May
5
LAFF: Public Enemies is Centerpiece
In keeping with Film Independent's recent policy of pursuing Hollywood studio summer movies, the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival will include as its Centerpiece a Sony gangster movie, Michael Mann's Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger. The fifteenth LAFF will run from Thursday, June 18 to Sunday, June 28 and will screen over 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos from more than 30 countries, selected from 4,600 submissions. For the first time under fest director Rebecca Yeldham, international films will be included in the narrative and documentary competition categories. The opening and closing night films and other details of the event are still to be announced.
The LAFF program includes many world premieres plus several Sundance must-sees: We Live in Public, Ondi Timoner, Amreeka, Cherien Dabis, Humpday, Lynn Shelton, In the Loop, Armando Iannucci and It Might Get Loud, Davis Guggenheim.
Passes go on sale May 18 to the general public; general admission tickets to individual films go on sale May 29. Info at LAFilmFest.com. The full list of films is on the jump.
Narrative Competition (7): The Narrative Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Target Filmmaker Award, which carries a $50,000 unrestricted grant funded by Target. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors. Films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature.
• Dear Lemon Lima, Suzi Yoonessi – WORLD PREMIERE
• Harmony & Me, Bob Byington
• Hollywood, je t’aime, Jason Bushman – WORLD PREMIERE
• Passenger Side, Matt Bissonnette – Canada - WORLD PREMIERE
• Turistas, Alicia Scherson – Chile – U.S. PREMIERE
• Wa Do Dem (What They Do), Sam Fleischner, Ben Chace – WORLD PREMIERE
• Zero Bridge, Tariq Tapa – USA/India – U.S. PREMIERE
Documentary Competition (7): The Documentary Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Target Documentary Award, which carries a $50,000 unrestricted grant funded by Target. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors. Films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature.
• After the Storm, Hilla Medalia – WORLD PREMIERE
• Bananas!*, Fredrik Gertten - Sweden – WORLD PREMIERE
• Branson, Brent Meeske – WORLD PREMIERE
• Convention, AJ Schnack
• The Last Beekeeper, Jeremy Simmons
• October Country, Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher – WORLD PREMIERE
• Those Who Remain, Juan Carlos Rulfo, Carlos Hagerman – Mexico - U.S. PREMIERE
International Showcase (21): 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.
• Adhen, Rabah Ameur-Zaimeche – France/Algeria
• Autumn, Özcan Alper – Turkey
• Birdwatchers, Marco Bechis – Italy/Brazil (IFC Festival Direct)
• Bronson, Nicolas Winding Refn – England (Magnolia Pictures)
• Calimucho, Eugenie Jansen – Netherlands
• Call If You Need Me, James Lee – Malaysia – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
• Carmen Meets Borat, Mercedes Stalenhoef – Netherlands
• City of Borders, Yun Suh – Israel
• Elementary Training for Actors, Martín Rejtman – Argentina – INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
• Extraordinary Stories, Mariano Llinás – Argentina
• High-Rise, Gabriel Mascaro – Brazil – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
• Los Bastardos, Amat Escalante – Mexico (Kino International)
• Mid-August Lunch, Gianni di Gregorio - Italy
• My Dear Enemy, Lee Yoon-ki – South Korea
• Our Beloved Month of August, Miguel Gomes – Portugal/France
• The Queen and I, Nahid Persson Sarvestani – Sweden (7th Art Releasing)
• Sacred Places, Jean-Marie Téno – France/Cameroon
• Stella, Sylvie Verheyde – France
• Unmade Beds, Alexis Dos Santos – England (IFC Festival Direct)
• A Week Alone, Celina Murga – Argentina
• West of Pluto, Henry Bernadet, Myriam Verreault – Canada
International Spotlight - Documenting Mexico: Selections from the Ambulante Film
Festival (3): 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 Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz to promote documentary culture across Mexico. In this selection from the festival, we highlight outstanding works by filmmakers documenting Mexico’s past and present.
• Born Without, Eva Norvind - Mexico
• El General, Natalia Almada – Mexico/USA
• Rehje, Anaís Huerta, Raúl Cuesta – Mexico - INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
Summer Showcase (11): 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.
• 35 Shots of Rum, Claire Denis – France (Cinema Guild)
• Big River Man, John Maringouin
• Cold Souls, Sophie Barthes (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
• Facing Ali, Pete McCormack (Lionsgate)
• Humpday, Lynn Shelton (Magnolia Pictures)
• In the Loop, Armando Iannucci – England (IFC Films)
• It Might Get Loud, Davis Guggenheim (Sony Pictures Classics)
• No Impact Man, Laura Gabbert & Justin Schein
• Paper Heart, Nicholas Jasenovec (Overture Films)
• Still Walking, Hirokazu Kore-eda – Japan (IFC Films)
• We Live in Public, Ondi Timoner
Dark Wave (2): Dark Wave offers frightening and edgy films from around the world. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature or Best Narrative Feature.
• Embodiment of Evil, José Mojica Marins – Brazil
• I Sell the Dead, Glenn McQuaid
Guilty Pleasures (2): Films in this section are eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature.
• Weather Girl, Blayne Weaver
• ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction, Kevin Hamedani
Outdoor Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre (4): These official Los Angeles Film Festival selections are included as part of the 2009 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.
• 13 Most Beautiful... Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests, with Live Accompaniment by
Dean & Britta
• All Tomorrow’s Parties, All Tomorrow’s People & Jonathan Caouette - England
• Black Dynamite, Scott Sanders (Sony Pictures)
• Soul Power, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte (Sony Pictures Classics)
Special Screenings (2):
• Crude Oil, Wang Bing – China – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
• Panda Diary, Tadashi Mori – Japan – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Behind the Scenes – Films with Extended Conversations (2):
• Billy Jack, T.C. Frank (1971) – new digital restoration: followed by a conversation with Tom Laughlin.
• Midnight Cowboy, John Schlessinger (1969) – 40th anniversary: preceded by a conversation with Jon Voight.
L.A. Film Critics: The Films That Got Away (3): Co-presented by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
• Música Nocturna, Rafael Filipelli - Argentina
• Silence Before Bach, Pere Portabella - Spain
• United Red Army, Koji Wakamatsu – Japan
Hell on Wheels: Hot Rods and Fast Times (3): Co-presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
• Hi-Riders, Greydon Clark (1978)
• Hot Rod Girl, Leslie H. Martinson (1956)
• Hot Rods to Hell, John Brahm (1967)
Film Foundation & American Express Preservation Screening Program: Presented by the Film Foundation & American Express.
• Night Tide, Curtis Harrington (1961)
Free Screenings (8):
• Amreeka, Cherien Dabis (National Geographic Films) – Project:Involve Screening
• Crude Oil, Wang Bing – China – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
• Election, Alexander Payne (1999) – 10th Anniversary
• Ghostbusters, Ivan Reitman (1984) – 25th Anniversary
• Hot Rod Girl, Leslie H. Martinson (1956)
• How I See It: Youth Filmmaking From Streets to Streams,
• The Muppet Movie, James Frawley (1979) – 30th Anniversary
• Those Who Remain, Juan Carlos Rulfo, Carlos Hagerman – Mexico - U.S. PREMIERE
Short Films (45): 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.
Future Filmmakers Showcase: High School Shorts (33): These two programs of shorts made by high school students from around the country feature work by the next generation of filmmakers.
Music Videos (54): The Music Video Showcase is sponsored by IFC and 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. Music videos will compete for an Audience Award.
• Eclectic Mix 1
• Eclectic Mix 2
• Where It Was At: A Propaganda & Satellite Films Tribute
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