Pictures Classics)

Community Screenings (6): These films will be presented free to the public. New films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature or Best Documentary Feature.

· Dirty Dancing (1987), Emile Ardolino – Grand Performances Screening

· E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Steven Spielberg – FIGat7th Screening

· G-Dog, Freida Mock – WORLD PREMIERE

· The Invisible War, Kirby Dick (Cinedigm)

· LUV, Sheldon Candis – Project Involve Screening (Indomina)

· Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Nicholas Meyer – FIGat7th Screening

The Beyond (3):The Beyond offers films that dare to be different. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature or Best Narrative Feature.

· The History of Future Folk, J. Anderson Mitchell, Jeremy Kipp Walker – WORLD PREMIERE

· Juan of the Dead, Alejandro Brugués – Cuba

· Saturday Morning Massacre, Spencer Parsons – WORLD PREMIERE

Retro (3):

· Ballads, Blues and Bluegrass (1961), Alan Lomax – WORLD PREMIERE

· Banishment (2007), Andrey Zvyagintsev – Russia – LAFCA’s The Film That Got Away

· The Breaking Point (1950), Michael Curtiz – Film Foundation Screening

Short Films (48): Shorts are shown before features and as part of four short film programs. With their diverse and complex content, these films shine brilliantly. Most short films, domestic and international, will compete for prizes in Narrative, Documentary, and Animation/Experimental categories. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors. An Audience Award for Best Short Film is also presented.

· Shorts Program 1-4

Future Filmmakers Showcase: High School Shorts (31): These two programs of shorts are made by high school students from around the country, featuring work by the next generation of filmmakers.

·Programs 1-2

Music Videos (40): The Music Video Showcase consists of two programs. Eclectic Mix is a visual mix tape of this year’s best independent music videos with a few innovative major label artists thrown in for good measure.As a Special Focus, DANIELS and Walter Robot go head to head in an event peppered with music videos, shorts, production secrets, feats of strength, audience challenges and possible mime. Music videos will compete for an Audience Award.

·Eclectic Mix 1

·Thunderdome: DANIELS vs Walter Robot

Los Angeles Film Festival Books Galas 'Seeking Friend for End of World,' 'Beasts of Southern Wild,' 'Middle of Nowhere'

Anne Thompson — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:36:03 GMT

Film Independent's 18th Los Angeles Film Festival, led by new Festival Director Stephanie Allain, has revealed three Gala Screenings for the 2012 Festival. Woody Allen's 'To Rome with Love," which just opened well in Italy, will open the fest on June 14.

Focus Features will World Premiere sci-fi drama 'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World' (June 22) written by rookie director Lorene Scafaria, starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley. Focus will release the film nationwide on June 22, 2012.

Fox Searchlight’s Sundance jury prize-winner "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (June 27), co-written and directed by Benh Zeitlin and starring Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry, is set in a maroonedl and sinking Bayou island community, was recently added to the Cannes official selection in Un Certain Regard.

AFFRM and Participant’s Sundance best-director-winner "Middle of Nowhere, (October 12), written and directed by Ava DuVernay, stars newcomer Emayatzy Corinealdi and David Oyelowo. The film is a portrait of a woman struggling between two worlds and two men in the search for her identity.

More of the line-up of 200 features, shorts and music videos from 30 countries plus panels and events will be announced on May 1.

“These movies, though vastly different, all explore the importance of human connection in a rapidly changing world," said Allain. "Entertaining, emotional and thought provoking, there’s something for everyone—and more to come.

Returning to downtown's L.A. LIVE, the LA Film Fest runs from June 14 through June 24. Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 theatre, “broadcast” facilities for ESPN along with entertainment, residential, restaurant and office space.

LA Film Festival Sets 'Seeking a Friend,' 'Southern Wild' For 2012 Edition

Peter Knegt — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:11:28 GMT

The Los Angeles Film Festival has announced a batch of Gala Screenings for the 2012 Festival, including the world premiere of Lorene Scafaria's "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," which stars Steve Carell and Keira Knightley and Sundance alums "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and "Middle of Nowhere."

“We’re proud to shine the spotlight on unique films that embody the spirit of independence," said Festival Director Stephanie Allain, in a statement. "These movies, though vastly different, all explore the importance of human connection in a rapidly changing world. Entertaining, emotional and thought provoking, there’s something for everyone—and more to come."

Additional Galas and the major line-up will be announced on May 1. As previously announced, the North American premiere of Woody Allen’s "To Rome With Love" will kick off the Festival on June 14th. The festvial will screen a slate of over 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries.

Full press release below.

LOS ANGELES (April 23, 2012) – Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. LIVE, announced the Gala Screenings for the 2012 Festival. Additional Galas and the major line-up will be announced on May 1. The Festival is widely recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema, and is produced by Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that also produces the Spirit Awards. The 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen a diverse slate of over 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries, along with signature programs such as the Filmmaker Retreat, Poolside Chats, Coffee Talks, Music Events and more.

“We’re proud to shine the spotlight on unique films that embody the spirit of independence. These movies, though vastly different, all explore the importance of human connection in a rapidly changing world. Entertaining, emotional and thought provoking, there’s something for everyone—and more to come,” said Festival Director Stephanie Allain.

Focus Features’ Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, will World Premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The movie stars Steve Carell and Keira Knightley with Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Rob Corddry, Gillian Jacobs, Derek Luke, Melanie Lynskey, T.J. Miller, Mark Moses, Patton Oswalt, and William Petersen. Taking audiences on a humorous, moving and intimate journey against an epic backdrop of Earth’s final days, the film is Lorene’s feature directorial debut (she previously adapted Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist). Set in a too-near future where time at once stands still and is slipping away forever, the writer/director explores what people will do and how they will feel when humanity’s end is near. Focus will release the film nationwide on June 22, 2012.

Fox Searchlight’s Beasts of the Southern Wild is directed by Benh Zeitlin, written by Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin, and stars Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry. In a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee, a six-year-old girl exists on the brink of orphanhood. Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural world is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality. Desperate to repair the structure of her world in order to save her ailing father and sinking home, this tiny hero must learn to survive unstoppable catastrophes of epic proportions. The film won this year’s Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and was recently selected to play in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival. Fox Searchlight will release the film on June 27, 2012.

AFFRM and Participant’s Middle of Nowhere is written and directed by Ava DuVernay and stars newcomer Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick, Lorraine Toussaint, Edwina Findley and Sharon Lawrence. Middle of Nowhere is a portrait of a woman struggling between two worlds and two men in the search for herself. The film garnered Ava the Best Director Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. AFFRM and Participant will release the film on October 12, 2012.

As previously announced, the North American premiere of Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love will kick off the Festival on June 14, with Virgin America as the Opening Night Sponsor. Returning to downtown Los Angeles and headquartered at L.A. LIVE, the LA Film Fest runs from Thursday, June 14 to Sunday, June 24. Now in its eighteenth year, the Festival provides the movie-loving public with access to critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.

Passes are currently on sale to Film Independent members and the general public. In addition to screenings and events, Festival passes provide access to a series of networking receptions and entry to the Filmmaker Lounge, where Festival pass holders can interact with Festival filmmakers and professionals in the film community. General admission tickets to individual films go on sale beginning May 29. Contact the Ticket Office for passes, tickets and event information by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866.345.6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com. The Official Film Guide, the comprehensive source for all movie info, screenings, locations, and related events is produced by the Los Angeles Times. It will top The Los Angeles Times on Sunday, June 10 in Los Angeles and Orange County and be made available throughout downtown during the ten-day event.

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL
Now in its eighteenth year, the Los Angeles Film Festival, supported by L.A. LIVE and The Los Angeles Times, is widely recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema and providing the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.

The Festival features unique signature programs including the Filmmaker Retreat, Poolside Chats, Coffee Talks, Music Events and more. Additionally, the Festival screens short films created by high school students and has a special section devoted to music videos.

Over 200 features, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries, make up the main body of the Festival.

The Festival hosts juried cash awards for best narrative and documentary features, best narrative, documentary and animated short film, and a jury award for best performance in the narrative competition. Audience awards are also presented to best documentary, narrative and international feature, short film and music video.

The Los Angeles Film Festival is presented in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. LIVE, Principal and Opening Night Sponsor Virgin America and Platinum sponsors Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14, Deluxe Entertainment Services Group and EFILM and Nokia. Special support is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Official Screening Venue is Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14. The Los Angeles Athletic Club is the Official Host Hotel and Virgin America is the Official Airline Partner. WireImage is the Official Photography Agency and PR Newswire is the Official Breaking News Service of Film Independent.

More information can be found at www.LAFilmFest.com

Woody Allen To Open Los Angeles Film Festival With 'Love'

Peter Knegt — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:57:26 GMT

The North American premiere of Woody Allen's latest 'To Rome With Love' will open the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival, it was announced today.

Written and directed by Allen, the film stars Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page, and Allen himself. It will kick off LAFF on June 14th, leading into a 10 day event of over 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries.

Full press release below.

LOS ANGELES (April 12, 2012) – Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. LIVE, announced the North American Premiere of Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love as the opening night film for the 2012 Festival. The Festival is widely recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema, and is produced by Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that also produces the Spirit Awards. The 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen a diverse slate of over 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries, along with signature programs such as the Filmmaker Retreat, Ford Amphitheater Outdoor Screenings, Poolside Chats, Coffee Talks, Music Events and more.

Written and directed by Woody Allen, To Rome With Love is a story about a number of people in Italy — some American, some Italian, some residents, some visitors — and the romances and adventures and predicaments they get into. The film stars Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig and Ellen Page, and is produced by Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum. To Rome With Love is being released by Sony Pictures Classics on June 22, 2012.

“I can’t think of a better way to kick off this year’s festival than with the original independent filmmaker himself, Woody Allen. It’s a true honor for Los Angeles to host the North American premiere of To Rome With Love,” said Festival Director Stephanie Allain.

“We are thrilled to bring Woody Allen and the US premiere of his new film To Rome With Love at the LA Film Fest,” said SPC’s Co-President Tom Bernard. “The Festival is a premiere showcase for films and we couldn’t be more excited that Stephanie and her team have chosen us to open the Festival.”

"I've always wanted to make a film in Rome. It's obviously one of the great cities of the world, and when you make a film in a foreign city you get a chance to spend several months there, so shooting in Rome gave me and my family an opportunity to really enjoy a city I love in a way that I don't usually get to. I wrote the film especially for Rome because over the years and my many visits there little ideas occurred to me, and I was able to utilize those ideas to comic advantage, romantic advantage, combined with the visual beauty of Rome," said Woody Allen.

Returning to downtown Los Angeles, with its central hub at L.A. LIVE, the Festival will run from Thursday, June 14 to Sunday, June 24. Now in its eighteenth year, the Festival provides the movie-loving public with access to critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.

Passes are currently on sale to past Festival attendees and Film Independent members will be available to the general public on April 22. In addition to screenings and events, Festival passes provide access to a series of networking receptions and entry to the Filmmaker Lounge, where Festival pass holders can interact with Festival filmmakers and professionals in the film community. General admission tickets to individual films go on sale beginning May 29. Contact the Ticket Office for passes, tickets and event information by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866-345-6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com. The Official Film Guide, the comprehensive source for all movie info, screenings, locations, and related events is produced by the Los Angeles Times. It will top The Los Angeles Times on Sunday, June 10 in Los Angeles and Orange County and be made available throughout downtown during the ten-day event.

Go Digital Buys 'Unraveled,' a Doc on White Collar Fraudster Marc Dreier

Sophia Savage — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:42:14 GMT

"Unraveled," a documentary about philanthropist and attorney Marc Dreier-- who was disgraced after orchestrating a massive fraud, only days before Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme was uncovered -- will be distributed by Go Digital in the US.

The film, from director attorney-turned-director Marc H. Simon ("Nursery University," "After Innocence"), will land in theaters and VOD April 13. The film will also play on Showtime and CNBC.

The film played the Los Angeles Film Festival, Hot Docs, IDFA, Nantucket, Doc NYC and more. Check out Indiewire's LAFF interview with Simon here.

Simon says, "I had this very unique opportunity to delve into the complexities of one of the most notorious white collar criminals in history, and audiences have been fascinated by Dreier’s revelations. I am thrilled for this distribution team to take this cautionary tale to the masses.” He notes that when these financial crimes are discovered, the public becomes "deeply curious about how the perpetrators, often highly intelligent and respected individuals in their communities, are capable of risking everything good in their lives for material or other superficial gain."

More in the synopsis below:

Just days before Bernard Madoff captured headlines as the largest Ponzi schemer in U.S. history, Marc Dreier,
a prominent Manhattan attorney, was arrested for orchestrating a massive fraud scheme that netted hundreds
of millions of dollars from hedge funds. Brazen forgeries and impersonations branded the white-collar crime
spree remarkable. UNRAVELED is set in the "purgatory" of house arrest - - an upper East Side penthouse -
- where the Court has ordered Dreier confined until his sentencing day. The film weaves Dreier's struggle to
prepare for the possibility of life imprisonment with first-person flashbacks, which reveal his audacious path of
destruction. Destroyed by his own hubris, Dreier attempts to grasp his tragic unraveling. With unprecedented
access, UNRAVELED exposes a portrait of a man who achieved the distinction he so desperately craved, but not
for his keen intellect or ambition, but rather as a "mastermind of criminal deception.”

Film Independent's LA Film Festival Is Accepting Submissions for 2012 Fest

Sophia Savage — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:22:44 GMT

Film Independent’s 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival is now accepting submissions. The fest, running June 14-24, is in its 18th year. It will showcase programs including the Filmmaker Retreat, Ford Amphitheater Outdoor Screenings, Poolside Chats, Coffee Talks, a music video section and short films from high school students. Here are highlights from the 2011 festival. Submission details are below and here:    

WHERE: Submit through Withoutabox starting November 1, 2011
WHEN:
Early Deadline – December 2, 2011 
Regular Deadline – January 13, 2012 
Final Deadline for shorts/music videos – February 10, 2012 
Final Deadline for feature-length narrative/doc – February 23, 2012

HBO Doc Shows Why DA Needed Exiting Sex Crimes Unit Chief Friel's Division in Strauss-Kahn Case

Anne Thompson — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 15:42:20 GMT

There's no question that my reaction to the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case was influenced by having seen Lisa Jackson's Sex Crimes Unit, which played at the Los Angeles Film Festival before beginning its run on HBO June 20. Jackson got unprecedented access to the respected Unit of the New York District Attorney's office that specializes in sex crimes. You see how the attorneys work under unit chief Lisa Friel, who unexpectedly announced last week that she will be leaving the division.

Wouldn't you if your boss snatched away the highest profile rape case to come your way, one that your division was particularly equipped to handle? This huge loss for the NY D.A's office comes at a time when the NYT is questioning why DA Cyrus Vance decided not to put the delicate Strauss-Kahn case through the Sex Crimes Unit, which has considerable expertise in this area and knows where the pitfalls lie. Vance wanted publicity, and by jove he got it. More details and a trailer for the HBO film is below.

Dana Harris of indieWIRE has been tracking this story and has posted Friel's letter to her friends and colleagues explaining her departure. Friel says that she told her higher-ups this past week that she would be looking for a new job and leaving her post in September, and would continue to work in the unit (but not as chief) if she did not land anything in the private sector by then.

The fact remains that Vance and Co. would have been a lot better off if Friel and her team had handled this investigation, which the French have protested. Now the case may be falling apart.

LAFF Highlights: From Bernie to Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Winners

Anne Thompson — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 09:38:52 GMT

The Los Angeles Film Festival was hopping for ten days, downtown at LA Live, a straight shot down Olympic Boulevard to an $8 parking lot. The Regal screens are new with a good rake, but the glossy presentation didn't help Richard Linklater's opening nighter Bernie, yet another based-on-a-true-story (much like Andrew Jarecki's All Good Things) that fascinated the filmmaker and his star, Jack Black, without proving to be compelling for the rest of us. The good news is that Black gives the strongest performance he has in some time as a genial good-old-boy who turns to the dark side when he winds up rich older woman Shirley MacLaine's dependent manservant/slave. The movie was for sale at the fest, and distributors who checked it out were not upbeat about its commercial prospects.

Nora and I sat next to Edgar Wright and Anna Kendrick at a sushi bar after our fave screening, SXSW hit Attack the Block (July 29), which Wright exec-produced. Rookie Joe Cornish's movie manages to put an ingenious low-end spin on the all-too familiar trope of ordinary people managing to fight off simian-like alien invaders--and he does it mostly sans CG. The concept: the humans best-equipped to fend off the icky blind attackers with day-glo jaws and spike teeth are a teen gang from the projects. The 80s references are rife: The Goonies, The Warriors, Assault on Precinct 13. This micro-budget version of Super 8 won the narrative audience award.

The other hot topics at LAFF were Andrew Rossi's Page One documentary about a year in the life of the NYT; international audience award-winner, the ingeniously edited, dramatic doc Senna (August 12), about the iconic race car driver; Chris Weitz's sensitive portrait of an L.A. gardener and his son, A Better Life and HBO's currently airing Sex Crimes Unit, which achieved first-time behind-the-scenes access to the hard-driving heroes in the sex crimes prosecution unit of the New York district attorney's office.

A fitting closing night world premiere was Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (August 12), from the ingenious mind of Guillermo del Toro, who co-wrote and produced (with Mark Johnson) and brought in animator-turned-director Troy Nixey, who had sent him a short. Del Toro wanted to remake the original 1973 TV movie, and made some changes, especially with the ending. (The original was darker.)

This one is scary enough. Clearly, Del Toro had no intention of delivering--originally to Miramax--an R-rated movie. He got a kick out of the MPAA rating "for pervasive scariness." Indeed. Right in the middle of the action the fire alarms went off in the theater and the audience was ordered to evacuate; some folks spilled into the lobby to be told to return to their seats as the projection booth tried to reset and resume. Del Toro and Film District honcho Bob Berney threw up their hands. A filmmakers' nightmare.

The movie stars Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce and yet another pre-pubescent young girl (Bailee Madison) with a vivid imagination--Del Toro wrote this ten years ago before the very similar Pan's Labyrinth. [SPOILER ALERT] The small, agile and threatening creatures that come up from the ash pit in the basement--one confronts the girl under her bedsheet-- are beautifully designed and extremely creepy. Again, they are often practical effects, and Del Toro and Nixey played with fast blurry underlit camera moves. I was hiding behind my notebook. Film District will target the horror demo, but hopes to broaden from there. Del Toro talked about his many projects in Toronto.

At the closing night party at Club Nokia, Del Toro was in good spirits, and LAFF director and programmers Rebecca Yeldham and David Ansen and Doug Jones were happy but tired. Attendance is not up this year over last due to The Twilight factor. One challenge, along with getting folks to come downtown who are in the habit of clinging to the west side, is getting industryites to buy tickets and not be comped for everything. Hey guys. Somebody's got to pay for these things.

LAFF Award Winners:

Awards were given out in the following categories:
Narrative Award (for Best Narrative Feature)

Winner: Familiar Ground written & directed by Stéphane Lafleur
Producers: Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Cast: Francis La Haye, Fanny Mallette, Sylvain Marcel, Michel Daigle, Suzanne Lemoine

Film Description: (Canada) This droll, deadpan comedy from snowbound Quebec features an
unhappy brother and sister whose fates seem to be known by a mysterious Man From the Future. Not too far in the future though. Just next September.

The Narrative Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $15,000 funded by Film Independent, offering the financial means to help filmmakers transfer their vision to the screen. The award recognizes the finest narrative film in competition, and is given to the director. A special jury selects the winner, and all narrative feature-length films screening in the Narrative Competition section were eligible.

In bestowing Stéphane Lafleur with the Narrative Award, the Jury stated:
“An entire tree sticking out of a fireplace…a beaten-up snowman…an operatically dancing inflatable blue dude…the anything but familiar images of Familiar Ground won’t soon be forgotten. In a strong narrative competition this year, this was the singular vision that stood out the most.”

****

Documentary Award (for Best Documentary Feature)

Winner: Wish Me Away directed by Beverly Kopf & Bobbie Birleffi
Producer: Beverly Kopf, Paul Mailman
Film Description: This intensely personal documentary chronicles the heart-wrenching decision Nashville singing star Chely Wright to come out of the closet despite the potentially crushing response from the industry and her fans.

The Documentary Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $15,000 funded by Film Independent, offering the financial means to help filmmakers transfer their vision to the screen. The award recognizes the finest documentary film in competition, and is given to the director. A special jury selects the winner, and all documentary feature-length films screening in the Documentary Competition section were eligible.

In bestowing Beverly Kopf & Bobbie Birleffi with the Documentary Award, the Jury stated:
“For its honesty, humor and potential to change minds and even save lives, the jury awards the Documentary Award to Wish Me Away.”

****

Best Performance in the Narrative Competition

Winner: Amber Sealey, Kent Osborne, Amanda Street and Gabriel Diamond in Amber Sealey’s How to Cheat
Film Description: An L.A. couple's struggle to get pregnant sets off the husband's wandering eye in this comedy that reveals marriage to be as funny as it is heartbreaking.

In bestowing the actors with the Best Performance, the Jury stated:
“At a time where actors are often asked to take a larger role in the creation of what is said in a film and how it’s done, the performers of How to Cheat deserve special distinction. Kent Osborne, Amber Sealey, Amanda Street, and Gabriel Diamond dug deeper and messier, heroically past the point of comfort.”
****

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature

Winner: Attack the Block directed by Joe Cornish
Producers: Nira Park, James Wilson
Cast: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Email, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway, Jumayn Hunter, Nick Frost
Film Description: (England) – From the producers of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Attack the Block follows a gang of tough inner-city kids who defend their turf against an invasion of savage alien creatures, turning a South London apartment complex into an extraterrestrial warzone.

This award is given to the narrative feature audiences liked most as voted by a tabulated rating system. Select narrative feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Narrative Competition, Gala Screenings, International Showcase, International Spotlight, Summer Showcase, Community Screenings, Ford Amphitheatre Screenings, and The Beyond.

****

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature

Winner: Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest directed by Michael Rapaport
Producers: Edward Parks, Bob Teitel, Frank Mele, Robert Benavides, Eric Matthies, Michael Rapaport, Debra Koffler
Film Description: The rancorous break-up of a Tribe Called Quest frames Michael Rapaport’s exuberant exploration of the turmoil and joy that drove these pioneers of bohemian hip hop.

This award is given to the documentary feature audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Select documentary feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: Documentary Competition, International Showcase, International Spotlight, Documenting Mexico, Summer Showcase, Community Screenings, and Ford Amphitheatre Screenings.

****

Audience Award for Best International Feature

Winner: Senna directed by Asif Kapadia
Producers: James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
Film Description: (England) A high-octane look at the most exciting driver to ever race Formula One — Brazil’s Aryton Senna — this edge of your seat documentary explores the politics, rivalries and glamour of a sport that leaves no room for error.

This award is given to the international feature audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Select international feature-length films, both narrative and documentary, in the Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, International Showcase, International Spotlight, Documenting Mexico, Summer Showcase, Ford Amphitheatre Screenings, and The Beyond were eligible for the Audience Award for Best International Feature.

****

Best Narrative Short Film

Winner: The Wind Is Blowing on My Street by Saba Riazi
Producer: Mohammad Hoseseni
Cast: Rahman Houshyar, Sajjad Salehivand, Forough Bonakder, Ashraf Abolfazlian
Description: (Iran) A young girl in Tehran is accidentally locked out of her home with no scarf on her head.

In bestowing Saba Riazi with Best Narrative Short Film, the Jury stated:
“For offering insight into the specifics of life under theocratic rule in Iran in a way that speaks to us all, with a remarkable lead performance by an actress forced by circumstances to remain anonymous, the jury presents the Narrative Short Film Award to Saba Riazi for The Wind is Blowing on My Street.”

****

Best Documentary Short Film

Winner: I Am a Girl! by Susan Koenen
Producer: Albert Klein Haneveld
Description: (Netherlands) Joppe dreams of love, marriage and children. Being born a boy only complicates things slightly.

In bestowing Susan Koenen with Best Documentary Short Film, the Jury stated:
“For using gorgeous cinematography and energetic editing to capture a young woman’s journey from biological maleness to forthright femininity, and for giving us a glimpse at an open-minded new generation with a better understanding of gender and sexuality issues than their parents ever dreamed, the jury presents the Documentary Short Film Award to Susan Koenen for I Am a Girl!”

****

Best Animated Short Film

Winner: The Eagleman Stag by Mike Please
Producer: Royal College of Art
Cast: David Cann, Tony Guilfoyle
Description: (England) This unique stop-motion animated film depicts a man’s haunting obsession with the passage of time and his unorthodox relationship with a beetle.

In bestowing Mike Please with Best Animated Short Film, the Jury stated:
“For mixing innovative three-dimensional paper-cut animation, a stunning white-on-white visual style, and a wryly original sense of storytelling, the jury presents the Animated Short Film Award to Mikey Please for The Eagleman Stag.”

****

Audience Award for Best Short Film

Winner: Blind Date by Joe Rosen
Producer: Joe Rosen, Abigail Blackmore
Cast: Abigail Blackmore, Cavan Clerkin, Zeben Jameson, Matthew Blackmore
Description: (England) Waiting for her date, Rachel has an unexpected encounter.

Awarded to the short film audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Short films screening in the Shorts Programs or before Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, or International Showcase feature-length screenings were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Short Film.

****

Audience Award for Best Music Video

Winner: Can’t Shake This Feeling by The General Assembly’s Adam Littke, Ryan McNeill, Adam Willis
Music: Grum

This award is given to the music video audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system.

DontBeAfraidOfTheDark Clip #3 by ThePlaylist

Everything You Wanted to Know About This Year's Los Angeles Film Festival

Indiewire — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 06:54:53 GMT

The 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival came to a close over the weekend with the world premiere of the Guillermo Del Toro-produced horror remake "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark." indieWIRE was on the scene during the 10-day event to review the high profile entries and report on the biggest happenings.

Below catch up on all you need to know about this year's edition:

Winners

“Familiar Ground” & “Wish Me Away” Win Los Angeles Film Festival

Reviews

LAFF REVIEW | “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” Remakes the Original, Minus Most of the Frights

LAFF REVIEW | Brilliant Doc “The Pruitt-Igoe Myth” Tells the Sorry Saga of Public Housing

LAFF REVIEW | “Leave It On the Floor” Revisits Ballroom Scene With Flaws, But Plenty of Life

LAFF REVIEW | Amber Sealey and Kent Osborne Make a Provocative Marital Drama in “How to Cheat”

News

“Green Lantern,” “Drive,” Franco, Taymor and Del Toro All On Tap For Los Angeles Film Fest

Richard Linklater’s “Bernie” To Open Los Angeles Film Festival

19 Films Set for Los Angeles Film Festival Competitions; Premieres & More

Interviews

L.A. Film Fest FUTURES | “How to Cheat” Director Amber Sealey on Ditching the Script

LAFF INTERVIEW | “Natural Selection” Star Rachael Harris: “I really am a people pleaser.”

Meet 13 LA Film Festival Filmmakers In Their Own Words

Features

Despite the Proximity to Hollywood, LA Film Fest 2011 Puts Filmmakers Ahead of Its Stars

Julie Taymor, Alison Anders, Richard Kelly and More at Los Angeles Film Festival Panels

Toolkit | Graham Taylor Keynote at LAFF: “What’s not boring is making shit happen.”

The Kids Are All Right: The Basics Still Inspire Aspiring Filmmakers

LAFF REVIEW | "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" Remakes the Original, Minus Most of the Frights

Eric Kohn — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 06:05:38 GMT

John Newland's 1973 made-for-TV drama "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is widely considered a high water mark for feature-length broadcast productions. Produced as an ABC movie of the week, it belonged to a series that also included Steven Spielberg's "Duel" and the early Michael Douglas vehicle "Shattered Silence," among many others. Those with adolescent memories of watching Newland's movie usually recall its genuine frights, an experience made particularly resonant by the capacity to watch it within the solitary environment of one's own home.

Remade now by former comics illustrator Troy Nixey, and aided by a screenplay co-written by Guillermo Del Toro, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" loses that same fright factor when expanded to the big screen. The story hasn't changed: A young girl moves into the creaky old mansion with her architect father and his girlfriend; ghoulish supernatural beings stalk her whenever the lights go out. By and large, however, the spookiness has gone soft, possibly because shock standards have shifted.

Nixey, whose enjoyable short film "Latchkey's Lament" suggested Tim Burton by way of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and landed him this gig, explores the crevices of the house with a free-wheeling camera and plenty of heavy-handed dread. The scares are nicely framed within a gloomy atmosphere, but Nixey's direction never finds its equilibrium. Is it a classical work of gothic horror or a quieter, subtler approach to studying the roots of childhood fear? Settling for both, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" falls short of fulfilling either potential.

Which isn't to say Nixey doesn't try. Improperly formulated in bland horror movie terms, his directorial debut occasionally explores the fine line between outright comedy and fear, with young Sally (Bailee Madison) launching a war against the freaky little people who taunt her at every turn. (The original starred a young Kim Darby, marking the second time in less than a year that one of her childhood roles has been revisited by a new actress, the first occasion being the Coen brothers' remake of "True Grit.")

Sally's father (Guy Pearce) reacts to her constant outbursts with a stilted look of frustration, while his interior designer gal pal (Katie Holmes) almost instantly accepts her stories about the eerie things who taunt the girl at night. In this clean distinction between believers and non-believers, Nixey and Del Toro create an ode to the latter day elegance of horror movie yore.

Unfortunately, that also gives the entire story a rote, mundane quality easily describable in terms of superior predecessors, even though they came after the original version: Nixey's troublemaking critters, with their dubious intentions and whispery pronouncements, look like mini-Gollums or "Gremlins" rejects who wandered onto the set "Poltergeist." They beckon eerily to Sally from the shadows whenever she finds herself alone, an undeniably creepy device that eventually loses its impact once the elfin pests show face. Then they're just plain silly--and even, dare I say it, oddly cute. But then the original had that problem as well.

Needless to say, some changes have been made: The new version ups the threat factor from three goblins to a dozen or so threatening tykes. The screenwriters include a perfunctory explanation about the connection between the beings' otherworldly presence and the late animal illustrator who used to live in the house. A grisly prologue set in the late nineteenth century shows the elderly man knocking out his maid's teeth as a vain sacrifice to the beastly inhabitants. These tacked-on bits are presumably as necessary as the use of CGI, in that they inject the movie with contemporary appeal in rather simplistic fashion--by making it meaner and more narratively complex.

Beyond these contrivances, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is largely a cut-and-paste affair, although useful for that very reason; it provides a glaring reminder that scary movies have evolved, both in terms of style and expectations, but the evolution isn't worth the effort. A few years ago, Del Toro produced "The Orphanage," a leaner, smarter throwback to scarier cinema that predominantly relied on the impact of unknown things lurking just outside the frame. "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" lifts its spell whenever it turns on the lights.

criticWIRE grade: B-

HOW WILL IT PLAY? From a commercial perspective, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" has the potential to become a real double-threat: It stands to get a nice publicity boost from Del Toro, and will be released by Film District, which already proved it has the chops to open a creepy haunted house movie with the success of "Insidious" earlier this year. Still, reviews are bound to be mixed, and none of the stars are major box office draws, so the movie's strength beyond its opening weekend is a definite question mark.

"Familiar Ground" & "Wish Me Away" Win Los Angeles Film Festival

Brian Brooks — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 11:49:28 GMT

Stéphane Lafleur's "Familiar Ground" won the Narrative Film Competition during an awards ceremony at the Los Angeles Film Festival, while Beverly Kopf and Bobbie Birleffi's "Wish Me Away" took Best Documentary at the awards brunch, which took place at CHAYA Downtown and co-hosted by Allison Janney and John C. Reilly. Both awards include a $15,000 cash prize.

Also taking home prizes were actors Amber Sealey, Kent Osborne, Amanda Street, and Gabriel Diamond for their performances in Amber Sealey's "How to Cheat," collectively receiving Best Performance. The award for Best Narrative Short Film went to Saba Riazi's "The Wind Is Blowing on My Street," while short Best Documentary went to Susan Koenen's "I Am a Girl!" Mikey Please's "The Eagleman Stag" won the award for Best Animated short film.

In Audience Awards, Best Narrative Feature went to Joe Cornish's "Attack the Block," while Best Documentary went to Michael Rapaport's "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest." Asif Kapadia’s Senna won the Audience Award for Best International Feature.

The Audience Award for Best Short Film went to "Blind Date," directed by Joe Rosen. "Can't Shake This Feeling," directed by The General Assembly's Adam Littke, Ryan McNeill, Adam Willis won the Audience Award for Best Music Video for Grum.

"It was such a rich year in competition films, so our juries had really tough choices to make," commented Artistic Director David Ansen in a statement. "The winning films are the cream of a particularly delicious crop, and we're delighted that they reflect the festival's dedication to movies from all over the world."

"David, Doug and the team continue to raise the bar with the quality of our programming slate," said Festival Director Rebecca Yeldham in a statement. "We're enormously proud to host such an exceptional and diverse group of films and filmmakers at this year's festival, and to have introduced audiences to their wonderful work."

The Los Angeles Film Festival opened June 16 with the world premiere of Richard Linklater’s "Bernie" and closes Sunday with the world premiere of FilmDistrict’s "Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark," directed by Troy Nixey. Gala Screenings included the North American premiere of "Drive," directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and the world premiere of Chris Weitz's "A Better Life." Guillermo del Toro was this year's "Guest Director."

The list of 2011 Los Angeles Film festival winners with credits and descriptions provided by the festival:

Narrative Award (for Best Narrative Feature): "Familiar Ground," written & directed by Stéphane Lafleur
Producers: Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Cast: Francis La Haye, Fanny Mallette, Sylvain Marcel, Michel Daigle, Suzanne Lemoine
This droll, deadpan comedy from snowbound Quebec features an unhappy brother and sister whose fates seem to be known by a mysterious Man From the Future. Not too far in the future though. Just next September.

Documentary Award (for Best Documentary Feature): "Wish Me Away," directed by Beverly Kopf & Bobbie Birleffi
Producer: Bobbie Birleffi and Beverly Kopf
This intensely personal documentary chronicles the heart-wrenching decision Nashville singing star Chely Wright to come out of the closet despite the potentially crushing response from the industry and her fans.

Best Performance in the Narrative Competition: Amber Sealey, Kent Osborne, Amanda Street and Gabriel Diamond in Amber Sealey's "How to Cheat"
An L.A. couple's struggle to get pregnant sets off the husband's wandering eye in this comedy that reveals marriage to be as funny as it is heartbreaking.

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: "Attack the Block," directed by Joe Cornish
Producers: Nira Park, James Wilson
Cast: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Email, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway, Jumayn Hunter, Nick Frost
From the producers of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Attack the Block follows a gang of tough inner-city kids who defend their turf against an invasion of savage alien creatures, turning a South London apartment complex into an extraterrestrial warzone.

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest," directed by Michael Rapaport
Producers: Edward Parks, Bob Teitel, Frank Mele, Robert Benavides, Eric Matthies, Michael Rapaport, Debra Koffler
The rancorous break-up of a Tribe Called Quest frames Michael Rapaport’s exuberant exploration of the turmoil and joy that drove these pioneers of bohemian hip hop.

Audience Award for Best International Feature: "Senna," directed by Asif Kapadia
Producers: James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
A high-octane look at the most exciting driver to ever race Formula One — Brazil’s Aryton Senna — this edge of your seat documentary explores the politics, rivalries and glamour of a sport that leaves no room for error.

Best Narrative Short Film: "The Wind Is Blowing on My Street" by Saba Riazi
Producer: Mohammad Hoseseni
Cast: Rahman Houshyar, Sajjad Salehivand, Forough Bonakder, Ashraf Abolfazlian
A young girl in Tehran is accidentally locked out of her home with no scarf on her head.

Best Documentary Short Film: "I Am a Girl!" by Susan Koenen
Joppe dreams of love, marriage and children. Being born a boy only complicates things slightly.

Best Animated Short Film: "The Eagleman Stag" by Mike Please
Producer: Royal College of Art
Cast: David Cann, Tony Guilfoyle
This unique stop-motion animated film depicts a man’s haunting obsession with the passage of time and his unorthodox relationship with a beetle.

Audience Award for Best Short Film: "Blind Date" by Joe Rosen
Producer: Joe Rosen, Abigail Blackmore
Cast: Abigail Blackmore, Cavan Clerkin, Zeben Jameson, Matthew Blackmore
Waiting for her date, Rachel has an unexpected encounter.

Audience Award for Best Music Video: "Can’t Shake This Feeling" by The General Assembly’s Adam Littke, Ryan McNeill, Adam Willis
Music: Grum

L.A. Film Fest FUTURES | "How to Cheat" Director Amber Sealey on Ditching the Script

Eric Kohn — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 05:56:00 GMT

Why She's On Our Radar: Sealey's first feature, the relationship drama "A Plus D," played the regional film festival circuit (although Sealey initially generated interest from Sundance). Her latest effort, "How to Cheat," premiered at the L.A. Film Festival last week to generally positive reactions. The film stars Kent Osbourne (most recently the star of Joe Swanberg's "Uncle Kent" and a writer for "Spongebob Squarepants") as a depressed chauffeur who decides to cheat on his wife (Sealey) when their sex life devolves into constant failed attempts to have a baby. Blending the look and feel of numerous DIY movies of the moment, Sealey still manages to buck innumerable conventions, which makes her career worth tracking--especially since she's already writing another screenplay, "New Mexican Rain."

More About Her: In addition to her filmmaking, Sealey has worked as an actress for several years. Her credits include Jake Paltrow's "The Good Night" and the TV movie "Heatwave." She attended drama school in London but moved to Los Angeles a few years ago.

Fun Facts: Sealey's husband is a scientist for NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and works on its Mars Rovers, including the latest, "Curiosity." She left the L.A. Film Festival mid-week to accompany him to Florida for its test flight ahead of the scheduled fall takeoff.

indieWIRE Asks: You've acted in many movies than you've directed. Do you prefer to work this way or would you like to direct more often?

I lived in London for a long time and worked with a theater company there, which got me really interested in making films. I made a 20-minute short with a friend back in London. I only produced and acted in it. That was like seven years ago. That lit the fire, that making films was really exciting to me. I felt like I had stories to tell in me. That's when I made "A Plus D."

How did your theater experience affect your transition into filmmaking?

I had been working with a theater company called Shunt, and we only did improvised theater. We don't start with a script. We basically create the story out of different ideas, then improvise for months and months. The pieces were more like events, big soundscapes. You would have to, like, crawl through a small tunnel and watch a scene there. It was very interactive.

So, even though your movies contain the kind of DIY filmmaking familiar from a lot of recent American DIY cinema, your influences are much more experimental.

Well, when I was in London getting involved with improvised theater, I was also getting really interested in the Dogma movies, which are mainly improvised. That was how the idea emerged for me--doing improvised theater and seeing these movies, that's how I decided to do my first film, "A Plus D." In "How to Cheat," there's a brunch scene where you hear the kids playing in the background. The kids were really playing in the background. I like that. As an actor, I love doing big stuff with sets and costumes, but as a director, I'm most interested in the more simple, pared-down stuff. We shot in all the cast members' houses. I just like that really raw look. That's why I think video is such a great medium. It has that intimate look. Film is gorgeous; if I had the money shoot on it, I'd probably try. But I shot part of "A Plus D" on a Hi-8 camera. It just feels very real. To me, there's something instantly relatable on a subconscious level about video.

Did you write any sort of screenplay?

No, I didn't. I feel like the acting is so much more believable when it's improvised. I'll probably show my next script to the actors, but I don't want them to memorize it. I'll do some writing while we're filming. I try and give myself as many options as possible for when we edit. I think it's amazing that these other filmmakers, like the mumblecore guys, have come along. The mainstream audience is more likely to be comfortable with a low budget film now.

But you don't feel like those movies have influenced you.

No, I don't. When I made "A Plus D," I was living in London and hadn't heard about those movies. I would say I'm more influenced by the Dogma films. And I love Mike Leigh. I've heard that he does intense rehearsals beforehand. Also, Michael Winterbottom, Lukas Moodyson…but I'm still inspired by people like Joe Swanberg because he makes so many movies. I met him because my editor for "A Plus D" was at South by Southwest when "Nights and Weekends" was there, and since it was another relationship movie about a couple, he told me I should check it out. So we did a DVD swap in the mail, and then we met at Indie Memphis, because both of our films were there. Then I saw him in L.A. a few months later and said I was looking for a male actor who lived there. So he put me in touch with Kent. I saw the movie he wrote and acted in called "Dropping Out," which was at Sundance in 1999 and I thought he was really great in it.

Do you think actors feel liberated when they work on projects like this?

As an actor, I've been on set with Gwyneth Paltrow and other big actors. If they want to change their dialogue and do fifty million takes, they can. But if you're just an unknown actor, you do it perfect and then nobody talks to you again. So yes.

Have you thought about trying to pitch a screenplay on a bigger film?

I'm definitely trying to do that with my next film, "New Mexican Rain." I want to direct it and improvised around the story, but it will require more of a budget. For "A Plus D," I put limits on the production on purpose. I tried to go a little bigger with "How to Cheat." With "New Mexican Rain," it's set in the eighties, and has more characters and locations, but there are certain things I won't change. I really like working with as minimum a crew as possible. If I'm in charge, I don't like a big circus.

The Kids Are All Right: The Basics Still Inspire Aspiring Filmmakers

Kim Adelman — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 07:43:36 GMT

Kids today are still making Super 8 shorts. The urge to remake "Raiders of the Lost Ark" continues to be irresistible to young men. And pencil drawings have not yet lost the battle to Flash in the realm of teenage-produced animation. A two-part screening of high school shorts at the Los Angeles Film Festival confirms that the output, hearts, and minds of teen filmmakers remain reassuringly familiar. If these are the standard bearers for the future of filmmaking, their rallying cry seems to be back to basics.

Thirty-three shorts by 52 teenage directors were screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival on Saturday, June 18 with an encore screening scheduled for June 25th. At the post-screening Q&A sessions moderated by LAFF programmer Hebe Tabachnik and the rooftop luncheon/mixer held between screenings, the teens talked about their inspiration, influences, and experiences. Most made their films in either their regular high school film classes, summer film camps, or under the wings of community arts organizations. "These young filmmakers from all over the U.S. and one from Brazil prove once again that the next generation of storytellers is vibrant, creative, and ready to be called filmmakers of the present," proclaimed Tabachnik in her welcome remarks.

Based on a sampling of the 33 shorts screened at LAFF, which were themselves culled from 300 submissions, below are five hallmarks of teenage filmmaking, plus links to view select films online.

Film is not dead.

Mason Shefa shot his 6-minute black and white experimental short "Psalm 51" on Super 8 while on vacation. When he announced during the post screening Q&A that he plans to make his next short on 16MM, the audiences gave him a round of applause. "Psalm 51" can be viewed in its entirely on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYPifai3vik

Hand-drawn, claymation, and stop-motion animation techniques are still alive and kicking.

A preponderance of the films shown at LAFF were animated the old fashioned way. However, Reid Hildebrand, who hand-drew "The Balloonist," which was much discussed during the post-screening Q&A and privately praised by a rival high school teacher during the luncheon/mixer, is toying with doing his next film in Flash. "The Balloonist" is online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z65Us6A-MRM

Chaplin still inspires.

Bell High School students Vincent Reyna and Estefania Reveles were first exposed to the Little Tramp's silent film work in their school's film class. Although Reyna went on to make an effective PSA about teenage suicide entitled "Say Something" and Reveles bravely followed an abusive relationship to its darkest conclusion in "He Brought Me Flowers" (neither films could be described as Chaplinesque), both students raved extensively during the LAFF luncheon about what they learned from studying Charlie Chaplin.

Equally inspiring: "Raiders of the Los Ark," "Titanic," and "Pulp Fiction."

"If Cell Phones Ruled the World," an anthology of iconic movie scenes faithfully recreated but with ringtones humorously interrupting at crucial moments, was a real crowd pleaser at the LAFF screening. Directed by schoolmates Alex Siegel, Daniel Kim, Nick Lieberman, Gabe Benjamin, and Lorenz Kim, the anthology neatly illustrates the easy filmmaking literacy of today's teens. Check out their take on Spielberg's, Cameron's, and Tarantino's masterpieces: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef5W1f9xSa0

A cardboard box, scissors, and a sharpie are all you need.

Homemade scenic design was the thing that many of the student filmmakers said they found most challenging, especially the live action-stop motion artists like 13-year-old Miranda Kasher, who flew in from New Jersey to screen "See" at LAFF. "See": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkodr4ALPyI.

But Sam Gorman, making a stylish black and white music video entitled "Downlow," schooled us all on how simple cardboard can be manipulated to create everything from Kanye-style shutter shades to old fashioned crooner microphones. "Downlow": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVVamyA2T5Y

Whether these high schoolers graduate into the filmmaking big leagues or not, they can be proud of achieving much already. These kids are more than all right.

Julie Taymor, Alison Anders, Richard Kelly and More at Los Angeles Film Festival Panels

Eric Kohn — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:19:15 GMT

Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Film Festival hosted a number of panels and other events with a wide variety of figures in the film community. In between covering various screenings, indieWIRE attended a few of these public discussions. Here are the highlights:

FilmDistrict Takes the Spotlight

On Saturday and Sunday, the festival hosted a series of conversations at the Downtown Independent titled "Money Talks & Art Matters," beginning with a keynote address by WME Global's Graham Taylor. [Full text of the keynote here.]

Later in the afternoon, FilmDistrict co-founders Bob and Jeanne Berney participated in a conversation about their experiences as distributors, with particular emphasis on their newly founded company's 2011 releases. The couple immediately had the room's attention when they announced that FilmDistrict's first two releases, horror movie "Insidious" and drama "Soul Surfer," collectively grossed $90 million.

Meanwhile, the company's next two releases are playing at the festival: Fresh from winning a directing award at Cannes, the fast-paced Ryan Gosling vehicle "Drive" received a gala screening on Friday night, while the Guillermo Del Toro-produced haunted house movie "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" will close the festival next weekend.

In conversation with film critic David D'Arcy, Bob Berney explained the specific nature of the movies on FilmDistrict's slate.

"Although the definition of independent film is all over the place, we're acquiring films that are either already finished, or in the process of being finished, so they're independent," he said. "We have the capability to go wider with these films and have the prints and advertising money to compete on the studio level," he said.

"The heart and soul of the independent world has always been along the lines of niche films," Jeanne Berney added. "The beauty of that is that you can take a risk and work with a movie that might not be just a general romantic comedy, and find the audience for it. That's why there have been so many successful indie distribution companies."

Other FilmDistrict titles include the film adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's "The Rum Diary" with Johnny Depp, and Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey."

Of the Depp film, Berney said, "We think there are huge compartments of Hunter S. Thompson fans across the country, and then Johnny's fan base, so it's a rare opportunity for a smaller company to have these elements available."

Jolie's Bosnian drama presents the challenge of getting the movie noticed more than its star director. "It will be a balancing act," Jeanne Berney said. "It really takes the war to a really personal level," Bob Berney added.

Filmmakers Talk Money

The second day of the "Money Talks & Art Matters" series began with a panel entitled "The Money Puzzle: Financing Case Studies," moderated by producer Effie T. Brown. The other participants were filmmakers Alison Anders (in post-production on "Strutter"), Heather Courtney ("Where Soldiers Come From"), Javier Fuentes Léon ("Undertow"), Anders' producer Kurt Voss and "The Future" producer Gina Kwon.

Brown asked each participant to break down the fundraising processes for their most recent productions. Kwan recalled taking the idea for "The Future" to the IFP market in 2008, but lost investors for the Miranda July-directed project when the economy went south later that year. "It was definitely a long journey," she said.

Eventually, Kwan managed to finance the entire movie with European investors. A team of German producers backed part of the production, allowing them to apply for federal money. "It was a bit of a sleight of hand because we raised money in Europe and shot in L.A.," Kwan said. However, she added, "it was a sign of the times."

The Austin-based Courtney, whose documentary following a group of young soldiers before and after they commit to service in Afghanistan, applied for a number of grants in order to sustain the movie's four-year production. "Originally, I just had an idea," she said. "When you're writing a grant, you make up your story."

She initially received grant money from the Robeson Fund and the Texas Filmmaker Production Fund, then turned to the Sundance Documentary Fund and the United States Artists when she needed more money. With no distributor for the film, she's now planning on an elaborate community outreach plan.

Fuentes-Leon, whose Peruvian gay romance played at Sundance in 2010, also turned to Germany for production money after attempts to raise money in the U.S. fell flat. "I was naive about trying to find money here," he said.

After three years of trying, he got into Berlin's Co-Production Market, where he met his German producer. At that point, the director began to make serious progress: He originally needed half a million dollars but eventually raised $800,000. "When Europe comes in, the budget goes up," he said. Other financiers were based in France and Colombia, where investors receive a major tax write-off when they spend money on film productions.

Anders, who first made waves in the independent film world with "Gas Food Lodging" in 1992, spoke enthusiastically about her experience raising money for "Strutter" on Kickstarter. She called the crowdfunding site "an amazon thing I've always had an instinct for. It's basically about getting people to donate money to your projects."

She offered a number of rewards for donations to the project, turning to high profile friends like Quentin Tarantino, Sonic Youth and Duran Duran to provide special "bags" that donors would receive for their contributions. "I had as much fun doing this as I did making the movie," she said. Voss added, "We're against somebody using money to tell you what do with your movie."

Noyce and Kelly Give Fleisher Some Advice

Elsewhere in downtown Los Angeles, a trio of name directors gathered at the L.A. Live Regal Cinemas for a "Coffee Talk" about their careers. "Donnie Darko" director Richard Kelly moderated the conversation, which also included "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleisher and "Salt" director Phillip Noyce.

Fleisher, whose sophomore feature "30 Minutes or Less" opens this summer, noted the challenge he faces with his next production: "Gangster Squad," a period piece set in 1949, which is set for an all-star cast topped by Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin. Fleisher began pre-production on the project last Monday.

"The most successful actors are successful because they know their success is reliant on empowering the director," Noyce told Fleisher. "That group you've got, they're going to empower you."

Kelly--who is currently developing his fourth feature, "Corpus Cristi," about a soldier returning from Iraq--recalled working with a 19-year-old Jake Gyllenhaal on "Donnie Darko." "He's an old soul and would challenge me on every line of dialogue," Kelly said. "The more you can invite the actors into the process, the more you can give them ownership of the characters. They can help police you, in a good way."

Kelly asked Noyce, the oldest of the three filmmakers, if filmmaking "gets better" over time. Noyce answered in the affirmative. "Making movies is like drinking mature wine," he said.

Julie Taymor Talks Everything But "Spider-Man"

Unlike Fleisher, director Julie Taymor wanted to talk about everything but her most recent project, beleaguered Broadway production "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," from which she was removed as director several months ago. (She did address the experience a few days earlier at a separate event.)

However, in a conversation at the Grammy Museum moderated by actor Harry Lennix, Taymor did make passing references to the media-saturated experience. "I continue to learn on the job," she said. After a clip that showed Taymor intensely involved with an actor during the rehearsal for "Across the Universe," Lennix said that Taymor would make a good actress. "Well, I just got fired, so I'm available," she said.

While her filmed adaptation of "The Tempest," which hits DVD in September, received negative reviews and made little money, Taymor defended the movie against accusations that it tanked. "We have to stop this mindset of what success is," she said, a statement that received enthusiastic applause. For her next project, Taymor added, "I want to do a smaller movie."

LAFF INTERVIEW | "Natural Selection" Star Rachael Harris: "I really am a people pleaser."

Eric Kohn — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:28:21 GMT

Rachael Harris has proven herself to be a very funny person. Her roles have ranged from a brief stint on "The Daily Show" ten years ago to performing opposite Kirstie Alley in "Fat Actress" and playing Ed Helms' bitchy fiancee in "The Hangover." Now, however, Harris has proven she has more than pure comedy to offer. In "Natural Selection," she plays Linda White, a married Christian woman from Texas unable to have children, but still devoted to a settled life with her husband. That all changes when she finds out he has been a sperm donor for years, and has a grown son living across the country. When her husband suddenly finds himself on his death bed, Linda hits the road to find his mysterious spawn, who turns out to be wanted criminal Raymond (Matt O'Leary).

Directed by first-timer Robbie Pickering from his Hollywood blacklist screenplay, the movie swept the SXSW awards in March, landing trophies for Pickering in addition to breakthrough performance nods for Harris and O'Leary. Since then, it has traveled the festival circuit and found more acclaim. Shortly before the first screening at the L.A. Film Festival this week, Harris sat down with indieWIRE to discuss why she took a turn for the dramatic side.

You're not exactly a newcomer, but you're definitely broadening your range here.

It didn't feel like it was something I didn't know was there. It was a do-or-die thing. I really wanted to do things that weren't comic. It felt like finding people who can see this other side to me. I think Linda is honestly closer to me than all those other funny characters.

Were you looking for a performance like this when you learned about the project?

I told my agent which women I aspire to have a career like: Frances McDormand, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney and Emma Thompson--character actresses who have something to say. I also said that I loved Madeline Kahn and Jessica Lange. When I studied theater, my intention wasn't to do comedy. I wanted to go to New York and be a stage actress, doing things like Chekhov. None of that happened, and then I went to L.A. and an agent said, "I think you belong in commercials and TV." So I did that and got some opportunities that I absolutely love. But my intention wasn't to only do comedy.

Was it hard to convince Robbie to cast you?

Originally, he didn't want to meet me. But he was doing meetings with back-ups in case the person he really wanted pulled out. I knew if I could get in the room I could change his perception of me, if not the casting. Robbie and I met in Beverly Hills. We both live in Silverlake. I went through a terrible divorce a few years ago, and there's one scene in the movie that I really related to where Linda is brushing her teeth in front of a double sink, and she has to turn the water on the other sink because she used to having somebody else there. I…felt like I knew who that really was from that scene. I struggled with that so, so much. From the meeting he was like, "She's actually more like the character than when she tries to act like her."

What does that mean?

As much as I don't want to admit it, I really am a people pleaser. If I throw a party at my house, it's hard for me to relax. I'm too obsessed with whether everyone's having a good time. I would love to say it's because I'm worried about you, but it's more about how I look. That's how Linda operated for so much of her life--doing the right thing because of how the church would receive her.

Well, that's certainly a helpful quality to have when you're working on a low budget movie.

(laugh) To be a people pleaser? Yeah! I think because I was raised with a working class mentality, which is that you start in the middle and work your way up, I have the same feeling about my acting career. I thought, well, I have to start out doing this. When we went down to New Orleans to shoot, my foot went through the trailer, because they were post-Katrina trailers. The toilet didn't work. Our producers didn't know about that on the first day, and they didn't know how I was gonna respond. I was just like, "I'll use the restroom in the restaurant." That same night, we had a terrible wardrobe problem, because somebody made a continuity error. We were shooting out of order, so you have to remember everything you wear. We had to go to Walmart at one o'clock in the morning to buy the right clothes. So it was really collaborative.

What was exciting about the material?

Matt and I both felt these characters were great for us to play. I didn't know if Robbie would be a good director, but he had a great handle on the material. It felt great to work with a young director. We shot the whole thing in 18 days. We ate goldfish instead of craft services. Everyone was so nice. How many times after takes do crew members come over and say, "How did you do that?"

Probably not often on the T.V. productions you've worked on.

I just did this pilot for Shawn Levy. Every two hours they would bring something for him. Robbie would go without eating for eight hours and start to freak out. It was a totally different experience, although both experiences are awesome. I left Austin during South by Southwest and went directly into shooting the pilot with Shawn called "Family Album." I took picture of the craft service table, and it was as long as a hallway. I sent it to the guys who were still in Austin. This was the entire amount of food we ate for the whole "Natural Selection" shoot. So that makes you appreciate both.

In one case you have stability, and the other experience is more about working outside of that safety zone.

And there's not enough time to think. There aren't 18 people. It was just about whether or not the light was in the right place and if we hit our marks.

Did Robbie give much leeway for interpreting the character?

I worked with a coach and we went through the character to figure out the arc. Since we weren't shooting in order, I needed to know where I would be emotionally at different points, so it wouldn't be out of order. I had a chart for it.

How did the chart work?

It's like a graph that shows you where you are emotionally, in terms of how high or low the stakes are. With Linda, they're pretty high, but there are some moments when it comes back down.

Were you surprised that the movie won so many awards at SXSW?

Yeah, I was. We had no sense of what would happen. I could tell Roger Ebert liked it, because his wife Chaz said so. He kept writing that he couldn't say anything since he was on the jury. He did give me the thumbs up. I was like, "I just got a personal-fucking-thumbs-up from Roger Ebert. I grew up watching him. So that was a thing. It was crazy for me.

Have you received more offers for parts like this since SXSW?

I don't think enough people have seen it yet. But I do want those opportunities to do more interesting movies.

LAFF REVIEW | Brilliant Doc "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" Tells the Sorry Saga of Public Housing

Eric Kohn — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:21:59 GMT

In the 1950's, the Pruitt-Igoe housing project represented a new chapter in city life. The massive collection of buildings promised comfortable homes to lower class residents, but the its ideal manifestation was short-lived. Sixteen years after its erection in 1956, the city demolished Pruitt-Igoe, which had devolved into a disheveled environment marred by crime and filth. Today, it's something of a graveyard, and a symbolic one at that: Chad Freidrichs' profoundly tragic "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" compellingly tracks the dissolution of Pruitt-Igoe, using it as a powerful reference point in a broader discussion about the failure of public housing.

Built a mere seven years after the 1949 Housing Act, Pruitt-Igoe was established by the St. Louis housing authority "to rise above the polluted slums," although it eventually became a part of them. As Freidrichs reveals through the testimonies of former residents and housing experts alike, this rise and fall presented a bonafide chicken-and-the-egg conundrum: Did the residents, mostly impoverished African Americans, contribute to the community's failings? Or was it caused by governmental neglect? The answer exists in a failure to communicate, embodied by the startling image of a Pruitt-Igoe building in mid-collapse that was snapped during the final seconds of its existence.

Given the distance from the events at hand, Pruitt-Igoe avoids activist-style rabble-rousing, instead adopting a mournful tone. Freidrichs avoids presenting a dry breakdown of public housing's missed opportunities (although a few requisite academics offer necessary context to the socio-economic events in question). Mainly, "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" collects the testimonies of former residents, as they unleash nostalgia for the early, halcyon days when living in the complex felt like progress. "I don't think the bad things outweighed the good," says one subject, although recollections of the bad repeatedly challenge that presumption.

Horror stories include being trapped in poorly designed elevators and evading heaps of burning trash piles in building lobbies, events that give the impression of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Having established those problems with an effective montage of archival footage and frighteningly vivid anecdotes, Freidrichs evaluates the flaw behind it all. While the government paid for the buildings, maintenance fees came from the rent, which most residents couldn't afford. Banks and realtors grew increasingly uncomfortable with public housing as a logical investment. Greed won out; even worse, so did racism. Freidrichs recounts the sorrow saga of Black Jack, Missouri, a white town that intentionally set out ot proven public housing to avoid the arrival of "trash people." Opportunities for employment migrated to white suburban communities, furthering the downward spiral.

A futile rent strike fell on deaf ears."We were really left at the mercy of the system," recalls a former resident; worse, the system blamed them for it, and has yet to do penance for its sins. Which is not to say that the director calls for justice. Instead, he simply lets the dark tale run its course. The eventual implosion of Pruitt-Igoe became "a very painful moment of truth," as one scholar explains, in which a dream was dismantled in harsh physical terms. Freidrichs effectively builds it back. The collage of memories that might not make a difference now, but at least they set the story straight.

HOW WILL IT PLAY? Having received strongly positive reactions at Full Frame and the Los Angeles Film Festival, "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" will soon screen at Silverdocs, where it should continue to garner acclaim. Given the non-commercial topic, its distribution prospects are fairly slim, but it should be able to land a decent TV deal.

criticWIRE grade: A

LAFF: Eigeman Wins Film Independent's Sloan Award

Maggie Lange — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:53:48 GMT

As the Los Angeles Film Festival continues to unspool in downtown Los Angeles, Midnight Sun’s writer/director Chris Eigeman and producer Eric Morris have been awarded Film Independent's Sloan Award. This $15,000 production grant is given to films that feature new scripts about science and technology. Midnight Sun is set in 1943 and focuses on a group of young scientists in a New Mexico desert as they create the first atomic bomb .

Eigeman, best known for his quick-witted and cynical roles in Whit Stillman films, will serve as the writer and director in this feature. He previously wrote and directed 2007’s Turn the River, about a female pool shark who kidnaps her son. Film Independent also announced the 20 filmmakers and 9 film projects selected for its 9th annual Fast Track program, sponsored by Kodak.

LA Film Fest REVIEW | "Leave It On the Floor" Revisits Ballroom Scene With Flaws, But Plenty of Life

Eric Kohn — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 06:58:12 GMT

Revisiting the African American ball culture first made famous by Jennie Livingston's 1990 New York-set documentary "Paris is Burning" and the Madonna single "Vogue," Sheldon Larry's colorful movie musical "Leave It On the Floor" takes place in a similar Los Angeles scene. Made on the cheap and extremely rough around the edges, Larry's derivative tale of a young black man booted from his home for being gay and discovering a crowd where he finally belongs compensates for its shortcomings with a lively display of movement and sound. Thanks to Beyoncé choreographer Frank Gaston Jr., "Leave on the the Floor" is not entirely dismissible as an amateur work, although it approaches that fate a few times. While not exactly successful, it has plenty of dazzling attributes to save it from outright failure.

Set in El Monte, CA, the story follows Brad (Ephraim Sykes, a stage actor making his feature debut, like most of the cast), whose mean-spirited mother turns him loose after she discovering him watching gay porn. Finding his way to a dance club, Brad is seduced by the aggressive Princess (Philip Evelyn), who takes him back to a home populated by a half dozen members of the ball scene, a world of rambunctious fashion displays, eye-popping dance moves and--in this version, anyway--the regular tendency to burst into song.

Glenn Gaylord's screenplay awkwardly expands into an ensemble piece, following numerous subplots involving various members of the household, fleshing out the portrait of the scene. While Brad meets a pickpocketing rebel and falls into an uneasy love triangle, the moody, cross-dressing house mother Queef (Barbie-Q), eagerly awaits the release of her husband Caldwell (Demarkes Dogan) from jail. Queef is the requisite sassy know-it-all with the best lines. "Were you talking to me?" she barks at Brad when he tries to get on her good side. "I was glistening," she says, a term explained as "gay listening." Queef's smarminess gives the movie a fun element of self-awareness to balance off its cheesier moments. When Brad gets emotional, Queef barks, "You been hangin' around Tyler Perry sets, or what?"

Of course, "Leave It On the Floor" is far too blatantly homoerotic to fit the Tyler Perry mold. It preaches to a different choir--that is, the cheerfully queer world at its center. In this regard, the movie succeeds. Gaston Jr.'s vibrant choreography, shot on digital video with a style that emphasizes the dancers' breakneck speed, displays a zest for the ballroom scene that practically makes it a sequel to Livingston's documentary. The music, which contains lyrics by Gaylord and a score by Beyoncé creative director Kim Burse, makes the vogueing come alive with a vast spectrum of rhythm and emotions. Tracks range from the bittersweet (Brad's self-deprecating "My Loser's List") to outright anger at societal oppression ("This is My Lament"). A scene set at the funeral for a friend of the vogueing crowd, where the gays confront the late man's conservative family, stands out as a memorably galvanizing moment with legitimate tear-jerking cred.

However, in that scene and throughout the movie, "Leave It On the Floor" is held down by the lack of a cogent screenplay and flimsy production values. Having directed countless TV documentaries and theater, Larry is hardly an amateur, but he lacks the ability to direct individual scenes with the same connectivity he brings to the dance numbers, so the story suffers from exposition problems. Additionally, both the arc and concept are fairly derivative, calling to mind "Rent" and other postmodern Broadway hits with equal amounts of bawdiness and sentimentalism. It's impossible to ignore the great beats and glamorous attitude, but the moves are ultimately much better than the movie showcasing them.

HOW WILLI T PLAY? "Leave It on the Floor" should gain further attention from gay festivals and likeminded showcases for such work. It also has the potential to obtain cult appeal in ballroom scenes around the country. Given the niche appeal and lo-fi aesthetic, however, its best bet is with a midsize distributor that would allow it to find audiences on VOD.

criticWIRE grade: B-

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LAFF REVIEW | Amber Sealey and Kent Osborne Make a Provocative Marital Drama in "How to Cheat"

Eric Kohn — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 07:02:08 GMT

"How to Cheat," Amber Sealey's intriguing sophomore feature following her directorial debut "A Plus D," looks like an annoying retread of DIY tropes until it manages to defy them. The opening scene finds Mark (Kent Osborne) bouncing around his Los Angeles backyard in his birthday suit, striking a comical "seize the day" pose before heading off to his droll job as the driver for a car service. With his goofy demeanor masking a deeper yearning to enjoy life, Mark initially resembles the star of Joe Swanberg's "Uncle Kent," a 40-year-old bachelor also played by Osborne. Fortunately, Sealey hasn't made a sequel set in Swanbergville. "How to Cheat" travels much deeper than that.

Unlike Osborne's "Uncle Kent" character, Mark actually has a life, if not a particularly great one. In between shuttling clients around town, he adheres to a strict schedule for sex that his wife, Beth (Sealey), regularly enforces. Their unsuccessful attempts to get her pregnant introduce an awkward tension to the couple's relationship, particularly due to the lingering grief caused by a miscarriage Beth experienced a year earlier. Minutes before dashing off to work, she forces Mark to engage in a mechanical quickie, presumably a usual scene in their household. "It's like washing a dog in a bathtub," he complains to a friend.

Initially, Sealey uses this scenario to construct a rambling comedy with flashes of subversive wit. Revealing Beth's miscarriage to the same friend, Mark makes the absurd claim that he senses the dead infant in the room when the couple has sex. "Get an exorcist," comes the reply. Instead, he concludes that he should have an affair.

It's here that "How to Cheat" invites comparisons to "The Freebie," Katie Aselton's grim marriage drama about a young couple who decide to try out an open relationship. However, Mark's motivation runs much deeper than simple horniness. "I would love to feel guilty," he tells his therapist, expressing an apparent hope to enliven his life by courting danger.

At first, he has little success. Landing a handful of dates through the Internet, he routinely owns up about his intentions and scares off one prospect after another. He finally gets his groove back by meeting the strangely alluring Louise (newcomer Amanda Street, in a fascinatingly offbeat role), a woman initially uncool to Mark's scheme before relishing the opportunity to exploit his desire.

Shot on digital video with a scrappy, handmade look, "How to Cheat" has plenty of rough patches, including an on-the-nose sequence in which Mark drapes himself in toilet paper and stumbles around the house as a mummy. But the quirk is overtaken by the larger dramatic scope. Sealey unapologetically takes the mold of a microbudget comedy in several directions, using the couple's unstable marriage to stabilize the pace. When Mark lands in the sack with Louise, the liaison leads to unexpected results, and "How to Cheat" adopts the eerie atmosphere of a sexual thriller. Then it retreats back to the marital tension where it began, setting the stage for a third act twist loaded with provocative uncertainty that gives the movie a captivating edge.

Sealey's patient screenplay has a clean, intelligent structure that could easily become watered down for Hollywood treatment, but she defies expectations with a suitably ambiguous conclusion. From Mark's conundrum, the story shifts to Beth's point of view, and her reaction to their unfolding drama makes it unclear whether her husband actually cheated or inadvertently got something right.

HOW WILL IT PLAY? Premiering at the L.A. Film Festival's narrative competition, "How to Cheat" is destined to play well on the remaining festival circuit this year and possibly find its way to a VOD deal, which is its best bet at getting broader attention.

criticWIRE grade: B+

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