Film Independent announced the full program line-up for the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival (Thursday, June 21 – Sunday, July 1), including the Opening Night and Closing Night films.As previously announced, Academy Award®-winning actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood will receive this year’s Spirit of Independence Award on Thursday, June 28 at a special event sponsored by Target. Tony Bennett, who is the focus of a new documentary for which Clint Eastwood serves as executive producer, will present Eastwood with this honor.

“This year’s festival once again showcases the unique vision and independent spirit we strive to support and promote at Film Independent,” said Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent. “We are proud to offer hundreds of filmmakers a platform for their work and celebrate their original voices and inspired storytelling.”

“The Los Angeles Film Festival continues to evolve into a celebration that the movie capital of the world deserves, diverse in content and culture, inviting, accessible, and most important, fun,” said Festival Director Richard Raddon.

“The 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival line-up includes films from all over the world, encompassing everything from cutting-edge independent dramas to goofball comedies,” said Film Independent and Los Angeles Film Festival Director of Programming Rachel Rosen.

“Audiences will have a wealth of choices and many chances to interact with filmmakers and discover new talent.”

Kasi Lemmons’ Talk to Me (Focus Features) will kick off the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival as the Opening Night film on Thursday, June 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mann Village Theatre. Starring Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson,

Mike Epps, Vondie Curtis Hall, and Martin Sheen, the film tells 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. Sparked by both the era's vibrant soul music and exploding social consciousness, Petey openly courted controversy at a white-owned station. Relying on his producer Dewey Hughes (Ejiofor) to run interference, Petey's unprecedented “tell it like it is” on-air style gave voice and spirit to the black community during an exciting and turbulent period in American history. Danny Boyle’s Sunshine (Fox Searchlight Pictures) will serve as the Closing Night film on Sunday, July 1 at 7:00 p.m. at the Wadsworth Theatre. Starring Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Chris Evans, Troy Garity, Cillian Murphy, Hiroyuki Sanada, Mark Strong, Benedict Wong, and Michelle Yeoh, Sunshine begins fifty years from now. The sun is dying and a solar winter has enveloped the earth. Our last hope: a spaceship and a crew of eight men and women.

They carry a device which will breathe new life into the star. But deep into their voyage, out of radio contact with Earth, their mission is starting to unravel. Soon the crew is fighting not only for their sanity, but their lives.

ABOUT THE 2007 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

Westwood Village is home to Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival, which runs from Thursday, June 21 – Sunday, July 1. Festival-goers will experience the best of American and international cinema, enjoying more than 230 feature films, shorts, and music videos, as well as Coffee Talks, Poolside Chats, and other special star-studded events.

Westwood Village will showcase films and events among various venues, all within walking distance of each other, with ample, convenient parking and easy access to shopping and dining, setting the stage for the biggest Festival yet.

Over the course of 10 days and 11 nights, the public is invited to take advantage of world premieres including both independent films and major studio releases, as well as tribute screenings, outdoor movies, celebrity-filled red carpets, and more. Screenings and special events will be held in Westwood at the following locations: Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum; the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse; Mann Festival Theatre; Mann Village Theatre; Mann Bruin Theatre; Landmark’s Regent Theatre; Italian Cultural Institute; the Majestic Crest Theatre; W Los Angeles – Westwood; the Wadsworth Theatre; and the Festival Promenade on Broxton Avenue. Additional offsite event screenings will take place at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, Grand Performances at California Plaza, and the Landmark at its new location at the Westside Pavilion.

The Los Angeles Times Ticket and Pass Pavilion – where all festival-goers can purchase tickets and passes to Festival screenings starting Saturday, June 16 – will be located at 1031 Broxton Avenue (at Weyburn). The Target Red Room – filmmaker and press lounge – will be located at 1028 Westwood Boulevard.  .

 

FULL FESTIVAL PROGRAM

The 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen more than 230 feature films, shorts, and music videos. This year the Festival received more than 4,500 submissions from filmmakers around the world with the final selections representing several World, North American, and U.S. premieres.

 

 

Narrative Competition (8):

This section is comprised of films, made by emerging U.S. filmmakers, that will compete for the Target Filmmaker Award. Funded by Target, the award carries a $50,000 unrestricted grant. The prize is determined by a panel of prestigious jurors. Films screened in this section also compete for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature.

• August Evening, Chris Eska – WORLD PREMIERE

• The Beautiful Ordinary, Jess Manafort – WORLD PREMIERE

• How to Rob a Bank, Andrews Jenkins – WORLD PREMIERE

• Kabluey, Scott Prendergast – WORLD PREMIERE

• Liberty Kid, Ilya Chaiken – WORLD PREMIERE

• Owl and the Sparrow, Stephane Gauger

• Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America, Tony Stone – WORLD PREMIERE

• What We Do Is Secret, Rodger Grossman – WORLD PREMIERE

Documentary Competition (11): This section of films is dedicated to the best documentary film work  of the year. The films compete for the Target Documentary Award, which carries a $50,000 unrestricted grant. The prize is determined by a panel of prestigious jurors. Films screened in this section also compete for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature.

• Billy the Kid, Jennifer Venditti

• Cat Dancers, Harris Fishman

• Constantine’s Sword, Oren Jacoby – WORLD PREMIERE

• The Cool School, Morgan Neville – WORLD PREMIERE

• Join Us, Ondi Timoner – WORLD PREMIERE

• JUMP!, Helen Hood Scheer – WORLD PREMIERE

• Prison Town, USA, Katie Galloway, Po Kutchins

• Resolved, Greg Whiteley – WORLD PREMIERE

• Saint Death, Eva Aridjis – WORLD PREMIERE

• Second Chance Season, Daniel H. Forer – WORLD PREMIERE

• The Town That Was, Chris Perkel, Georgie Roland

International Showcase (21):

The International Showcase highlights the best in world cinema. Films screened in this section are eligible for the Audience Awards for Best International Film, Best Narrative Film, or Best Documentary Film.

• Ad Lib Night, Lee Yoon-ki – South Korea

• Bajo Juarez, the city devouring its daughters, Alejandra Sánchez, José Antonio Cordero – Mexico

• Blame It on Fidel, Julie Gavras – France

• Build a Ship, Sail to Sadness, Laurin Federlein - England – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

• The Champagne Spy, Nadav Schirman – Israel/Germany

• Copacabana, Martín Rejtman – Argentina – US PREMIERE

• The Elephant and the Sea, Woo Ming Jin – Malaysia

• Fireworks Wednesday, Asghar Farhadi – Iran (Facets Multimedia)

• Honor of the Knights, Albert Serra – Spain

• It’s Winter, Rafi Pitts – Iran

• Lady Chatterley, Pascale Ferran – Belgium/France (Kino International)

• Love for Sale, Karim Aïnouz – Brazil/Germany/France/Portugal (Strand Releasing)

• My Best Friend, Patrice Leconte – France (IFC Films)

• Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation, Charles Burnett – Namibia

• On the Rumba River, Jacques Sarasin – France/Congo (First Run Features) – NORTH

AMERICAN PREMIERE

• Pool of Princesses, Bettina Blümner – Germany – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

• Razzle Dazzle, Darren Ashton – Australia

• Salty Air, Alessandro Angelini – Italy

• Times and Winds, Reha Erdem – Turkey

• The Year After, Isabelle Czajka – France

• Young @ Heart, Stephen Walker – England – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Spotlight on Romanian Cinema (3):

• 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Cristian Mungiu – Romania/Holland – NORTH AMERICAN

PREMIERE

• Marilena from P7, Cristian Nemescu – Romania

• The Paper Will Be Blue, Radu Muntean – Romania

Summer Previews (13): A sneak peek at this summer’s upcoming independent film releases.

• Charlie Bartlett, Jon Poll (MGM)

• Chasing Ghosts, Lincoln Ruchti

• Does Your Soul Have a Cold?, Mike Mills (IFC TV)

• Exiled, Johnnie To – China (Magnolia Pictures)

• Great World of Sound, Craig Zobel (Magnolia Pictures)

• The Hottest State, Ethan Hawke (ThinkFilm)

• How to Cook Your Life, Doris Dörrie – Germany (Roadside Attractions)

• Interview, Steve Buscemi (Sony Pictures Classics)

• The Last Winter, Larry Fessenden (IFC Films)

• Molière, Laurent Tirard – France (Sony Pictures Classics)

• Rocket Science, Jeffrey Blitz (Picturehouse)

• Two Days in Paris, Julie Delpy (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

• War/Dance, Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine (ThinkFilm)

Dark Wave (3):
Edgy films from around the world. For mature audiences.

• Dead Daughters, Pavel Ruminov – Russia

• Trigger Man, Ti West

• Wizard of Gore, Jeremy Kasten – WORLD PREMIERE

Guilty Pleasures (2)

• Dynamite Warrior, Chalerm Wongpim – Thailand (Magnolia Pictures) – US PREMIERE

• Flight of the Living Dead, Scott Thomas – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Festival Live (2)

• Jeff Garlin's Combo Platter (stand-up comedy)

• Axis of Evil, with Ahmed Ahmed, Maz Jobrani, Aron Kader (stand-up comedy)

Special Event Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre (6):
These unique outdoor screenings are part of the 2007 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.

• Arctic Tale, Adam Ravetch, Sarah Robertson (Paramount Vantage)

• Dark Side of the Zeppelin: The Laserium Extravaganza!

• Hot Rod, Akiva Schaffer (Paramount Pictures)

• The Iron Fist (1927), Gabriel García Moreno – Mexico – Live musical score by the Nortec

Collective

• Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten, Julien Temple – England/Ireland (IFC First Take)

• U.F.O.s at the Zoo: The Legendary Concert in Oklahoma City, Brad Beesley, Wayne Coyne,

George Salisbury

Family-Friendly Screenings (2):

• Komaneko: The Curious Cat, Tsuneo Goda – Japan – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

• Old Yeller (1957), Robert Stevenson – 50th Anniversary Screening

Tribute Screenings (4)

• A Christmas Story (1983), Bob Clark (Bob Clark, 1939-2007) – Free Screening – Festival

Promenade on Broxton Avenue

• The Elephant Man (1980), David Lynch (Freddie Francis, 1917-2007)

• Love Story, Chris Hall, Mike Kerry (Arthur Lee, 1945-2006) – England – NORTH AMERICAN

PREMIERE

• The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo, Axel Schill (John A.

Alonzo, 1934-2001) – Germany/USA/England

Movies And More – Films With Extended Conversations (3):

• Harry and Tonto (1974), Paul Mazursky – Paul Mazursky in conversation with Jeff Garlin

• The Man (1972), Joseph Sargent – Joseph Sargent in conversation with Elvis Mitchell

• Straight Time (1978), Ulu Grosbard – Conversation with Ulu Grosbard and select cast & crew

Special Screenings and Series (18):

• 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), Nathan Juran – 50th Anniversary Screening

• The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Sing-A-Long

• L.A. Destroys Itself

Presented in association with the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

o Earthquake (1974), Mark Robson

o Escape From L.A. (1996), John Carpenter

o Miracle Mile (1988), Steve De Jarnatt

o Night of the Comet (1984), Thom Eberhardt – Free Screening – Festival Promenade on  Broxton Avenue

o Them! (1954), Gordon M. Douglas

• L.A. Film Critics: The Films That Got Away

Co-presented by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

o The Death of Klinghoffer (2003), Penny Woolcock – England

o Triple Agent (2004), Eric Rohmer – France/Spain/Italy/Greece/Russia

• L.A. International

Presented in association with the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

o The Message, Moustapha Akkad – Pakistan/Kuwait/Morocco/Libya/England/Lebanon

• Mozart’s Visionary Cinema: New Crowned Hope

Presented in association with the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

o Dry Season, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun – France/Belgium/Chad/Austria

o Half Moon, Bahman Ghobadi – Iran/Austria/France/Iraq (Strand Releasing)

o I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone, Tsai Ming-liang – Taiwan/France/Austria (Strand Releasing)

o Opera Jawa, Garin Nugroho – Indonesia/Austria

o Paraguayan Hammock, Paz Encina – Paraguay/France/Argentina/Netherlands/

Austria/Spain/Germany

o Syndromes and a Century, Apichatpong Weerasethakul – Thailand/Austria/France

(Strand Releasing)

• Secret Screenings (2)

The most anticipated Fall films will be pre-screened to a select audience of Festival passholders.

Free Screenings (6):

• Chicago 10, Brett Morgen – Co-presented in association with Grand Performances

• I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, Richard Trank –

USA/England/Poland/Austria/Germany/Italy/Ukraine/Israel

• Made in L.A., Almudena Carracedo

• Miss Navajo, Billy Luther

• The Princess Bride (1987), Rob Reiner – 20th Anniversary Screening – Festival Promenade on Broxton Avenue

• Shall We Dance (1937), Mark Sandrich – 70th Anniversary Screening – Festival Promenade on Broxton Avenue

Artist In Residence Selections (2):

This year’s Artist In Residence (to be announced late May) will program a sidebar of films which have inspired his or her work.

Guest Director Selections (2):
This year’s Guest Director (to be announced late May) will program a sidebar of films which have inspired his or her work.

Behind the Curtain at ILM (2):

• A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Steven Spielberg – Conversation with Dennis Muren

• Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), Robert Zemeckis – Conversation with Scott Farrar

Short Films (36): Shorts are shown before features and as part of five short film programs. With their diverse and complex content, these films shine brilliantly. All short films, domestic and international, will compete for prizes in Narrative, Documentary, and Animation categories. The prizes are determined by a panel of prestigious jurors. An Audience Award for Best Short Film is also presented.

Future Filmmakers Showcase: High School Shorts (27):

These two programs of shorts made by  high school students from around the country feature work by

Music Videos (56):
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. For the first time at the Festival, music videos will compete for an Audience Award. In addition, the Festival is showcasing the music videos of Patrick Daughters, who has worked with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Shins, Bright Eyes, and Death Cab for Cutie.

• Eclectic Mix 1 and 2

• Turn Into: The Music Videos of Patrick Daughters

Film Independent’s Diversity EXPO and Porch Party:
Film Independent’s Project:Involve  presents its annual Diversity EXPO at the Los Angeles Film Festival. This year, the Diversity Expo joins hands with the annual Porch Party honoring the Festival’s Participating Organizations. This means more people, more resources, more fun! The Diversity EXPO is a prime networking event at which filmmakers have access to over 40 film companies and media organizations. New, emerging, and established filmmakers interested in expanding their industry and community contacts are encouraged to attend. The event offers a cool vibe and relaxed atmosphere with complimentary food and beverage, and a jamming DJ. The event is free, but tickets are required.

Director Lunch Talks:
Los Angeles Times entertainment writer John Horn hosts conversations with some of the Festival’s leading independent filmmakers. Bring your lunch and join us for informal chats with filmmakers.

Festival Conversations:
These intimate conversations feature prominent industry figures on a variety of subjects. This year’s speakers include Buck Henry, Robert Benton, and this year’s Artist in Residence, among others.

Tech Talks:
A chance for festival-goers to learn the ins and outs of cameras – photo and video – and  talk about the technical side of filmmaking and photography. All talks held at Bel Air Camera, 10925 Kinross Avenue in Westwood Village.

Poolside Chats at the W Hotel – Westwood:
As the sun sets, dip your toes in the pool, sip on a cocktail, and listen to your favorite filmmakers, experts and celebrities shoot the breeze about all things cinema at our Poolside Chats. This year’s Chats include Filmmakers with a Cause, Actors Who Call  “Cut!,” Hollywood At Its Finest, and Legends of the Silver Screen.

Coffee Talks:
The Festival will have its popular Coffee Talk series again this year on Sunday, June 24,  at the Landmark West Los Angeles. Grab a coffee and listen to great conversation between some of today’s most prominent film figures as they discuss their craft with their peers in an intimate, informal setting. This year, Coffee Talks will feature directors, actors, composers, and screenwriters.

Financing Conference:
The Financing Conference, on Saturday, June 23 at the Landmark, is a day full of workshops and panels for both the novice and the seasoned producer. From a primer on film financing to detailed discussions on current trends in the domestic and foreign markets, this conference will provide first-hand information and advice from the experts. Panelists include producer Michael London (Sideways), attorney and author of Fearless Negotiation Michael Donaldson, Ted Sarandos (Netflix), producer/director Fenton Bailey (Inside Deep Throat), and director Billy Luther (Miss Navajo).

Festival Promenade on Broxton Avenue:
In the heart of Westwood Village is the Festival Promenade, sponsored by Clear Channel. The Promenade is home to the Los Angeles Times Ticketing Pavilion, the Festival’s Information Kiosk, and a custom-designed, open-air lounge area with sofas, tables and plenty of room to rest your feet and mingle between screenings. Just about every day there will be live music at 12 noon and in the early evening as well as six, count ‘em, six free outdoorscreenings that start at dusk. The screening line up includes: the beloved The Princess Bride on 2007 Friday, June 22, the Valley girls vs. zombies Night of the Comet on Saturday, June 23, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in Shall We Dance on Friday, June 29, and a Christmas-in-June screening ofA Christmas Story on Saturday, June 30 as part of our fourth annual Family Day celebration.

The concerts, screenings, and Family Day events and activities are free and open to the public.

Kodak Speed Dating:
This program directly connects Festival filmmakers with industry heavyweights from all walks of the entertainment community. The mission is to create a casual atmosphere of accessibility through informative and intimate one-on-one meetings. Kodak Speed Dating is open to all filmmakers accepted into this year's Festival with Short, Narrative, Documentary, and International films, as well as Film Independent Fellows in this year's Fast Track program.

This event is not open to the public.

Kodak Focus:
Master cinematographer Janusz Kaminski’s work can be viewed in a slew of films that  can only be called modern classics — Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, War of the Worlds,and Munich, among them. The two-time Academy Award® winner selects scenes from his work to screen and discuss with an audience of festival-goers.