Eclipse world premiere at Los Angeles Film Festival

Today Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards, the Film Festival, and year-round artist development programs and exhibition events, announced the official selections for the 2010 Los AngelesLos Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times. The Festival will run from Thursday, June 17 to Sunday, June 27 in downtown Los Angeles, with its central hub at L.A. LIVE. Now in its sixteenth year, the Festival is recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema and providing the movie-loving public with access to critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.    

The 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen over 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 40 countries.  This year, the Festival received more than 4,700 submissions from filmmakers around the world.  The final selections represent 28 World, North American, and U.S. premieres, which more than doubled from 2009.  The number of films competing in the narrative and documentary competition categories also increased this year from 13 to 18, of which half are World premieres.
For the fifth year, the Los Angeles Times will serve as the Festival's title sponsor and once again produce the official Festival Guide, the comprehensive source for all movie info, screenings, locations, and related special events.  The Festival Guide will top the paper on Sunday, June 13 in Los Angeles and Orange County, and will be made available throughout downtown L.A. during the ten-day event.  
"We've received tremendous support from the community for our move to downtown and can't wait to present this rich, diverse program to audiences," said Los Angeles Film Festival Director Rebecca Yeldham.  "We've created a series of highly entertaining, memorable experiences for our filmmakers and audiences."  
"It's been a terrific experience working with the programming team in my first year with the Festival, and filmgoers are in for a real treat this summer," said Los Angeles Film Festival Artistic Director David Ansen.  "There's truly something for everyone, whether it's a comedy for the whole family, a documentary for Star Wars fan boys, or a sidebar of films from an unjustly forgotten and highly-regarded director."
"The Los Angeles Film Festival is always an amazing time for us because we can build on our year-round work of cultivating the careers of artists and providing them with a unique platform to showcase their films," said Film Independent Executive Director Dawn Hudson.  "It's also a fabulous way to bring together the industry, filmmakers, and film lovers to celebrate the diverse arts scene that Los Angeles has to offer."  
Focus Features' The Kids Are All Right will kick off the Festival on June 17 at the Premiere Theater at Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14.  The film is directed by Lisa Cholodenko from an original screenplay by Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg and stars Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, and Josh Hutcherson.  Two teenaged children (Wasikowska, Hutcherson) conceived by artificial insemination get the notion to seek out their birth father and introduce him into the family life that their two mothers (Bening, Moore) have built for them.  Once the donor (Ruffalo) is found, the household will never be the same, as family ties are defined, re-defined, and re-re-defined.  The Kids Are All Right opens in select cities on July 7, 2010.  
Universal Pictures' world premiere of the 3-D CGI feature Despicable Me will close the Festival on June 27 at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. The film is directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin with an all-star cast including Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Jemaine Clement, Miranda Cosgrove, Jack McBrayer, and Julie Andrews.  One of the world's greatest super-villains, Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), is planning the biggest heist in the history of the world: to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Despicable Me.  Surrounded by an army of mischievous little yellow minions and armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles, Gru vanquishes all who stand in his way.  Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little girls who look at him and see something that no one else has: a potential Dad.  Despicable Me opens nationwide in Real D 3D on July 9, 2010.

The Festival will host the invitation-only world premiere of Summit Entertainment's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on June 24 at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.  Details for the screening can be found at LAFilmFest.com.  The film is directed by David Slade and stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, and Dakota Fanning.  In Eclipse, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings, and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge.  In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob, knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampire and werewolf.  The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens nationwide on June 30, 2010.    
 
In lieu of one Centerpiece Premiere, this year's Festival will feature a number of high-profile Gala Screenings, which include: Sony Pictures Classics' Animal Kingdom, directed by David Michod; Fox Searchlight's Cyrus, directed by Jay & Mark Duplass; the world premiere of Mahler on the Couch, directed by Percy and Felix Adlon; the North American premiere of Revolucion, a series of short films directed by Mariana Chenillo, Fernando Eimbcke, Amat Escalante, Gael Garcia Bernal, Rodrigo Garcia, Diego Luna, Gerardo Naranjo, Rodrigo Pia, Carlos Reygadas, and Patricia Riggen; and Paramount Vantage's Waiting for Superman, directed by Davis Guggenheim.
Last year, Netflix and Film Independent joined forces to create the national Netflix FIND Your Voice Film Competition, to discover and assist the next great independent filmmaker.  The winning project, The Wheeler Boys written and directed by Philip G. Flores, was developed through Film Independent over the past year and will now have its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival.  Additional support was provided by Panavision, Kodak, Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, and EFILM Hollywood, a division of Deluxe.
Passes to attend the Festival are available immediately for Film Independent members, and beginning May 10 for the general public.  In addition to screenings and events, Festival passes provide access to a series of networking receptions and entry to the ZonePerfect live.create. lounge, where Festival pass holders can interact with Festival filmmakers and professionals in the film community.  General admission tickets to individual films go on sale beginning June 1.  Contact the Festival Ticketing Center for passes, tickets and event information by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866.345-6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com.  Festival Passes and tickets can also be purchased in person beginning on Monday, June 14 at the Festival Ticketing Center located at L.A. LIVE (800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015).


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