LA Film Festival Announces Complete Line Up (Extended)

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Category: Entertainment News

Published on Tuesday, 05 May 2015 15:15

U.S. FICTION COMPETITION:

Original voices from emerging and established American independent filmmakers.

• 3^rd Street Blackout– USA(DIRECTORS/ WRITERS Negin Farsad, Jeremy Redleaf PRODUCERS Jeremy Redleaf, Andrew Mendelson, Ryan Cunningham, Negin Farsad CAST Negin Farsad, Jeremy Redleaf, Ed Weeks, Phyllis Somerville, Janeane Garofalo, John Hodgman, Sasheer Zamata, Jordan Carlos, Katie Hartman, Miles J. Harvey, Rachel Feinstein) – A neuroscientist and her hacker boyfriend get into romantic trouble when Hurricane Sandy’s power outages leave half of New York City in a madcap, analog world. How far would you go to deliver a message in a blackout? World Premiere

• Bastards Y Diablos– USA (DIRECTOR A.D. Freese WRITER Andrew Perez PRODUCERS Andrew Perez, Dillon Porter, A.D. Freese, Joe Milner CAST Andrew Perez, Dillon Porter, Sebastian Eslava, Juanita Arias, Brunhilde Otto, Constanza Marek Otto, Gabriel Antonio Mejia, Vicky Zorrilla Vaughn, Ruben Dario Arciniegas) – Two estranged half-brothers embark on an adventurous road trip of drunken revelry and cathartic revelations around Colombia to fulfill their father’s final wish. World Premiere

• A Country Called Home– USA (DIRECTOR Anna Axster WRITERS Anna Axster, Jim Beggarly PRODUCERS Nicolas Gonda, Jason Netter CAST Imogen Poots, Mary McCormack, Mackenzie Davis, June Squibb) – The course of a young woman’s life is forever changed by the death of her estranged father. In dealing with who and what her father left behind, Ellie unexpectedly discovers herself. World Premiere

• The Girl In the Book– USA(DIRECTOR/ WRITER Marya Cohn PRODUCERS Gina Resnick, Kyle Heller CAST Emily Van Camp, Michael Nyqvist, David Call, Michael Cristofer, Talia Balsam, Ana Mulvoy-Ten) – An ambitious literary editor undergoes a transformation when her past invades her present, forcing her to reconcile destructive behavior and reclaim her creative voice. World Premiere

• How He Fell in Love– USA (DIRECTOR/ WRITER Marc Meyers PRODUCERS Jody Girgenti, Marc Meyers CAST Matt McGorry, Amy Hargreaves, Mark Blum, Britne Oldford) – A struggling musician mourning the loss of a band mate finds unexpected chemistry and vulnerability with a married woman that challenges both of their moral boundaries. World Premiere

• It’s Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong – USA(DIRECTOR/ WRITER Emily Ting PRODUCERS Sophia Shek, Emily Ting CAST Jamie Chung, Bryan Greenberg) An attraction forms between a vacationing Asian-American Angeleno toy designer and an American ex-pat as they meander through the nighttime streets of Hong Kong. World Premiere

• Mekko– USA (DIRECTOR/ WRITER Sterlin Harjo PRODUCERS Jasper Zweibel, Chad Burris CAST Rod Rondeaux, Zahn McClarnon, Wotko Long, Sarah Podemski) – A modern day tale of redemption about a Native American parolee who seeks to save his unconventional community in Tulsa from a darkness that threatens them all. World Premiere

• Out of My Hand– USA/ Liberia(DIRECTOR Takeshi Fukunaga WRITERS Takeshi Fukunaga, Donari Braxton PRODUCERS Donari Braxton, Mike Fox CAST Bishop Blay, Zenobia Taylor, Duke Murphy Dennis, David Roberts, Shelley Molad) – A struggling Liberian rubber plantation worker risks everything to begin a new life as a New York City cabbie but is haunted by his wartime past. North American Premiere

• Puerto Ricans in Paris – USA (DIRECTOR Ian Edelman WRITERS Neel Shah, Ian Edelman PRODUCER Joseph Zolfo CAST Luis Guzman, Edgar Garcia, Alice Taglioni, Rosario Dawson, Rosie Perez) – As New York City’s finest counterfeit detectives, Nuyorican brothers-in-law Luis and Eddie are hired by a top Parisian fashion house to crack the blackmailer threatening to flood the market with thousands of knock-offs of a coveted designer bag. World Premiere

• Too Late– USA  (DIRECTOR/ WRITER Dennis Hauck PRODUCERS Alexandra Barreto, Taylor Feltner CAST John Hawkes, Vail Bloom, Joanna Cassidy, Jeff Fahey, Robert Forster, Brett Jacobsen, Dichen Lachman, Dash Mihok, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Crystal Reed, Rider Strong, Natalie Zea) – Hired to find a missing woman from his own past, a troubled private investigator wanders through Los Angeles, crossing paths with eccentric personalities and lost souls in this dark love letter to a City of Angels. World Premiere

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION:

Compelling non-fiction films from the U.S. and around the world.

• A New High– USA (DIRECTOR Sam Miron, Stephen Scott Scarpulla PRODUCERS Eamon Downey, Rebby Gregg, Philip Erdoes FEATURING Mike Johnson) – Residents of Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission homeless shelter endeavor to summit Mt. Rainier. A New High takes audiences on an awe-inspiring journey to overcome addiction by scaling new heights. World Premiere

• The Babushkas of Chernobyl–USA/Russia (DIRECTORS/ PRODUCERS Holly Morris, Anne Bogart FEATURING Valentyna Sochenok, Hanna Zavorotnya, Maria Shovkuta) – In the radioactive “dead zone” surrounding Chernobyl's Reactor No. 4, a defiant community of elderly women cultivates an existence on some of the most toxic land on Earth. World Premiere

• Be Here Now (The Andy Whitfield Story)–USA/Australia(DIRECTOR Lilibet Foster PRODUCERS Lilibet Foster, Sam Maydew FEATURING Andy Whitfield, Vashti Whitfield) – After landing the lead role in Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Andy Whitfield learns he has non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Armed with resilience, courage and the adoration of his family, he prepares for the battle of his life. World Premiere

• Catching the Sun– USA (DIRECTOR/ WRITER Shalini Kantayya PRODUCERS Shalini Kantayya, Aarti Tandon, Cedric Troadec FEATURING Van Jones, Wally Jiang, Jigar Shah, Danny Kennedy, David Crane, Paul Muldrow, Edward Wiltz, Gayle McLaughlin) – An unlikely group of characters, from Bay Area activist and former White House advisor Van Jones to Chinese CEO Wally Jiang, activate local and global movements to transition global energy sources by rebuilding the economy through jobs.World Premiere

• In a Perfect World– USA (DIRECTOR Daphne McWilliams PRODUCERS Daphne McWilliams, Samuel D. Pollard, Brennan Rees, Mary Burns DeFuria FEATURING John Cuevas, Eddie Cuevas, Damon Dash, Kevin Keenan, Ned Martin, Patrice McLeod, Chase Myles, Jason Pollard, Craig Williams) – This vulnerable and fearless inquiry into the psyche of a generation of men who have been raised by single mothers begins when the filmmaker turns the camera on her own son – and the father who left them. World Premiere

• Incorruptible – Senegal/USA (DIRECTOR Chai Vasarhelyi PRODUCERS Chai Vasarhelyi, Edward Tyler Nahem FEATURING President Abdoulaye Wade, Macy Sall, Cheikh Oumar Touré, Malla Talla) – In the spring of 2011, Senegal plunged into crisis when President Abdoulaye Wade changed the constitution to allow himself a third term in office and inspired an artist-led democratic youth movement. International Premiere

• Love Between the Covers– USA (DIRECTOR/ WRITER/ PRODUCER Laurie Kahn FEATURING Eloisa James (Mary Bly), Beverly Jenkins, Radclyffe (Len Barot), Susan Donovan, Celeste Bradley, Joanne Lockyer, Elizabeth Essex, Nora Roberts, Jennifer Crusie) – Female authors of romantic fiction have successfully ridden a tidal wave of change in the publishing industry, celebrating the desires of diverse women and writing stories where heroines are always center stage. U.S. Premiere

• Maiko: Dancing Child– Japan/Norway (DIRECTOR/ WRITER Åse Svenheim Drivenes PROUDCER Anita Rehoff Larsen FEATURING Maiko Nishino-Ekberg) – Maiko Neshino sacrificed everything to become a prima ballerina with the Norwegian National Ballet. Now, she comes face to face with the feverish desire to have a child – and star in Swan Lake.  World Premiere

• Missing People– USA (DIRECTOR/ WRITER David Shapiro PROUDCERS Alan Oxman, Michael Tubbs, David Shapiro FEATURING Martina Batan, Roy Ferdinand, Faye Harris, Michele Ferdinand, Conor McCourt, David Carrino, Sean Ellwood, Frayda Feldman, Ron Feldman, Andy Antippas, Bill Sasser, Regina Perry) – Martina Batan is haunted by the mystery of her brother’s murder nearly 40 years ago. The director of a high art gallery in New York, Batan becomes obsessed with Roy Ferdinand, an outsider artist whose violent and sexually graphic work controversially chronicles African-American cultural identity in pre-Katrina New Orleans. U.S. Premiere

• My Love, Don’t Cross That River– South Korea(DIRECTOR/ WRITER Mo-Young Jin PRODUCER Kyungsoo Han FEATURING Byong-man Jo, Gye-Yeul Kang) – A loving, elderly couple who have been married for 76 years face the final moments of their marriage and life. This story of "the 100-year-old lovebirds” broke Korean box office records as the biggest Korean indie film of all time.

• Oriented–UK/Israel (DIRECTOR Jake Witzenfeld PRODUCERS Ruth Cats, Jake Witzenfeld FEATURING Khader Abu Seif, Fadi Daeem, Naeem Jiryes) – In a place and time where conflict dictates everyday life, three gay Palestinian-Israelis offer their most intimate feelings and perspectives on living and loving in Tel Aviv. International Premiere

• Treasure; From Tragedy to Trans Justice, Mapping a Detroit Story –USA (DIRECTOR/ PRODUCER dream hampton PRODUCERS T. Miller, D. PhillipsFEATURING Emani Love, Lyniece Nelson) – After an investigation reveals suburban police coercion led to the brutal murder of Shelly Hilliard, a young Detroit transgender activist, her friends and family pursue a sustainable strategy for justice. World Premiere