July 2, 2008

LAFF '08 INTERVIEW | "I'll Come Running" Director Spencer Parsons and "HottieBoombaLottie" Director Seth Packard

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (June 25, 2008)

[EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is profiling the Narrative and Documentary Competition filmmakers who are screening their films at the Los Angeles Film Festival as world premieres.] In this installment spotlighting emerging filmmakers from the Los Angeles Film Festival, indieWIRE received remarks from "I'll Come Running" director Spencer Parsons, about is narrative feature detailing the ramifications of a Danish tourist's one night stand in Austin, Texas, and "HottieBoombaLottie" writer-director-star Seth Packard's comedy about a peculiar teenager.
[ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 30, 2008

NYT | Little Movies, Big Problems

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

"Hollywood is having a good-to-great summer," David Carr writes today, in his weekly New York Times column, "Once you start looking under the tent poles, though, perhaps for a film where nothing is blown up, things become grim. This summer, it seems only “The Visitor” will hit the classic indie trifecta of good reviews, strong word of mouth and staying power in theaters." Carr digs deeper in the wake of Mark Gill's recent L.A. Film Festival keynote speech, which was published by indieWIRE last week.
[permalink] [ filed under Biz, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '08 | "Prince of Broadway," "Loot" Win Big Cash Awards as L.A. Fest Closes

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez (June 30, 2008)
"Prince of Broadway," the latest feature by Sean Baker, won the Target Filmmaker Award, the top narrative feature prize at the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival. Darius Marder's "Loot" simultaneously won the Target Documentary Award as the Film Independent event came to a close in California on Sunday night. Both filmmakers received the sizable, unrestriced $50,000 cash prize as the fest concluded. Audience awards went to a trio of favorites from this year's Sundance Film Festival: Jonathan Levine's "The Wackness" (narrative audience award), Sacha Gervasi's "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" (documentary audience award) and James Marsh's "Man on Wire" (international audience award).
[ read more in On The Scene ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Festival News, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 28, 2008

LAFF '08 NOTEBOOK | Top Docs: "Trinidad," "No Name," "Pressure Cooker," "Loot" and "Boogie Man"

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Michael Lerman (June 28, 2008)
"Everyone feels the need to express themselves and they hope that when they do the world accepts them." Truer words were never spoken by director PJ Raval whose first feature, "Trinidad" (co-directed by Jay Hodges), premiered in competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival in the past week. In Raval's case, he was speaking about the subjects of his film, a group of transgender women who undergo sex-change operations in a small Colorado town. But, he might as well have been talking about himself, Hodges and their competition-mates, a strong group of documentary filmmakers with very distinct stories to tell about the world around them. The diverse pool of talent drummed up by programmers Rachel Rosen and Doug Jones has offered plenty of hope for the future of independent documentaries and, ironically enough, the ones that float to the surface favor aptitude with classic filmmaking models over innovation.
[ read more in Movies ]   [ 2 comments ]   [ filed under Documentary, Festival Dispatch, Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '08 INTERVIEW | "Must Read After My Death" Director Morgan Dews

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (June 28, 2008)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is profiling the Narrative and Documentary Competition filmmakers who are screening their films at the Los Angeles Film Festival as world premieres.] Screening in the Documentary Competition of the Los Angeles Film Festival, Morgan Dews' "Must Read After My Death details the lives of Dew's grandparents, Allis and Charley. From a mass of recorded audio diaries, Dictaphone letters, photographs, and home movies, Dews recalls two independent thinkers raising a family of four in 1960s Connecticut. indieWIRE talked to Dews about the film, and is expectations for LAFF.
[ read more in People ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 27, 2008

LAFF '08 INTERVIEW | "Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story" Director Stefan Forbes

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (June 27, 2008)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is profiling the Narrative and Documentary Competition filmmakers who are screening their films at the Los Angeles Film Festival as world premieres.] Screening in the Documentary Competition of the Los Angeles Film Festival, Stefan Forbes's "Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story" tells the story of the late iconoclast Lee Atwater Atwater was the man behind successful campaigns for Reagan and the Bush Dynasty, pioneering the art of campaigning. Featuring Ed Rollins, Michael Dukakis, Tucker Eskew, Howard Fineman, Mary Matalin, and Sam Donaldson, "Boogie Man" depicts Atwater's role in the G.O.P.'s hold on America. indieWIRE talked to Forbes about the film, and his hopes for LAFF.
[ read more in People ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

DISPATCH FROM LOS ANGELES | An Evening With Sheila Nevins

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez (June 27, 2008)
In the Green Room prior to Thursday's "Evening with Sheila Nevins" event at the Los Angeles Film Festival, Nevins cashed in on a $100 bet pegged to the performance of Stephen Walker's "Young@Heart," the documentary acquired by Fox Searchlight during last year's festival. Sheila Nevins, president of HBO's acclaimed documentary division, didn't think audiences would show up in droves to see a doc about the elderly. Despite the marketing muscle of Searchlight, the film earned about $3.5 million during its theatrical release earlier this year, and Nevins personally made $100 on the bet (which she immediately offered to charity).
[ read more in On The Scene ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Documentary, Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '08 INTERVIEW | "Thing With No Name" Director Sarah Friedland

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (June 27, 2008)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is profiling the Narrative and Documentary Competition filmmakers who are screening their films at the Los Angeles Film Festival as world premieres.] Screening in the Documentary Competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival, Sarah Friedland's "Thing With No Name" zeroes in on problems in post-apartheid South Africa, where a disease has a hold on a vanishing population. In Kwazulu Natal, the rate of infection in women is twice that of men, and one out of every six people is HIV-positive. Friedland follows two Zulu women as they begin antiretroviral drug therapy. She talked to indieWIRE about the experience and her hopes for LAFF.
[ read more in People ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 26, 2008

LAFF '08 | Upham and Leo

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Photo and text by Eugene Hernandez (June 26, 2008)
Hanging out at the Denver Film Festival's party in LA this week, celebrating this fall's Cinemocracy festival during the Democratic National Convention in Denver are "Frozen River" stars Misty Upham (left) and Melissa Leo (right). indieWIRE interviewed "Frozen River" director Courtney Hunt, prior to the filmmaker winning the Sundance Film Festival grand jury prize.
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '08 | Holdridge and Sehring

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Photo and text by Eugene Hernandez (June 26, 2008)
Chatting with IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring at this week's IFC & Blockbuster party at the Sunset Marquis is Alex Holdridge, director of "In Search of a Midnight Kiss." Reviewing the film for indieWIRE at last year's Tribeca Film Festival, Howard Feinstein called it a "masterwork," calling it, "The story of a sad slacker and a troubled gal wandering through downtown L.A., it is an affectionate paean to the 'City of Angels'."
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

DISPATCH FROM LOS ANGELES: Insiders, Observers, and Many Others Wonder: Is the Sky Really Falling?

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez (June 26, 2008)
"Attached. Locked," Mark Gill said in a brief email to PR reps late Tuesday, June 17th. He was sending a final PDF version of "Yes, The Sky Really Is Falling," a keynote speech he would deliver in a few days at Film Independent's Film Financing Conference during the Los Angeles Film Festival. "Let's talk about what to do in terms of publicity," he noted in the short message, time stamped near midnight. By Sunday, 24 hours after the speech, numerous people were buzzing about his remarks, but on Monday, as insiders began forwarding online links to the transcript speech, the reaction intensified. "I've already received it nine or ten times," an industry insider told Gill, "I am going to scream, please make it stop!" In the past four days -- as of late morning local time today (Thursday) -- the article had been read on indieWIRE more than 99,100 times, a whopping immediate response.
[ read more in Biz ]   [ 2 comments ]   [ filed under Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival, Trends ]

LAFF '08 INTERVIEW | "Trinidad" Co-Directors Jay Hodges and PJ Raval

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (June 26, 2008)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is profiling the Narrative and Documentary Competition filmmakers who are screening their films at the Los Angeles Film Festival as world premieres.] Screening in the Documentary Competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival, PJ Raval and Jay Hodges' "Trinidad" follows Dr. Marci Bowers, a former patient of Dr. Stanley Biber, who had begun conducting genital-reassignment surgeries in Trinidad, Colorado in 1969. Bowers took over Biber's practice after his death, enhancing the procedure to "near perfection." "Trinidad" details Bowers and two of her patients, both at different stages of their sexual transformation from male to female. indieWIRE talked to both Hodges and Raval about the film, and their hopes for LAFF.
[ read more in People ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '08 INTERVIEW | "Loot" Director Darius Marder

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (June 26, 2008)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is profiling the Narrative and Documentary Competition filmmakers who are screening their films at the Los Angeles Film Festival as world premieres.] Screening in the Documentary Competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival, Darius Marder's "Loot" follows Lance Larson, a second generation treasure hunter. His current project is two World War II veterans who buried treasure after the war, one in Austria and the other in the Philippines. Larson is determined to find the riches. Marder's debut film parallels this search with revelations from the past, showing a quest for closure. The director talked to indieWIRE about "Loot" and his hopes for LAFF.
[ read more in People ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '08 INTERVIEW | "Prince of Broadway" Director Sean Baker

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (June 26, 2008)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is profiling the Narrative and Documentary Competition filmmakers who are screening their films at the Los Angeles Film Festival as world premieres.] Screening in the Narrative Competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival, Sean Baker's "Prince of Broadway" follows Lucky, a New York merchandise hustler and Ghanaian immigrant who unexpectedly becomes a single father. Co-written by Darren Dean, the film stars Prince Adu, Karren Karaguilian and Aiden Noesi. indieWIRE talked to Baker about the film and its premiere at LAFF.
[ read more in People ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Interviews, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 25, 2008

LAFF '08 INTERVIEW | "Largo" Co-Director Andrew van Baal

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (June 25, 2008)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is profiling the Narrative and Documentary Competition filmmakers who are screening their films at the Los Angeles Film Festival as world premieres.] Screening in the Documentary Competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival, Andrew van Baal and Mark Flanagan's "Largo" looks at the Hollywood club of the same name, which had a reputation among both performers and fans as "a place where what's on stage truly matters." Featuring interviews with Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Sarah Silverman, E from the Eels, Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, and Jon Brion, "Largo" takes an intimate look at a club and its performers. Co-director van Baal talked to indieWIRE about the film and its premiere at LAFF.
[ read more in People ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '08 INTERVIEW | "Finishing Heaven" Director Mark Mann, "Big City Heart" Director Ben Rodkin, and "The Poker House" Director Lori Petty

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (June 25, 2008)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is profiling the Narrative and Documentary Competition filmmakers who are screening their films at the Los Angeles Film Festival as world premieres.] In this installment spotlighting emerging filmmakers from the Los Angeles Film Festival, indieWIRE received remarks from "Finishing Heaven" director Mark Mann, about his documentary that focuses on Robert Feinberg and Ruby Lynn Renyner 's quest to finish Feinberg's 1970 student film, Ben Rodkin, whose narrative film, "Big City Heart" is about an a recent parloee in industrial Los Angeles, and Lori Petty, director of "The Poker House," about a teenager girl facing grim circumstances.
[ read more in People ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Interviews, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 24, 2008

LAFF '08 INTERVIEW | "Pressure Cooker" Directors Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (June 24, 2008)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is profiling the Narrative and Documentary Competition filmmakers who are screening their films at the Los Angeles Film Festival as world premieres.] Screening in the Documentary Competition at the Los Angeles FIlm Festival, Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker's "Pressure Cooker" follows three inner-city seniors at Philadelphia's Frankford High School as they take on Wilma Stephenson's Culinary Arts class. With her assistance, the students prepare for a citywide cooking competition for scholarships to some of the country's top culinary arts institutions. Both directors talked to indieWIRE about their experience and the film's screening at LAFF.
[ read more in People ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '08 INTERVIEW | "Dirty Hands: The Art & Crimes of David Choe" Director Harry Kim

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (June 24, 2008)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is profiling the Narrative and Documentary Competition filmmakers who are screening their films at the Los Angeles Film Festival as world premieres.] Director Harry Kim's "Dirty Hands: The Art & Crimes of David Choe" is premiering in the Documentary Competition of the Los Angeles Film Festival. The film details Los Angeles-based artist Choe from 2000 to 2007, a period of "adventure and excess" that captivated close friend Kim, as well as the time that Choe rose to fame and fortune in the art world. Kim captures everything from jail sentences to an addiction to shoplifting to a journey to wrestle pygmies in the heart of the Congo. He talked to indieWIRE about their experience and the film's screening at LAFF.
[ read more in People ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 23, 2008

LAFF '08 INTERVIEW | "Paper or Plastic?" Co-Directors Justine Jacob and Alex D. da Silva

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by indieWIRE (June 23, 2008)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: indieWIRE is profiling the Narrative and Documentary Competition filmmakers who are screening their films at the Los Angeles Film Festival as world premieres.] Screening in the Documentary Competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival, directors Justine Jacob and Alex D. da Silva's "Paper or Plastic?" follows eight state champions heading to the National Grocers Association's annual bagging competition in Las Vegas. The contestants, ranging from rural housewives to ambitious immigrants to awkward teens, each have significant motivations to claim the "Best Bagger" title. Both of the film's directors talked to indieWIRE about their experience and the film's screening at LAFF.
[ read more in People ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

DISPATCH FROM LOS ANGELES | Unleashing the Film Geek Within

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Michael Lerman (June 20, 2008)
"This is great. I'm going to geek out here for a second," muttered Los Angeles Film Festival director Richard Raddon last Thursday night as an aside in his introduction for the soon-to-be-famous Russian sci-fi maestro Timur Bekmambetov. It was just an offhanded quip, but truer words could not have spoken for the official opening ceremonies for the 2008 LAFF, a movie geek's paradise. Boasting an extremely diverse slate with everything from big studio blockbusters like Bekmambetov's stunning "Wanted" to low-budget, non-SAG narratives like Seth Packard's adorably indulgent "HottieBoombaLottie" to important documentaries like Sarah Friedland's beautifully composed "Thing with No Name," the fest has something for the film geek within.
[ read more in On The Scene ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 22, 2008

FIRST PERSON | Film Department's Mark Gill: "Yes, The Sky Really Is Falling."

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Mark Gill (June 22, 2008)
On Saturday in Los Angeles, Mark Gill declared provocatively, "Yes, The Sky Really Is Falling." Speaking at the L.A. Film Festival's Financing Conference, the CEO of The Film Department (and former President of Miramax Films) detailed a litany of challenges currently facing independent film, yet offered his audience a happy ending. His complete prepared remarks are included below.
[ read more in Biz ]   [ 6 comments ]   [ filed under Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival, Trends ]

May 6, 2008

LAFF '08 | Universal Pics "Wanted and "Hellboy II" Bookend Los Angeles Fest in June

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez and Brian Brooks (May 6, 2008)
Universal Pictures' "Wanted" by Timur Bekmambetov will open the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival June 19 in Westwood, organizers announced Tuesday. Based upon Mark Millar's graphic novel series the film tells the story of one apathetic nobody's transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. Closing the festival, which is organized by Film Independent, is writer/director Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" also from Universal on June 29. Sundance 2008 doc "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" will screen as the Centerpiece June 26 at the Ford Amphitheater in a program that will include live musical performances and "special guests." "I am proud of the festival's on-going growth within the community, and pleased that we continue to attract world-class filmmakers like Guillermo Del Toro and Timur Bekmambetov," said festival director Rich Raddon in a statement. "The Los Angeles Film Festival celebrates the best in filmmaking as well as discovering new voices from around the world."
[ read more in On The Scene ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Lead Story, Lineups, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

July 2, 2007

LAFF '07 | International Stories, Some Set in the U.S., Find Audiences at L.A. Film Fest

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez (July 2, 2007)
"People in this town are coming to realize that Los Angeles needs a world class film festival," proclaimed Rich Raddon, a former film producer who has lead Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival since 1999 when it was still known as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. "We need it in our backyards," he added, thanking attendees and touting the event during Thursday's Spirit of Independence event in Westwood. Of course, the 10-day festival isn't the only international festival in Los Angeles, LAFF shares that stature with AFI FEST, the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival in autumn as well as Outfest, opening later this month.
[ read more in On The Scene ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

iW NEWS | "Owl" and "Resolved" Win Audience Prizes at LA Fest

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.
The Los Angeles Film Festival came to a close on Sunday night in West L.A. with a screening of Danny Boyle's upcoming, "Sunshine." Prior to the showing, festival organizers announced that Stephane Gauger's "The Owl and the Sparrow" (narrative) and Greg Whiteley's "Resolved" (documentary) won the festival's top audience prizes. Stephen Walker's "Young @ Heart" won the audience award for the best international feature at the 2007 LAFF. indieWIRE will publish a festival wrap up on Monday; for more coverage, visit indieWIRE's special section from the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival.
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 29, 2007

LAFF '07 | Eastwood and Hoffman at Spirit of Independence Awards

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Brian Brooks (June 29, 2007)
Actor Dustin Hoffman (right) was among the star-studded group of celebs (including Ryan Phillipe and Kevin Bacon) who saluted the festival's Spirit of Independence recipient Clint Eastwood. While Hoffman ribbed Eastwood for failing to cast Jewish actors in his films, naming Ben Stiller, Barbara Streisand, and others. On a more serious note, FIND's Dawn Hudson praised Eastwood as, "A great filmmaker who has followed his own path and tells his own unique stories."
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '07 | Tony Bennett and Ted Sarandos at Spirit of Independence Awards

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Brian Brooks (June 29, 2007)
Singer and painter Tony Bennett, subject of a new documentary produced by Clint Eastwood, presented Eastwood with his Spirit of Independence Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Bennett is pictured with Netflix/Red Envelope's Ted Sarandos, which is backing the documentary. Sarandos told indieWIRE that the film, which looks at Bennett's career spanning multiple eras of American music, will be finished this fall.
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '07 | Rich and Dawn at Spirit of Independence Awards

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Brian Brooks (June 29, 2007)
Calling the Los Angeles Film Festival, "a dream that's coming true," festival director Rich Raddon (pictured with Film Independent executive director Dawn Hudson at the Spirit of Independence event) enthused on stage at the growth of the event. saying, "People in this town are coming to realize that Los Angeles needs a world class film festival...we need it in our backyards." The festival concludes on Sunday, July 1st with a screening of Danny Boyle's "Sunshine."
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '07 | And the Narrative Winner is...

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Brian Brooks (June 29, 2007)
Target Filmmaker Award winner Chris Eska ("August Evening," center) with producer Jason Wheling (left) and Magnolia's Tom Quinn, who served on the narrative feature jury. Quinn noted that, while it wasn't announced during the ceremony, the jury awarded a special mention to the ensemble cast of the film for their work. On stage during the program, Eska thanked Maya Releasing, Moctesuma Esparza's company which announced a deal for the film earlier this week at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '07 | "Billy the Kid" Wins the Doc Prize

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Brian Brooks (June 29, 2007)
At the Los Angeles Film Festival's Spirit of Independence event at the Hammer Museum, Target Documentary Award winner Jennifer Venditti, director of "Billy The Kid" is pictured with John Larson from the Directors Guild of America. As a child, she noted that she was obsessed with people watching and "seeing cinema all around me." She added, "thank you for seeing what I saw in this film." And she thanked Target where, as a kid growing up in Minnesota, she said she bought Gloria Vanderilt Jeans and stuck a comb in the back pocket when going to the roler skating rink.
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 28, 2007

iW NEWS | "August Evening" and "Billy The Kid" Win in L.A.

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.
At the Los Angeles Film Festival, Chris Eska's narrative feature "August Evening" and Jennifer Venditti's documentary "Billy the Kid" won the jury prizes on Thursday night. The cash awards, $50,000 each provided by Target, were presented during a ceremony at the Hammer Museum in Westwood. Director, actor, and composter Clint Eastwood received the Spirit of Independence Award at the festival as the event heads into its final weekend. Audience awards will be presented on Sunday night prior to the closing night screening of Danny Boyle's "Sunshine." [Eugene Hernandez]
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK 2 | Mixing Politics and Religion with the Usual Ups and Downs

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Michael Lerman (June 28, 2007)
Programming world premieres at a large festival that runs post-Sundance cannot be easy. I am constantly impressed, however, by the skills of programmers at SXSW and Tribeca for finding good films that have yet to play on the festival circuit. But it is particularly hard for the Los Angeles Film Festival, which takes place last in that circuit of four. That being said, programmers Rachel Rosen and Doug Jones have done an admirable job this year coming up with brand new documentaries and narratives.
[ read more in Movies ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Festivals, Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

iW NEWS | Arthouse Goes to "Cool School"

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.
Arthouse Films has announced its acquisition of worldwide rights to Morgan Neville's "The Cool School," debuting in the documentary competition this week at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The story of L.A.'s influential Ferus Gallery which, from 1957 - 1968, nutured artists such as Ed Kienholz, Ed Ruscha, Craig Kauffman, Wallace Berman, Ed Moses and Robert Irwin, the film is narrated by Jeff Bridges and will be released in theaters early next year and will also air nationally on PBS' Independent Lens. The deal was negotiated by David Koh from Arthouse Films and Lilly Bright from Curiously Bright Entertainment along with Julie Goldman of Cactus Three on behalf of the filmmakers and producers. "We love this documentary about the little known Los Angeles art scene and are proud to distribute the film through our Arthouse Films label," said Koh and Bright in a statement. "We want to be the label of choice for arts, cultural, and music documentaries. We are excited to work with the filmmakers on the release of their film." [Eugene Hernandez]
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '07 | Who Let the Blogs Out?

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.
Personality-driven industry blogs have emerged as a key source of news, information and gossip delivering a steady stream of content throughout the day. "Bloggers never really stop working," noted Sasha Stone (far right), from the recently renamed Oscar-tracking site AwardsDaily.com (AMPAS clamped down on her previous URL, OscarWatch.com). Chatting poolside at the W Hotel alongside bloggers Jeffrey Wells (center left) of Hollywood-Elsewhere.com, Kate Coe (center right) from MediaBistro's Fishbowl LA, and Variety blogger Anne Thompson (far left) of Thompson on Hollywood, the group bemoaned the absence on the panel of often bitter rival bloggers like Nikki Finke from DeadlineHollywood Daily.com and David Poland of TheHotBlog.com and eventually looked ahead to the next 10 years of entertainment reporting and commentary online. Looking ahead ten years, Deputy Editor of Variety.com Anne Thompson declared, "There won't be any newspapers," while Jeff Wells added, "I just don't know how newspapers are going to survive," and Kate Coe concluded, "I think everything is going to be Twitter," touting the rise of citizen journlism being bigger than ever. [Eugene Hernandez]
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LAFF '07 | Fest Friends

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

image provided by the filmmakers (June 27, 2007)
One of the fest encounters that those involved with two Los Angeles Film Festival competition docs were excited about earlier this week was the meeting of Billy Price-Baker from Jennifer Venditti's "Billy The Kid" and Ron Holiday from Harris Fishman's "Cat Dancers." Billy later posed with director Spike Jonze after a screening, but he was particularly excited to meet Holiday after seeing the film at SXSW, where both films debuted in March. "Billy The Kid" is screening again today (Thursday) at LAFF, while "Cat Dancers" will be shown again on Sunday.
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 27, 2007

iW PROFILE | Introducing Scott Prendergast

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez (June 27, 2007)
Remembering a phone call from Lisa Kudrow that jumpstarted his first feature, "Kabluey," director Scott Prendergast noted that he was flustered and began stammering when the popular actress contaced him about the project. "She called me and I started hyperventilating," Prendergast said Monday during a post-screening Q & A at the Los Angeles Film Festival after his film's world premiere. "And then I realized I was standing in my driveway in boxers with nothing else on." Laughing near Prendergast at the Q & A, Kudrow added, "And the reason why I was calling was to make sure he was not crazy!"
[ read more in People ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival, Profiles ]

LAFF '07 | At the "Joshua" Centerpiece

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Brian Brooks (June 27, 2007)
Fox Searchlight hosted a small after-party for George Ratliff's "Joshua," which screened as a Centerpiece premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival Tuesday evening. The film, starring Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga and newcomer Jacob Kogan is a psychological thriller in which young Joshua (Kogan) devises the perfect plan to annihilate his young successful parents. Though there were good heapings of gasps from the audience during the screening, burst-out-loud laughter also could be heard throughout the cinema. "We felt like there's an anxiety between nervousness and laughter that we wanted to mine," said Ratliff (who co-wrote with David Gilbert) during a post-screening Q&A. "When my first son was born, I knew he was a good kid, but I couldn't help but think how scary it would be if you just had a bad kid for no reason." Kogan, who turned 11 when the film began shooting last year, said he saw another bad kid in a film which gave him inspiration for "Joshua." "A few weeks before the shoot, I saw 'The Good Son' with Macaulay Culkin. Both [characters] are very similar..." Pictured with Kogan is a playful Sam Rockwell as well as Ratliff and Fox Searchlight chief Peter Rice (far right) in LA's Westwood neighborhood.
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 26, 2007

LAFF '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | Mingling the Trashy and the Pop & Going High Profile

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Michael Lerman (June 26, 2007)
With two midnight sections and horror films for both the centerpiece and closing night selections, the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival certainly loves its genre film. Cleverly placing the more serious, truly terrifying films in the festival's "Dark Wave" section and the trashier, pure pop sensations in "Guilty Pleasures," LAFF has, as they do with much of their other programming, declared their devotion to both the entertaining and artistic side of filmmaking. With George Ratliff's "Joshua" and Danny Boyle's "Sunshine" at play in the larger slots, it becomes clear that the two can blend nicely.
[ read more in Movies ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival, Reviews ]

iW NEWS | Maya Acquires "August" at LA Film Fest

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.
Chris Eska's first feature "August Evening" has been acquired by Moctesuma Esparza's upstart distribution company Maya Entertainment, in a deal signed after the film's debut this week at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The LAFF competition title is the story of an undocumented worker and his widowed daughter-in-law dealing with a tragedy. "We're excited to launch our distribution division with a beautiful film like 'August Evening'," said Esparza, compay co-chairman and CEO, in a statement. "We're confident it will satisfy both traditional art house audiences and break through to the mainstream Latino market, achieving both critical and financial success." Glen Reynolds of Circus Road Films negotiated the deal on behalf of the film's producer with Moctesuma Esparza and Jose Martinez, Jr. from Maya. [Eugene Hernandez]
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 25, 2007

IN LOS ANGELES | West as Crash

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez (June 25, 2007)
Outside the Mann Festival Theater on Monday night, actor Shane West (pictured in white) poses for a photo following a Los Angeles Film Festival screening of Rodger Grossman's world premiere, "What We Do Is Secret." The story of infamous L.A. punk rocker Darby Crash of legendary band The Germs, Grossman's long-in-the-works project also stars Bijou Phillips (as Lorna Doom) who, along with West, sang Germs tunes for that film that were produced by former band member Pat Smear, later known for his work in Nirvana and Foo Fighters.
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 24, 2007

IN LOS ANGELES | Buscemi's "Interview"

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez (June 24, 2007)
Saturday night after the Los Angeles Film Festival screening of "Interview," actor/director Steve Buscemi (center) joined friend Rob Schneider(to his left), the film's producer Bruce Weiss and co-writer David Schechter at Beverly Hills restaurant Camden House for a soiree celebrating the Sony Pictures Classics release. The sharp, funny story of a tug-of-war interview between a seasoned war correspondent (Buscemi) and a pretty young TV/B-movie actress (Sienna Miller) is a remake of the Theo Van Gogh film. Part of a trio of low-budget projects that Weiss had hoped to remake with Van Gogh working in English are all being directed by American actors. Buscemi's "Interview" (which debuted at Sundance) is the first of the series, with Stanley Tucci's "Blind Date" next up (aiming for an early '07 festival debut). The third film, producer Weiss told indieWIRE, will be "1-900" directed by John Turturro, in producton this year and aiming for a fest debut about a year from now. [Eugene Hernandez]
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

IN LOS ANGELES | "Made in L.A." Stirs Fest

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez (June 24, 2007)
Maura Colorado, Lupe Hernandez, and Maria Pineda (left to right), subjects of "Made in LA," a new documentary about three Latina immigrants fighting against unfair wages and work conditions in the Los Angeles garment industry, were on hand for Saturday's emotional free community screening of the film at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Fresh from a world premiere at the recent Silverdocs festival in Maryland, the film stirred a standing ovation for the activists who battled apparel company Forever 21 for three years. Director, producer and cinematographer Almundena Carracedo and producer Robert Behar spent some four years funding the film with money from personal donors before securing financing from PBS' POV doc series. The film will air on television nationally the day after Labor Day -- Tuesday, September 4th -- with bilingual subtitles. [Eugene Hernandez]
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 13, 2007

iW NEWS | "Joshua" a Centerpiece at Upcoming LAFF

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.
George Ratliff's Fox Searchlight feature "Joshua" will screen as the Centerpiece at the upcoming Los Angeles Film Festival on June 26. The event, taking place June 21 - July 1, describes the film as a "smart, bone-chilling psychological thriller about an upscale American family faced with an inner source of horror." The film stars Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Celia Weston, Dallas Roberts, Michael McKean and Jacob Kogan. Kasi Lemmons' "Talk to Me" will open the festival later this month. [Brian Brooks]
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

May 11, 2007

iW NEWS | U.S. Rights to "Ira & Abby" Go to Magnolia Pictures

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.
U.S. rights to Robert Cary's romantic comedy "Ira & Abby," written by and starring Jennifer Westfeldthave been acquired by Magnolia Pictures, the company announced Friday. Magnolia's Head of Acquisitions, Tom Quinn and Head of Business Affairs, Jason Janego negotiated the deal with Rena Ronson and Phil Alberstat of William Morris Independent and producer Brad Zions. Foreign sales will be handled at the Cannes Market by Odd Lot International. Chris Messina also stars, as a neurotic New Yorker with major issues. He is at a standstill, but this changes when he meets the free spirited Abby (Westfeldt) and the impossible happens: they fall in love, meet each other's parents and decide to get married, all in a few breathless hours. Multiple divorces, in-laws, affairs, exes, and many therapists later, the couple is forced to examine whether "I do" is the only path to life-long love and happiness. "It has been so gratifying for me to see how festival audiences have connected to this film," commented Westfeldt in a statement. "I feel so lucky that a smart, innovative company like Magnolia will give it a chance to be seen on a national scale." indieWIRE reported on the film last June at the Los Angeles Film Festival, where it won the festival's audience award. [Brian Brooks]
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

May 8, 2007

LA FILM FEST '07 | "Talk To Me" and "Sunshine" Bookend LA Fest; 19 Films Set for Competition

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez and Brian Brooks (May 8, 2007)
Kasi Lemmons' "Talk To Me" will open Film Independent's 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival on June 21st. The film, from Focus Features, stars Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson, Mike Epps, Martin Sheen and Film Independent's Board of Directors president Vondie Curtis Hall. It is described as "the funny, dramatic, and inspiring real-life story of Ralph Waldo 'Petey' Greene (Cheadle), an outspoken ex-con who talked his way into becoming an iconic radio personality in the 1960s in Washington, D.C. Lemmons, the secretary of FIND's board, is also married to actor Vondie Curtis Hall. The festival will close on July 1 with Danny Boyle's "Sunshine" starring Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Chris Evans, Troy Garity, Cillian Murphy, Hiroyuki Sanada, Mark Strong, Benedict Wong, and Michelle Yeoh. It is set fifty years in the future, when a crew of eight men and women are traveling into space to try and prevent the death of the sun.
[ read more in On The Scene ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Festival News, Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

July 13, 2006

Lionsgate Gets "Deliver Us From Evil"

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.
Lionsgate has announced its acquisition of Amy Berg's "Deliver Us From Evil," winner of the Target Documentary Award for best doc feature at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival last month. A release this fall is planned. [Eugene Hernandez]
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

July 3, 2006

LA FILM FEST '06: "Ira," "Abby," and "Mario" Win in Audience Prizes; Fest Salutes "Sunshine" and "Quinceanera" On Closing Weekend

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez and Brian Brooks (July 3, 2006)
Boasting an attendance of more than 80,000 this year, Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival came to a close Sunday night at the Wadsworth Theater in West Los Angeles. On its final night, celeb presenter Christina Applegate announced two feature audience awards -- the fest-goers chose "Ira & Abby," written by (and co-starring) Jennifer Westfeldt and directed by Robert Cary, as the winner of the narrative audience award. The film, a true crowd-pleaser here in L.A. this year, marks Westfeldt's return to the festival following the successful launch of her first feature "Kissing Jessica Stein" here five years ago. The feature about modern relationships is still without distribution. "Mario's Story," by Jeff Werner and Susan Koch, won the audience award for best documentary at the festival and another documentary, "Paper Dolls" by Tomer Heymann from Israel, won the best international audience prize.
[ read more in On The Scene ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 30, 2006

Fabian Bielinsky Dead at 47

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.
Fabian Bielinsky, director of "Nine Queens" and "El Aura" has died, according to media reports. Reuters indicated in a report Thursday that the Argentine filmmaker died in Sao Paulo of a heart attack. His latest feature ("El Aura") is scheduled to screen at the Los Angeles Film Festival this weekend.
[permalink]   [ filed under Los Angeles Film Festival, People ]

LA FILM FEST '06: Can Films Save The World? Talking "Chalk" and "Getting Down" In L.A.

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez (June 30, 2006)
Asked to answer the title question during a Los Angeles Film Festival poolside chat earlier this week -- Can Films Save The World? -- "Paradise Now" director Hany Abu-Assad said flatly, "no." Leading off the discussion by dismissing its concept altogether, the filmmaker added, "I didn't make the film to change anybody, or any thoughts," Hany Abu-Assad explained during the panel discussion. The only reason I (make) films is because I am curious to know things that you can't experience in reality. I don't think I am doing things to change...if film will change, it will change for the worse."
[ read more in On The Scene ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

Roth, Dentler and Happy Hour

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Photo by Brian Brooks (June 30, 2006)
Filmmaker Eli Roth ("Hostel") and SXSW Film Festival producer Matt Dentler (right) take part in afternoon cocktails in the Target Red Room in Westwood for LAFF, currently underway through Sunday. The space, which also has free wireless (which has become our de facto office) has Absolut drinks served from 6pm - 12am, attracting festival attendees looking for a bit of a wind down. And with cool people like Dentler and Roth hanging around, what else could be better?
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 29, 2006

Theron, Hudson and Harrelson Take a Bow

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Photo by Brian Brooks (June 29, 2006)
Film Independent executive director Dawn Hudson, Academy Award-winner Charlize Theron and Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson at the Spirit of Independence ceremony Wednesday night at the W Hotel, which honored Theron for her achievement in the biz. Hudson explained that the honor was not a "career achievement award," but instead, a prize recognizing work and to encourage the honoree to "go out and do more." Harrelson presented the award, following an onstage interview with Theron moderated by NPR's Elvis Mitchell. Film Independent organizes the annual Los Angeles Film Festival, which presented jury awards to Steve Collins' "Gretchen" and Amy Berg's doc "Deliver Us From Evil."
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LA FILM FEST '06: "Gretchen" and "Deliver Us From Evil" Win Big Award$ in L.A.

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez (June 29, 2006)
Cash prizes totaling a whopping $100,000 were doled out to a pair of grateful filmmakers here at the Los Angeles Film Festival on Wednesday night. Steve Collins won the $50,000 cash Target Filmmaker Award for his first feature film, "Gretchen," while the Target Documentary Award, which also included an unrestricted $50,000 cash prize, went to Amy Berg for her new doc, "Deliver Us From Evil." While additional awards are still to be announced on the festival's closing night, Wednesday's ceremony presented perhaps the most coveted cash prizes on the American film festival circuit. At the classy outdoor event, held at the W Hotel in Westwood, Charlize Theron was also in the spotlight, receiving the festival's Spirit of Independence Award.
[ read more in On The Scene ]   [ 1 comments ]   [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 28, 2006

Harrison Ford and the Filmmakers

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Photo by Brian Brooks (June 28, 2006)
Hollywood gave a thumbs up to the indies at the filmmakers' reception at the W Hotel Tuesday. Actor Harrison Ford gave a short but sweet speech poolside to the Los Angeles Film Festival's participating directors who greeted him excitedly. Ford encouraged the filmmakers to think outside the box, saying, "conventional wisdom produces conventional movies, and that's about the last thing we need more of right now." Ford is serving as one of four honorary co-chairs at this year's festival.
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

Goldwater at LAFF

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Photo by Brian Brooks (June 28, 2006)
Former HBO exec Julie Anderson (right) took on a doc with her latest effort, "Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater," which is having its LA premiere at LAFF. Joining Anderson are the film's producers Tani Cohen and CC Goldwater (left), granddaughter of the subject, Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona.
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

"Undoing" in the Red Room

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Photo by Brian Brooks (June 28, 2006)
In the festival's Red Room, decorated in Target red and white, the team from "Undoing" gather for a shot. Joining the photo are director Chris Chan Lee (center), actor/producer Sung Kang (left), associate producer Cynthia Hong (right) and producer Karin Chien. Their film, which is set in Los Angeles' Koreatown neighborhood, is having its world debut at LAFF.
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

By the Pool Waiting for Harrison

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Photo by Brian Brooks (June 28, 2006)
Hanging out poolside at the W Hotel in Westwood waiting for Harrison Ford at the Filmmaker's Reception at LAFF, Ben Piety (director), Scott Uhfelder (DP) and producer Jon Jones. The trio are attending the festival with their music video "Stickin' Around" by Heathens. They also recently relocated to LA.
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

LA FILM FEST '06: Words of Wisdom From Harrison Ford; "Beyond Conviction"; and Are Costumes Fashion?

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez and Brian Brooks (June 28, 2006)
Hollywood was again in the spotlight at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival Monday night in Southern California. Big-time director George Lucas welcomed festival filmmakers to Skywalker Ranch last week for the pre-fest retreat, and on Monday Han Solo himself joined participants for the annual Filmmaker Reception. While actor Harrison Ford, one of this year's honorary co-chairs at the LA Film Fest, didn't seem to spend too much time meeting and greeting filmmakers at Monday's L.A. Film Fest party at the W Hotel in Westwood, he did take the stage to leave attendees with a few words of wisdom (most of which are included below). The much-appreciated remarks were received a bit like a commencement address to the L.A. Film Festival's 'Class of 2006'.
[ read more in On The Scene ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

June 27, 2006

LA FILM FESTIVAL '06: Westfeldt Back at LA Film Fest, With "Ira and Abby"; And Linklater Chats

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

by Eugene Hernandez (June 27, 2006)
Five years after finding success at the Los Angeles Film Festival with "Kissing Jessica Stein," where the film won the audience award and was subsequently acquired by Fox Searchlight, writer and actress Jennifer Westfeldt returned to the fest with her latest film, "Ira and Abby." Westfeldt again wrote and starred in the feature (and again she partnered with producer Brad Zions). Directed by Robert Cary, the new film was met with a large crowd and a warm response at its second screening here Monday afternoon. Insiders have tipped the crowd-pleaser as the LA Film Fest movie most likely to score a distribution deal here.
[ read more in On The Scene ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Los Angeles Film Festival ]

Raddon and Brown Do SAGIndie

Los Angeles Film Festival coverage sponsored by Stella Artois.

Photo by Brian Brooks (June 27, 2006)
Socializing at the SAGIndie party in Westwood Sunday afternoon, Los Angeles Film Festival director Rich Raddon takes in a chat with producer Effie Brown ("Everyday People").
[ read more in iPOP ]   [ 0 comments ]   [ filed under L.A. Film Fest, Los Angeles Film