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LAFF 2012 Announces Full Line-Up, Including ‘Magic Mike,’ ‘People Like Us,’ and ‘The Queen of…

By  · Published on May 1st, 2012

LAFF 2012 Announces Full Line-Up, Including ‘Magic Mike,’ ‘People Like Us,’ and ‘The Queen of Versailles’

Gird your loins, Los Angeles, the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival is coming, and this time, the fest is bringing strippers with them. Lots and lots of (cinematic) strippers. The festival has already announced four titles, which include the North American Premiere of Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love as the festival’s Opening Night Film, along with Gala screenings for Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lorene Scafaria’s Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, and Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere, but it’s high time LAFF unveiled their full slate. And what a slate!

As announced today, the festival will close with the World Premiere of Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike and will also feature the World Premiere of Alex Kurtzman’s People Like Us. Other titles announced today of note include Sundance favorites The Queen of Versailles, Teddy Bear, The House I Live In, Celeste and Jesse Forever, Robot and Frank, and Searching for Sugar Man. Additional titles that pop out include Emmett Malloy’s Big Easy Express, Alejandro Brugués’ Juan of the Dead, Adam Leon’s Gimme the Loot, and Joshua Sanchez’s Four. LAFF also runs a variety of special programs, including Community and Retro Screenings, a crammed slate of short films, and their trademark “Eclectic Mix” of music videos.

After the break, you can check out the full line-up for this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival, along with synopses for all features and a full list of all shorts and music videos playing at the fest. LAFF runs from Thursday, June 14 to Sunday, June 24. Passes are currently on sale, and general admission tickets to individual films go on sale on May 29.

OPENING NIGHT:

To Rome With Love – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Woody Allen PRODUCERS Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum CAST Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page) – Written and directed by Woody Allen, To Rome With Love is a story about a number of people in Italy – some American, some Italian, some residents, some visitors – and the romances and adventures and predicaments they get into. North American Premiere

CLOSING NIGHT:

Magic Mike — (DIRECTOR Steven Soderbergh PRODUCERS Reid Carolin, Gregory Jacobs, Channing Tatum, Nick Wechsler WRITER Reid Carolin CAST Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Cody Horn, Olivia Munn, Matt Bomer, Riley Keough, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez, Gabriel Iglesias) – Set in the world of male strippers, the dramatic comedy follows Mike (Tatum) as he takes a young dancer called The Kid (Pettyfer) under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money. World Premiere

GALA SCREENINGS

Beasts of the Southern Wild – (DIRECTOR Benh Zeitlin WRITERS Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin PRODUCERS Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn CAST Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry) – This stunningly imaginative, boldly original film follows six-year-old Hushpuppy as she fights to protect her father and their unique way of life in a remote, dreamlike area of the Delta threatened by apocalyptic floods.

Middle of Nowhere – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Ava DuVernay PRODUCERS Howard Barish, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes CAST Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick, Lorraine Toussaint, Edwina Findley, Sharon Lawrence) – How do you maintain a marriage – and your own identity – when your husband has been sentenced to eight years in prison? Writer/director Ava DuVernay’s elegant and powerful portrait of a strong woman contending with conflicting feelings of love, guilt and desire marks the arrival of a bold new voice in independent cinema.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World — (DIRECTOR/WRITER Lorene Scafaria PRODUCERS Steve Golin, Joy Gorman, Steven M. Rales, Mark Roybal CAST Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Connie Britton, Rob Corddry, Gillian Jacobs, Derek Luke, Melanie Lynskey, T.J. Miller, Mark Moses, Patton Oswalt, William Petersen) – Taking audiences on a humorous, moving and intimate journey against an epic backdrop of Earth’s final days, the film is Lorene’s feature directorial debut (she previously adapted Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist). Set in a too-near future where time at once stands still and is slipping away forever, the film explores what people will do and how they will feel when humanity’s end is near. World Premiere

NARRATIVE COMPETITION

All Is Well – Portugal (DIRECTOR Pocas Pascoal PRODUCER Luis Correia CAST Cheila Lima, Ciomara Morais) – Strangers in a strange land, two beautiful Angolan sisters fleeing a civil war in their homeland struggle to survive in Lisbon. Pocas Pascoal’s deeply personal saga shows us the face of exile with quietly stunning power. North American Premiere

Breakfast with Curtis — (DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Laura Colella CAST Theo Green, Jonah Parker, David Parker, Virginia Laffey, Aaron Jungels, Yvonne Parker, Adele Parker, Laura Colella, Gideon Parker) – A balmy eastern summer and a lush, rambling backyard are the perfect settings for this mirthful tale of unlikely friendships and rekindled neighborliness amongst a quirky and charming cast of bohemians. World Premiere

The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man — Mexico (DIRECTOR/WRITER Arturo Pons PRODUCER Ozcar Ramírez González CAST Gael Sanchez Valle, Pedro Gamez, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Eligio Melendez, Luis Bayardo, Marco Perez) – A young man and a dead man journey north through a subtly surreal desert landscape, picking up a wagonful of odd characters as they go in this darkly humorous satire of contemporary Mexico. North American Premiere

Crazy and Thief — (DIRECTOR/WRITER Cory McAbee PRODUCERS Cory McAbee, Scott Miller CAST Willa McAbee, John McAbee, Gregory Cook, Graham Stanford) – With only a homemade “Star Map” and their own imagination to guide them, a brother and sister take a fantastical journey through the real world in this ode to being a little kid from cult director Cory McAbee. North American Premiere

Dead Man’s Burden – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Jared Moshé PRODUCER Veronica Nickel CAST Barlow Jacobs, Clare Bowen, David Call, Joseph Lyle Taylor, Richard Riehle) – This tense, classically crafted indie Western, set in the aftermath of the Civil War, starts with a startling act of violence: a daughter shoots down her father on the open range. Then her long lost brother returns. This is not going to be just any old family reunion. World Premiere

Four — (DIRECTOR/WRITER Joshua Sanchez PRODUCER Christine Giorgio CAST Wendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, Aja Naomi King, EJ Bonilla) – Over the course of a steamy 4th of July night, a father and daughter, each trapped in loneliness, reach out for sexual connection – he with a self-hating teenage boy, she with a smooth-talking wannabe homeboy – in this psychologically complex, beautifully acted drama. World Premiere

A Night Too Young — Czech Republic (DIRECTOR Olmo Omerzu WRITERS Bruno Hájek, Jakub Felcman, Olmo Omerzu PRODUCER Ji?í Kone?ný CAST Martin Pechlát, Jirí Cerny, Natálie Rehorová, Vojtech Machuta, Jan Vasi) – On New Years Day, two innocent 12-year-old boys score vodka for three strangers and get invited to an adult party they’ll never forget. This darkly comic tale by gifted 26-year-old Czech director Olmo Omerzu upends the conventions of the coming of age movie. North American Premiere

Pincus – (DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER David Fenster CAST David Nordstrom, Paul Fenster, Christi Idavoy, Dietmar Franosch) – An anchorless carpenter returns to his Miami home to help his ailing father. To escape the burden of his responsibilities, he seeks comfort in women, weed and his otherworldly German friend Dietmar. World Premiere

Red Flag – (DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Alex Karpovsky CAST Alex Karpovsky, Onur Tukel, Jennifer Prediger, Caroline White, Keith Poulson, Dustin Guy Defa) – Writer/director/star Alex Karpovksy reveals his sterling comic chops playing an indie filmmaker named Alex Karpovsky who, unexpectedly dumped by his girlfriend, takes to the road for a misbegotten mini-tour of film screenings and overly ardent groupies. World Premiere

Thursday till Sunday – Chile (DIRECTOR/WRITER Dominga Sotomayor PRODUCERS Gregorio González, Benjamin Domenech CAST Santi Ahumada, Emiliano Freifeld, Francisco Pérez-Bannen, Paola Giannini) – With uncommon beauty and style, this Chilean road movie finds a family at a crossroads, as the daughter slowly realizes the divide between the adults in the front seat and the kids in back. North American Premiere

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION:

25 to Life — (DIRECTOR Mike Brown PRODUCERS Mike Brown, Yvonne Shirley) – William Brawner contracted the HIV virus through a blood transfusion as a toddler and kept it a secret as an adult while living a promiscuous, womanizing life. 25 years later, he comes clean, and this unflinching, sure-to-be-controversial documentary records his struggle for redemption. World Premiere

A Band Called Death – (DIRECTORS Jeff Howlett, Mark Covino PRODUCERS Matthew Perniciaro, Scott Mosier, Kevin Mann, Jerry Ferrara FEATURING David Hackney, Bobby Hackney, Sr., Dannis Hackney) – Equal parts electrifying rockumentary and inspiring family chronicle, this is the captivating and little known story of the Hackney brothers and their band Death, the best punk band the world almost never heard. World Premiere

Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives — (DIRECTORS Sara Lamm, Mary Wigmore PRODUCERS Kate Roughan, Zachary Mortensen, Sara Lamm, Mary Wigmore FEATURING Ina May Gaskin, Stephen Gaskin, Pamela Hunt, Farm Midwives past and present, Kristina Kennedy Davis) – Ina May Gaskin and the courageous midwives of the Farm commune inspired the modern midwifery movement. This beguiling documentary tells their empowering story with depth, intelligence and wit. World Premiere

Call Me Kuchu — (DIRECTORS Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall PRODUCER Malika Zouhali-Worrall) – To be openly gay in Uganda is to risk imprisonment and death, yet brave men like David Katos, the country’s first openly gay activist, have fought back. This heartbreaking and stirring documentary takes us inside this life and death struggle for human rights. US Premiere

Drought — Mexico (DIRECTOR Everado González PRODUCER Martha Orozco) – Contrasting the lives of a cattle-ranching community with the arid northeastern Mexican landscape that surrounds them, this cinema vertité documentary paints a poetic portrait of a community on the verge of extinction. US Premiere

The Iran Job — USA/Germany/Iran (DIRECTOR Till Schauder PRODUCERS Sara Nodjoumi, Till Schauder FEATURING Kevin Sheppard, Leah Sheppard, Hilda, Laleh, Elaheh, Abdullah, Zoran “Z” Milicic, Kami Jamshidvand, Ali Doraghi, Mehdi Shirjang, Gholamreza Khajeh, Asadollah Kabir, Fereidoon Reisi, Mohammad Ahmadi, Ehsan) – An American pro basketball player signs up for a season with upstart Iranian Super League team A.S. Shiraz. This sports documentary takes a surprising turn when this gregarious charmer meets three strong Iranian women fighting the repressive regime. World Premiere

Sun Kissed – (DIRECTORS Maya Stark, Adi Lavy PRODUCERS Jocelyn Glatzer, Maya Stark, Adi Lavy) – With remarkable strength of spirit, a husband and wife examine their lives and why their children and others have been struck with a rare genetic disorder in this powerful portrait of a small Navajo community. World Premiere

Vampira and Me – (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER R. H. Greene) – Before Elvira there was Vampira, the playfully ghoulish host of a local L.A. late night horror movie show who became a national celebrity, then disappeared. This loving, personal portrait reveals the remarkable woman behind the chalk-white mask. World Premiere

Words of Witness — Egypt/USA (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Mai Iskander FEATURING Heba Afify) – Updating your Facebook status is a political act in this street-level documentary depicting the recent Egyptian revolution as seen through the eyes and social network accounts of a young female journalist working for an English language newspaper. US Premiere

INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE:

Bestiaire – Canada (DIRECTOR/WRITER Denis Côté PRODUCERS Sylvain Corbeil, Denis Côté) – This mesmerizing and poetic movie looks at animals – zebras, hyenas, lions rattling their cages, rhinos taking a bath – in ways you’ve never seen before. It’s a beautiful and provocative meditation on the relationship between man and beast.

Bunohan: Return to Murder — Malaysia (DIRECTOR/WRITER Dain Said PRODUCER Nandita Solomon CAST Faizal Hussein, Zahiril Adzim, Pekin Ibrahim, Bront Palarae, Nam Ron, Soffi Jikan, Wan Hanafi Su, Amerul Affendi) – Equal parts Shakespearian drama and Muay Thai crime thriller, this contemporary Malaysian noir pits brother against brother and friend against friend as they fight for revenge, power and their lives.

Canícula — Mexico (DIRECTOR José Álvarez WRITERS Sebastián Hoffman, José Álvarez PRODUCER Mauricio Fabre CAST Hermelinda Santes, Esteban González, Mario García) – This is a hauntingly beautiful portrait of the rituals and crafts of contemporary Indians in remote Veracruz, who teach their boys to fly.

The First Man — France (DIRECTOR/WRITER Gianni Amelio PRODUCER Marco Chimenz CAST Jacques Gamblin, Catherine Sola, Maya Sansa, Denis Podalydès, Ulla Baugue, Jean-Francois Stevenin) — Based on Albert Camus’ autobiographical novel, Gianni Amelio’s gorgeously crafted movie follows a famous novelist as he returns to Algeria, where he grew up, on the eve of revolution. His journey triggers his memories of his fatherless childhood, rendered in unforgettable vignettes by a cinematic master. US Premiere

The Last Elvis – Argentina (DIRECTOR Armando Bo WRITERS Armando Bo, Nicolás Giacobone PRODUCERS Steve Golin, Hugo Sigman, Patricio Alvarez Casado, Victor Bo, Armando Bo CAST John McInerny, Griselda Siciliani, Margarita Lopez) – John McInerny gives a staggering performance in this poignant tale of a Buenos Aires Elvis impersonator who only comes alive when he dons the King’s clothes to perform. How can he reconcile his dreams of glory with his dead end factory job and an estranged wife and daughter who can’t live inside his fantasies?

Neighboring Sounds – Brazil (DIRECTOR/WRITER Kleber Mendonça Filho PRODUCER Emilie Lesclaux CAST Irandhir Santos, Gustavo Jahn, Maeve Jinkings, W.J. Solha) – Kleber Mendonca Filho’s astonishing, suspenseful debut film focuses on one upscale street in the seaside town of Recife, where a private security team is enlisted to protect the residents from crime. By its startling conclusion, you feel you’ve seen all of Brazilian society exposed.

On The Edge – France/Morocco/Germany (DIRECTOR/WRITER Leila Kilani PRODUCER Charlotte Vincent CAST Soufia Issami, Mouna Bahmad, Nouzha Akel, Sara Betioui) – Powered by a fierce lead performance, this visually striking debut film from writer/director Leila Kilani focuses on a young Casablancan woman who refuses to accept the limitations put upon her by contemporary Moroccan society.

P-047 – Thailand (DIRECTOR/WRITER Kongdej Jaturanrasamee PRODUCERS Soros Sukhum, Kongdej Jaturanrasamee CAST Parinya Kwamwongwan, Aphichai Trakulphadejkrai) – Part meditation, part multi-layered mystery, this mind-bending Thai movie tells the story of two friends who break into apartments to borrow the lives of the people who live there.

Return to Burma ­– Taiwan/Myanmar (DIRECTOR/WRITER Midi Z. PRODUCERS Midi Z., Patrick Mao Huang CAST Wang Shin-Hong) – In this peculiar blend of fact and fiction, a laborer returns home after a ten-year stint working in Taipei to reacquaint himself with the backstreets and personal finances of contemporary Burma.

Sister — Switzerland (DIRECTOR Ursula Meier WRITERS Antoine Jaccoud, Ursula Meier PRODUCERS Denis Freyd, Ruth Waidburger CAST Léa Seydoux, Kacey Mottet Klein, Gillian Anderson) – Simon is a 12-year-old thief who steals equipment from rich tourists at a luxurious Swiss ski resort, then descends to the industrial town below where he lives with his jobless, irresponsible sister. This stunning tale of secrets and lies won the Silver Bear in Berlin. North American Premiere

The Strawberry Tree — Canada/Cuba/Italy (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Simone Rapisarda Casanova) – Filmed in a small Cuban fishing village mere weeks before a hurricane decimated the entire region, this stunning documentary unknowingly captures the town’s final days even as it reframes the usual filmmaker-film subject relationship.

Summer Games – Switzerland (DIRECTOR Rolando Colla WRITERS Rolando Colla, Roberto Scarpetti, Olivier Lorelle, Pilar Anguita-MacKay PRODUCER Elena Pedrazzoli) – While his parents fight violently, a troubled 12-year-old boy on holiday in seaside Tuscany plays dangerous games with some newfound friends. This captivating story of lost innocence and first love swept the Swiss Film Awards.

Teddy Bear – Denmark (DIRECTOR Mads Matthiesen WRITERS Mads Matthiesen, Martin Pieter Zandvliet PRODUCER Morten Kjems Juhl CAST Kim Kold, Elsebeth Steentoft, Lamaiporn Sangmanee Hougaard, David Winters, Allan Morgensen) – This award-winning feature follows mama’s boy bodybuilder Dennis as he searches for true love at home in Denmark. When that fails, this gentle giant sets his sights on a more exotic location – Thailand.

Unforgivable – France (DIRECTOR André Téchiné WRITERS Mehdi Ben Attia, André Téchiné, Philippe Djian PRODUCER Saïd Ben Saïd CAST André Dussollier, Carole Bouquet, Mélanie Thierry, Adriana Asti) – In André Téchiné’s sensual, slippery psychological thriller, a jealous mystery writer in Venice hires an ex-con to tail his beautiful, bisexual new wife and a woman detective to search for his missing daughter.

Without Gorky – UK (DIRECTOR Cosima Spender PRODUCER Valerio Bonelli) – The suicide of the great abstract expressionist Arshile Gorky in 1948 hangs over his surviving family. This intimate documentary, made by Gorky’s granddaughter, is both a brilliant portrait of an artist and the tale of a family still haunted by his turbulent ghost.

SUMMER SHOWCASE:

About Face – (DIRECTOR Timothy Greenfield-Sanders PRODUCERS Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Chad Thompson FEATURING Marisa Berenson, Christie Brinkley, Isabella Rossellini, Carmen Dell’Orefice, Paulina Porizkova, Carol Alt, Bethann Hardison, Beverly Johnson, Cheryl Tiegs, China Machado, Christy Turlington, Dayle Haddon, Eileen Ford, Esme, Jerry Hall, Karen Bjornson, Kim Alexis, Lisa Taylor, Nancy Donahue, Pat Cleveland, Harry King, Calvin Klein, Jade Hobson) – The great fashion models of the past 60 years – Christie Brinkley, Marisa Berenson, China Machado, Isabella Rossellini, Jerry Hall and many more – tell their stories in this candid, lively and dishy behind-the-scenes exploration of what it means to be the object of our dreams.

Beauty Is Embarrassing — (DIRECTOR Neil Berkeley PRODUCERS Neil Berkeley, Chris Bradley, Morgan Neville, Eddie Schmidt, Bart McDonough, Milan Erceg, Aimee Bothwell, Liah Corral, Anthony Maiuri FEATURING Wayne White, Matt Groening, Paul Reubens, Mark Mothersbaugh, Todd Oldham, Gary Panter, Rick Heitzman, Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, Woodrow White, Lulu White, Mimi Pond) – Expect the unexpected from artist Wayne White, whose iconoclastic career stretches from the East Village to the set of Pee Wee’s Playhouse to the thrift stores of Los Angeles, as seen in this lively and humorous documentary.

Big Easy Express — (DIRECTOR Emmett Malloy PRODUCERS Tim Lynch, Mike Luba, Bryan Ling) – Ride the rails with Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show as the bands travel from Oakland to New Orleans, playing their unique blend of bluegrass and modern Americana.

Celeste and Jesse Forever — (DIRECTOR Lee Toland Krieger WRITERS Rashida Jones, Will McCormack PRODUCERS Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd, Lee Nelson CAST Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Chris Messina, Ari Graynor, Emma Roberts, Elijah Wood) – This fresh, delightful romantic comedy stars Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg as an L.A. couple who married young and are now going through an “amicable” divorce. Their goal: to remain best friends, which is easier said than done.

Gayby — (DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Jonathan Lisecki CAST Jenn Harris, Matthew Wilkas) – A hilarious and heartfelt comedy about two best friends – a gay man and a straight woman – who decide to have a baby the old fashioned way. This baby makes more than three.

Gimme the Loot — (DIRECTOR/WRITER Adam Leon PRODUCERS Natalie Difford, Dominic Buchanan, Jamund Washington CAST Tashiana Washington, Ty Hickson, Meeko, Zoe Lescaze) – Sofia and Malcolm have a plan to become the most famous graffiti artists in New York City, but first they have to hustle their way through two days of schemes, dreams and spray paint.

The House I Live In — (DIRECTOR/WRITER Eugene Jarecki PRODUCERS Eugene Jarecki, Melinda Shopsin, Sam Cullman, Christopher St. John) – Eugene Jarecki’s powerful, award-winning documentary exposes the monumental failure of the War on Drugs, which has torn apart communities, weakened our police forces and turned incarceration into a big time America business.

It’s a Disaster — (DIRECTOR/WRITER Todd Berger PRODUCERS Jeff Grace, Kevin M. Brennan, Gordon Bijelonic, Datari Turner CAST Rachel Boston, Kevin M. Brennan, David Cross, America Ferrera, Jeff Grace, Erinn Hayes, Blaise Miller, Julia Stiles) – Assembled for their regular Sunday brunch, a clique of hip Angelinos become hilariously entangled in a web of personal drama so complex they hardly notice the apocalypse is knocking on their front door. World Premiere

La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus — USA/Guatemala (DIRECTOR Mark Kendall PRODUCERS Mark Kendall, Rafael González, Bernardo Ruiz) – The journey and transformation of a yellow American school bus into a vibrant Central American camioneta sensitively reveals both the beauty and violence of everyday life in Guatemala.

Neil Young Journeys – (DIRECTOR Jonathan Demme PRODUCERS Jonathan Demme, Elliot Rabinowitz FEATURING Neil Young) – Jonathan Demme and Neil Young team up for a third time to capture a dual homecoming for Young, as he performs at Toronto’s Massey Hall and reminisces about his childhood town of Omemee, Ontario.

An Oversimplification of her Beauty — USA/France (DIRECTOR/WRITER Terence Nance PRODUCERS Terence Nance, James Bartlett, Andrew Corkin CAST Terence Nance, Namik Minter, Chanelle Pearson) – A fresh and original take on young love in the big city, Terence Nance’s playfully personal narrative pushes the cinematic envelope.

People Like Us — (DIRECTOR Alex Kurtzman WRITERS Alex Kurtzman, Jody Lambert, Roberto Orci PRODUCERS Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Bobby Cohen, Clayton Townsend CAST Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Michael Hall D’Addario, Philip Baker Hall, Mark Duplass, Michelle Pfeiffer) – In a story inspired by true events, Sam (Pine), a twenty-something, fast-talking salesman, is tasked with fulfilling his estranged father’s last wishes – delivering an inheritance to a sister he never knew he had. World Premiere

The Queen of Versailles — (DIRECTOR Lauren Greenfield PRODUCER Danielle Renfrew Behrens FEATURING David Siegel, Jackie Siegel, the Siegel Family) – When their plans for constructing the world’s largest home are halted by the 2008 economic collapse, a flamboyant billionaire couple must reconcile their grandiose dreams with new financial realities in Lauren Greenfield’s award-winning documentary.

Reportero — (DIRECTOR Bernardo Ruiz PRODUCERS Bernardo Ruiz, Patricia Benabe, Anne Hubbell FEATURING Sergio Haro Cordero, Adela Navarro Bello) – A look at the incredible danger facing journalists in Mexico through the eyes of investigative reporter Sergio Haro and other staff at Zeta, the defiant Tijuana-based newsweekly.

Robot and Frank — (DIRECTOR Jake Schreier WRITER Christopher D. Ford PRODUCERS Jackie Kelman Bisbee, Sam Bisbee, Galt Niederhoffer CAST Frank Langella, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon, Peter Sarsgaard) – In the near future, an aging widower is forced to accept a robot caretaker into his home, which inspires him to pick up some old bad habits in this charming comedy of circuits and companionship.

Searching for Sugar Man – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Malik Bendjelloul PRODUCERS Simon Chinn, Nicole Stott, George Chignell) – Years after fading into obscurity at home, the music of ’70s U.S. singer/songwriter Rodriguez became an underground sensation in South Africa. Decades after his disappearance, two fans uncover the startling truth behind the legend.

COMMUNITY SCREENINGS:

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) — (DIRECTOR Steven Spielberg WRITER Melissa Mathison PRODUCERS Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg CAST Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Peter Coyote) – Steven Spielberg’s classic tale of a kind-hearted little alien who miraculously befriends a precocious young boy remains as touching, delightful and inspiring today as it did when it first premiered thirty years ago.

Dirty Dancing Dance-A-Long — (DIRECTOR Emile Ardolino WRITER Eleanor Bergstein PRODUCER Linda Gottlieb CAST Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach) – Celebrate this romantic, music-packed classic with an evening of audience participation under the stars. We’ll dance, laugh, and reminisce as Swayze reminds us all that “nobody puts Baby in the corner.” Produced in cooperation with Dance Camera West and Grand Performances

G-Dog — (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Freida Mock FEATURING Greg Boyle) – A look at Father Greg Boyle, aka G-Dog, as he and his Homeboys and Homegirls struggle to keep one of the country’s leading gang intervention programs afloat during troubling economic times. World Premiere

The Invisible War – (DIRECTOR/WRITER Kirby Dick PRODUCERS Amy Ziering, Tanner King Barklow) – In this devastating exposé of injustice, Academy Award-nominated documentarian Kirby Dick uncovers the epidemic of sexual abuse that pervades America’s military system, in which over 500,000 US soldiers have been victimized.

LUV – (DIRECTOR Sheldon Candis WRITERS Sheldon Candis, Justin Wilson PRODUCERS Jason Michael Berman, W. Michael Jenson, Gordon Bijelonic, Datari Turner, Joel Newton, Common, Derek Dudley CAST Common, Michael Rainey Jr., Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Michael Kenneth Williams) – Boasting stellar performances, Sheldon Candis’ feature directorial debut is a riveting portrait of a young boy learning some harsh truths at the side of his uncle, who has recently been released from prison. Project Involve Screening

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) — (DIRECTOR Nicholas Meyer WRITERS Jack B. Sowards, Nicholas Meyer PRODUCER Robert Sallin CAST William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Kirstie Alley, Ricardo Montalban, Paul Winfield) – When a long-forgotten enemy reappears, thirsty for vengeance, Captain Kirk takes the helm of the USS Enterprise once again in this action-packed fan favorite of the long-running franchise.

THE BEYOND:

The History of Future Folk — (DIRECTORS J. Anderson Mitchell, Jeremy Kipp Walker WRITER J. Anderson Mitchell PRODUCERS Jeremy Kipp Walker, Jon Bulette, Andrew Goldman, Smokey Nelson CAST Jay Klaitz, Nils d’Aulaire, Julie Ann Emery, April Hernandez Castillo, Onata Aprile, Dee Snider) – Aliens from the planet Hondo cancel their plans of world domination to form a bluegrass band and fall in love in this wonderfully odd, surprisingly sweet sci-fi musical comedy. World Premiere

Juan of the Dead – Cuba (DIRECTOR/WRITER Alejandro Brugués PRODUCERS Gervasio Iglesias, Inti Herrera CAST Alexis Días de Villegas, Jorge Molina, Andrea Duro, Andros Perugorría, Jazz Vila, Eliecer Ramírez) – The streets of Havana are alive with the undead in Cuba’s first zombie comedy, a wild and bloody romp that sinks its sharp satirical teeth into the Cuban body politic. Castro may not be amused, but you will be.

Saturday Morning Massacre – (DIRECTOR Spencer Parsons WRITERS Jory Balsimo, Aaron Leggett, Jason Wehling PRODUCERS Jonny Mars, Jason Wehling CAST Josephine Decker, Paul Gordon, Jonny Mars, Ashley Spillers, Adam Tate) – Four professional ghost hunters, who travel in a vintage van accompanied by their canine companion (sound familiar?), get far more than they bargained for when they take on a rambling mansion with a mysterious past. World Premiere

RETRO

Ballads, Blues, and Bluegrass (1961) — (DIRECTOR Alan Lomax PRODUCER George Pickow) – Filmed in 1961 but never released until now, this impromptu concert film, shot by famed music archivist Alan Lomax in his West Village apartment, captures amazing performances by Roscoe Holcolm, Doc Watson, Willie Dixon, Jack Elliott and others. World Premiere

Banishment (2007) — (DIRECTOR Andrey Zvyagintsev WRITER Oleg Negin PRODUCER Dmitry Lesnevsky CAST Konstantin Lavronenko, Maria Bonnevie, Alexander Baluev, Maxim Shibaev, Katya Kulkina, Dmitry Ulianov, Alexey Vertkov) – In this breathtaking Russian film, a loving husband and father relocates his family to the idyllic countryside, but this would-be Eden soon disintegrates when his wife reveals a terrible secret: she’s pregnant with another man’s child. LAFCA’s The Films That Got Away

The Breaking Point (1950) — (DIRECTOR Michael Curtiz WRITER Ranald MacDougall PRODUCER Jerry Wald CAST John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter) – Based on Ernest Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not, this little seen, action-packed classic sees a down on his luck sport fishing boat captain drawn into a sea of crime off the coast of California. Preservation funding provided by Warner Bros. in association with The Film Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association

SHORT FILMS:

Shorts Program 1–4

FUTURE FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE:

High School Shorts 1–2

MUSIC VIDEOS:

Eclectic Mix

Thunderdome: DANIELS vs Walter Robot

DANIELS and Walter Robot go head to head in an event peppered with music videos, shorts, production secrets, feats of strength, audience challenges and possible mime.

DIRECTORS: DANIELS

DIRECTORS: WALTER ROBOT