LA Film Festival Unveils 42 World Premieres
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April 26, 2016 |
The LA Film Festival has announced its competition lineup of
42 world premieres with 43% of the films directed by women and 38%
of the films by people of color.
“Curating films for LA audiences is so special because
Angelenos have a uniquely homegrown love of cinema,” said
Creative Director Jennifer Cochis. “It’s with true film
lovers in mind that we program: from political theater to musical
theater, we’re highlighting storytelling in all its
forms.”
Festival director Stephanie Allain said the diversity numbers
have risen from the 2015 festival. “It’s very much our
mission to discover new voices and support diversity,” she
added.
Among the notable titles unveiled Tuesday were Amber
Tamblyn’s debut feature film “Paint It Black” in
the U.S. fiction lineup; Ben Lear’s “They Call Us
Monsters” in the documentary section; and Darren Lynn
Bousman’s “Abattoir” in the Nightfall
section.
Director of Programming Roya Rastegar told Variety, “We
were looking above all for stories with a sense of urgency to
them.”
The festival will be headquartered at the ArcLight Culver City
and run from June 1 to 9 — one day longer than the previous
three years. Its previously announced opening night film is the
world premiere at the Cinerama Dome of Ricardo De Montreuil’s
“Lowriders,” starring Eva Longoria and Demian
Bichir.
The festival, which is part of Film Independent, announced a
total of 56 films including titles unveiled last week for the
non-competition Buzz and Limelight sections: Mike Birbiglia’s
“Don’t Think Twice”; Stella Meghie’s
“Jean of the Joneses”; Justin Tipping’s
“Kicks”; Roger Ross Williams’ “Life,
Animated”; David F. Sandberg’s “Lights
Out”; Isaac Rentz’s “Opening Night”; and
Stephen Gyllenhaal’s “So B. It.”
The lineup for the US Fiction
Competition:
11:55, dir. Ari Issler, Ben Snyder, USA
72 Hours, dir. Raafi Rivero, USA
Blood Stripe, dir. Remy Auberjonois, USA
Chee and T, dir. Tanuj Chopra, USA
Destined, dir. Qasim Basir, USA
Dreamstates, dir. Anisia Uzeyman, USA
Green / is / Gold, dir. Ryon Baxter, USA
My First Kiss and the People Involved, dir. Luigi Campi,
USA
Paint it Black, dir. Amber Tamblyn, USA
Tracktown, dir. Jeremy Teicher, Alexi Pappas, USA
The View from Tall, dir. Erica Weiss, Caitlin Parrish,
USA
Woven, dir. Salome Mulugeta, Nagwa Ibrahim, USA
Documentary Competition
Company Town, dir. Natalie Kottke, Erica Sardarian, USA,
Denial, dir. Derek Hallquist, USA,
Dr. Feelgood, dir. Eve Marson, USA
Dying Laughing, dir. Lloyd Stanton, Paul Toogood, USA/UK
The House on Coco Road, dir. Damani Baker, Grenada/USA
Jackson, dir. Maisie Crow, USA
The Last Gold, dir. Brian T. Brown, Germany/USA
Looking at the Stars, dir. Alexandre Peralta,
Brazil/Nicaragua/USA
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice, dir. Deborah Riley Draper,
USA
Out of Iraq, dir. Eva Orner, Chris McKim, Canada/Iraq/Lebanon/USA
Political Animals, dir. Jonah Markowitz, Tracy Wares,
USA
They Call us Monsters, dir. Ben Lear, USA
World Fiction Competition (6)
Unique fiction films from around the world from emerging
and established filmmakers, especially curated for LA
audiences.
Heis (chronicles), dir. Anaïs Volpé, France
Like Cotton Twines, dir. Leila Djansi, Ghana/USA
London Town, dir. Derrick Borte, UK
Lupe Under the Sun, dir. Rodrigo Reyes, Mexico/USA
A Moving Image, dir. Shola Amoo, UK
Play the Devil, dir. Maria Govan, Trinidad/Bahamas/USA
LA Muse Section (fiction and documentary films that capture
the spirit of L.A.
Actors of Sound, dir. Lalo Molina,
Argentina/Finland/Germany/India/Ireland/USA
Girl Flu., dir. Dorie Barton, USA
Manchild: The Schea Cotton Story, dir. Eric “Ptah”
Herbert, USA
Namour, dir. Heidi Saman, USA
No Light and No Land Anywhere, dir. Amber Sealey, USA
Sensitivity Training, dir. Melissa Finell, USA
Nightfall (6)
Abattoir, dir. Darren Lynn Bousman, USA
Beyond the Gates, dir. Jackson Stewart, USA
Don’t Hang Up, dir. Alexis Wajsbrot, Damien Macé,
UK
Mercy, dir. Chris Sparling, USA
Officer Downe, dir. M. Shawn Crahan, USA
Villisca, dir. Tony Valenzuela, USA
