Complete Los Angeles Film Festival Lineup Announced!
LOS ANGELES (May 4, 2010) - Today Film Independent, the non-profit arts
organization that produces the Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival,
and year-round artist development programs and exhibition events, announced the
official selections for the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the
Los Angeles Times. The Festival will run from Thursday, June 17 to Sunday, June
27 in downtown Los Angeles, with its central hub at L.A. LIVE. Now in its
sixteenth year, the Festival is recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the
best in new American and international cinema and providing the movie-loving
public with access to critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry
professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.
The 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen over
200 feature films, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 40
countries. This year, the Festival received more than 4,700 submissions
from filmmakers around the world. The final selections represent 28
World, North American, and U.S. premieres, which more than doubled from
2009. The number of films competing in the narrative and documentary
competition categories also increased this year from 13 to 18, of which half
are World premieres.
For the fifth year, the Los Angeles Times will serve
as the Festival's title sponsor and once again produce the official Festival
Guide, the comprehensive source for all movie info, screenings, locations, and
related special events. The Festival Guide will top the paper on Sunday,
June 13 in Los Angeles and Orange County, and will be made available throughout
downtown L.A. during the ten-day event.
"We've received tremendous support from the community
for our move to downtown and can't wait to present this rich, diverse program
to audiences," said Los Angeles Film Festival Director Rebecca Yeldham.
"We've created a series of highly entertaining, memorable experiences for our
filmmakers and audiences."
"The Los Angeles Film Festival is always
an amazing time for us because we can build on our year-round work of
cultivating the careers of artists and providing them with a unique platform to
showcase their films," said Film Independent Executive Director Dawn
Hudson. "It's also a fabulous way to bring together the industry,
filmmakers, and film lovers to celebrate the diverse arts scene that Los Angeles
has to offer."
Focus Features' The Kids Are All
Right will kick off the Festival on June 17 at the Premiere Theater at
Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14. The film is directed by Lisa
Cholodenko from an original screenplay by Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg and
stars Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, and Josh
Hutcherson. Two teenaged children (Wasikowska, Hutcherson) conceived by
artificial insemination get the notion to seek out their birth father and
introduce him into the family life that their two mothers (Bening, Moore) have
built for them. Once the donor (Ruffalo) is found, the household will
never be the same, as family ties are defined, re-defined, and
re-re-defined. The Kids Are All Right opens in select cities on
July 7, 2010.
Universal Pictures' world premiere of the
3-D CGI feature Despicable Me will close the Festival on June 27
at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. The film is directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre
Coffin with an all-star cast including Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell
Brand, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Jemaine Clement, Miranda
Cosgrove, Jack McBrayer, and Julie Andrews. One of the world's greatest
super-villains, Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), is planning the biggest heist in
the history of the world: to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Despicable
Me. Surrounded by an army of mischievous little yellow minions and
armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles,
Gru vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the
immense will of three little girls who look at him and see something that no
one else has: a potential Dad. Despicable Me opens nationwide in
Real D 3D on July 9, 2010.
The Festival will host the invitation-only
world premiere of Summit Entertainment's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
on June 24 at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. Details for the screening can be
found at LAFilmFest.com. The film is directed by David Slade and stars
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Billy Burke,
Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone,
and Dakota Fanning. In Eclipse, Bella once again finds herself
surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings,
and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of
it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship
with Jacob, knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle
between vampire and werewolf. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens
nationwide on June 30, 2010.
In lieu of one Centerpiece Premiere, this
year's Festival will feature a number of high-profile Gala Screenings, which
include: Sony Pictures Classics' Animal Kingdom, directed by
David Michod; Fox Searchlight's Cyrus, directed by Jay & Mark
Duplass; the world premiere of Mahler on the Couch, directed by
Percy and Felix Adlon; the North American premiere of Revolución,
a series of short films directed by Mariana Chenillo, Fernando Eimbcke, Amat Escalante,
Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo García, Diego Luna, Gerardo Naranjo, Rodrigo Piá,
Carlos Reygadas, and Patricia Riggen; and Paramount Vantage's Waiting for
Superman, directed by Davis Guggenheim.
Last year, Netflix and Film Independent joined forces
to create the national Netflix FIND Your Voice Film Competition, to discover
and assist the next great independent filmmaker. The winning project, The
Wheeler Boys written and directed by Philip G. Flores, was developed
through Film Independent over the past year and will now have its world
premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Additional support was
provided by Panavision, Kodak, Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, and EFILM
Hollywood, a division of Deluxe.
Passes to attend the Festival are available
immediately for Film Independent members, and beginning May 10 for the general
public. In addition to screenings and events, Festival passes provide
access to a series of networking receptions and entry to the ZonePerfect
live.create. 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 June 1.
Contact the Festival Ticketing Center for passes, tickets and event information
by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866.345-6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com. Festival
Passes and tickets can also be purchased in person beginning on Monday, June 14
at the Festival Ticketing Center located at L.A. LIVE (800 W. Olympic Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90015).
Opening Night Film:
·
The
Kids Are All Right, Lisa
Cholodenko (Focus Features)
Closing Night Film:
·
Despicable
Me, Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin (Universal Pictures) - WORLD
PREMIERE
Bonus By Invitation Screening:
·
The
Twilight Saga: Eclipse, David
Slade (Summit Entertainment) - WORLD PREMIERE
Gala Screenings (5):
·
Animal
Kingdom, David Michod -
Australia (Sony Pictures Classics)
·
Cyrus, Jay & Mark Duplass (Fox Searchlight)
·
Mahler
on the Couch, Percy &
Felix Adlon - WORLD PREMIERE
·
Revolución, Mariana Chenillo, Fernando Eimbcke, Amat Escalante, Gael García
Bernal, Rodrigo García, Diego Luna, Gerardo Naranjo, Rodrigo Piá, Carlos
Reygadas & Patricia Riggen - Mexico - NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
·
Waiting
for Superman, Davis Guggenheim
(Paramount Vantage)
Narrative Competition (9): 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.
·
Dog
Sweat, Hossein Keshavarz - Iran - WORLD PREMIERE
·
A
Family, Pernille Fischer Christensen - Denmark - NORTH
AMERICAN PREMIERE
·
Hello
Lonesome, Adam Reid - WORLD
PREMIERE
·
The
New Year, Brett Haley
·
Of Love
and Other Demons,
Hilda Hidalgo - Costa Rica/Colombia - NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
·
Orly, Angela
Schanelec - Germany/France - NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
·
Parade, Isao Yukisada - Japan - NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
·
Upstate, Katherine Nolfi, Andrew Luis - WORLD PREMIERE
·
The
Wolf Knife, Laurel Nakadate
- WORLD 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.
·
Camera,
Camera, Malcolm Murray - WORLD PREMIERE
·
Circo, Aaron Schock - USA/Mexico - WORLD PREMIERE
·
One
Lucky Elephant, Lisa Leeman - WORLD PREMIERE
·
Everyday
Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, Lev
Anderson, Chris Metzler - WORLD PREMIERE
·
Farewell, Ditteke Mensink - Netherlands - US PREMIERE
·
Life
with Murder, John Kastner -
Canada - US PREMIERE
·
Make
Believe, J. Clay Tweel - WORLD
PREMIERE
·
Vlast, Cathryn Collins
·
Where
Are You Taking Me?, Kimi Takesue - NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
International Showcase (20): 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.
·
1428, Du Hai-bin - China
·
Army
of Crime, Robert
Guédiguian - France (Kino)
·
Bibliotheque
Pascal, Szabolcs Hajdu - Germany/Hungary/England - NORTH
AMERICAN PREMIERE
·
Café
Noir, Jung Sung-il - South Korea - NORTH AMERICAN
PREMIERE
·
Disco
& Atomic War, Jaak
Kilmi, Kiur Aarma - Estonia/Finland
·
Down
Terrace, Ben Wheatley -
England (Magnolia Pictures)
·
Eastern
Plays, Kamen Kalev - Bulgaria
·
Eyes
Wide Open, Haim Tabakman - Israel/Germany/France (New American
Vision)
·
Family
Tree, Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau - France
·
Golden
Slumber, Yoshihiro
Nakamura - Japan - NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
·
Judge, Liu Jie - China
·
La
Pivellina, Rainer Frimmel,
Tizza Covi - Austria/Italy
·
Lebanon, Samuel Maoz - Israel (Sony Pictures Classics)
·
The
Peddler, Eduardo de la
Serna, Lucas Marcheggiano, Adriana Yurcovich - Argentina
·
R, Tobias Lindholm, Michael Noer - Denmark
·
The
Red Chapel, Mads Brugger -
Denmark
·
Secrets
of the Tribe, José Padilha -
England/Brazil
·
Space
Tourists, Christian Frei -
Switzerland
·
Street
Days, Levan Koguashvili - Georgia
·
Woman
on Fire Looks For Water, Woo
Ming Jin - Malaysia/South Korea
Summer Screenings (12): The Summer Screenings 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.
·
Ain't
In It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm, Jacob Hatley
·
Cane
Toads: The Conquest, Mark
Lewis - Australia/US
·
Cold
Weather, Aaron Katz
·
Four
Lions, Christopher Morris - England
·
Kings
of Pastry, D.A. Pennebaker,
Chris Hegedus (First Run Features)
·
Marwencol, Jeff
Malmberg
·
Monsters, Gareth
Edwards (Magnolia Pictures)
·
Night
Catches Us, Tanya Hamilton (Magnolia Pictures)
·
The
Tillman Story, Amir
Bar-Lev (The Weinstein Company)
·
Tiny
Furniture, Lena Dunham (IFC
Films)
·
Welcome
to the Rileys, Jake
Scott (Apparition, Destination Films)
·
White
Material, Claire Denis - France (IFC Films)
Outdoor Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre (4): These official Los Angeles Film Festival
selections, sponsored by Brand X and American Airlines, are included as part of the 2010 Ford Amphitheatre Summer Season; a
multi-disciplinary arts series produced by the Los Angeles County Arts
Commission in cooperation with Los Angeles County-based arts organizations. Films
in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International
Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.
·
Centurion,
Neil Marshall - England (Magnolia Pictures)
·
The
Last Exorcism,
Daniel Stamm (Lionsgate) - WORLD PREMIERE
·
The People
vs. George Lucas, Alexandre O. Philippe
·
Thunder
Soul, Mark Landsman
International Spotlight (4): A tribute to a forgotten giant of South
American cinema, Argentina's Leopoldo Torre Nilsson, sponsored by Academy
Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
·
The
Fall (1959)
·
The
Hand in the Trap (1961)
·
The
House of the Angel (1957)
·
The
Seven Madmen (1973)
Selections from the Ambulante Film Festival (3): Sponsored by Hoy, and returning for a second year,
Ambulante is a traveling documentary film festival produced by the non-profit
organization Documental Ambulante A.C., in collaboration with Canana,
Cinepolis, and the Morelia International Film Festival. It was created in
2005 by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz to promote documentary
culture across Mexico. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards
for Best International Feature or Best Documentary Feature.
·
One
Day Less, Dariela Ludlow -
Mexico - US PREMIERE
·
Presumed
Guilty, Roberto Hernández, Geoffrey Smith - Mexico
·
The
Toledo Report,
Albino Álvarez Gomez - Mexico
Community Screenings (4): These
films will be presented free to the public. Films in this section are eligible
for Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature or Best Documentary Feature.
· Climate Refugees, Michael P. Nash - Grand Performances Screening
· Gasland, Josh Fox
· Lost Angels, Thomas Napper - WORLD PREMEIRE
·
A
Small Act, Jennifer Arnold
- Project:Involve Screening
The Beyond (4):
The Beyond offers films that dare to be different. Films in this section are
eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative
Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.
· All About Evil, Joshua Grannell
· Bitter Feast, Joe Maggio - WORLD PREMIERE
· Mandrill, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza - Chile
· Separado!, Gruff Rhys, Dylan Goch - Wales - US PREMIERE
Special Screenings (3):
· The Life of Richard Wagner (1913), Carl Froelich
· The Wheeler Boys, Philip G. Flores - WORLD PREMIERE - Netflix
FIND Your Voice Winner
· Utopia in Four Movements, David Cerf, Sam Green
UCLA Film & T.V. Archive Collaborations
L.A. Film Critics: The Films That Got Away (2): Co-presented by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the UCLA
Film & Television Archive.
·
The
Happiest Girl in the World (2009), Radu
Jude - Romania
·
Katalin
Varga (2009), Peter Strickland
- Romania/England
Downtown Confidential (2): Co-presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive
·
Hickey
and Boggs (1972), Robert Culp
·
The
Driver (1978),
Walter Hill
The Film Foundation Screening Program (2):
·
The
Leopard (1963), Luchino
Visconti - Presented by The Film Foundation and Gucci as part of "Cinema
Visionaries."
·
The
Music Room (1958),
Satyajit Ray - Presented by The Film Foundation and American Express as part
of "20 Years/20 Films."
Short Films (33): Shorts
are shown before features and as part of five 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 1-5
Future Filmmakers Showcase: High School Shorts (32): These
two programs of shorts, sponsored by Best Buy, made by high school students
from around the country feature work by the next generation of filmmakers.
· Programs 1-2
Music Videos (60): The
Music Video Showcase consists of three programs. Our two Eclectic Mix programs
are a visual mix tape of this year's best independent music videos, with a few
innovative major label artists thrown in for good measure. Big in Japan highlights a selection of the most dynamic
music videos Japan has to offer. Music videos will compete for an
Audience Award.
· Eclectic Mix 1-2
· Big in Japan: A Survey of Japanese Music Videos
This Festival's Guest Director, Artists in Residence,
and special guests - as well as programming for the Festival Talks, Director
Lunch Talks, Coffee Talks, Poolside Chats, Kodak Focus, and the Marketing and
(DIY)stribution Symposium - will be announced shortly.
