Harrison Cheung
At the heart of Hollywood, the LA Film Festival has gone through a number of incarnations since its launch as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival (LAIFF) in 1995. LAIFF was absorbed by the non-profit Film Independent which is best known for its Film Independent Spirit Awards which are presented annually the day before the Oscars. This positions the film festival and Independent Spirit as a unique organization that can take a film from discovery to awards.
LAFF has home court advantage, being in Los Angeles the home to all the major studios. The stars live here. Film technology like 4k, 3D is deployed here. It’s pretty convenient for everyone in the industry to attend and celebrate films past and future. LAFF has broadened its programming to celebrate milestones like the 20th anniversary of The Red Violin as well as the 30th anniversary of Mystic Pizza (1988 Julia Roberts movie). There will also be a 4k restoration release of Jim Henson’s cult favorite Dark Crystal.
This year at LA Film Festival: The 20th anniversary of The Red Violin and the 30th anniversary of Mystic Pizza are being celebrated
Additionally, the 2018 LA Film Festival / LAFF will have a new conversation series Unscripted with…Hilary Swank; Closing Night Documentary Dayna Winkler & Tina Brown’s United Skates; the Member Screening of Hannah Fidell’s The Long Dumb Road starring Tony Revolori (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and Jason Mantzoukas (The League); additional panelists added for We the People Inclusion Summit include Kay Cannon (Blockers), Emily V. Gordon (The Big Sick), Joi McMillon (If Beale Street Could Talk), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) and more; Coffee Talks panelists Nicole Holofcener (Lovely & Amazing), Karyn Kusama (Girlfight), Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians) and Wash Westmoreland (Still Alice); The New Wave Brunch at the LA Film Festival honoring actors Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine Nine), Jay Ellis (Insecure), Dominique Fishback (The Hate U Give), Leonardo Nam (Westworld), Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (Bumblebee) and Millicent Simmonds (A Quiet Place); a 20th anniversary screening of Tamra Davis’ Half Baked, Hulu’s The First starring Sean Penn and Natascha McElhone and Netflix’s Wanderlust starring Toni Collette; a free community screening of A.R.T.S. (African Refugees Telling Stories) Renga For The West followed by a musical performance; and free blockchain panels.
And if all that wasn’t enough, LAFF Closing Night film is first-time director David Raymond’s new psychological crime drama Nomis, starring Henry Cavill, Sir Ben Kingsley, Nathan Fillion, Minka Kelly, Alexandra Daddario, and Stanley Tucci.
The Los Angeles Film Festival runs from Sept 20-28.
Check out the official LA Film Festival website for more info, tickets, and showtimes.
