Before we get to the official - and redundant - announcement of the Westwood fest's award-winners, I would just like to thank Film Independent for not sticking entirely to their pandering, "Audience Is King" battle cry.
Much as I enjoyed the indeed audience-pleasing, already in or coming soon to a theater near you fest films "Wanted," "The Wackness," "American Teen" and "Hellboy II," my favorite festival experiences were at difficult, not necessarily great and certainly not mass audience films that may never hit an L.A. screen again. Whatever their flaws, they were all unique, audacious, highly personalized works that emphasized the true artistic value of cinema: i.e., that the director, not the audience, is creative king.
So thanks, LAFF, for showing me:
The fascist Brazilian cop movie "Elite Squad," the stylistically pumped-up, psycho-socially keen-edged and hilariously corrupt success de scandale that won the Berlin Film Festival amid much politically correct hand-wringing;
Nicolas Klotz's demanding, talky "Heartbeat Detector," with its tour-de-force performance from "Diving Bell and Butterfly's" Mathieu Amalric as an HR profiler who discovers the links between his multinational corporation and its buried Nazi past;
"La France," another idea for a movie only the French could come up with involving cross-dressing, dessertion and breaking into impromptu song routines during the darkest days of World War I;
"You, The Living," Roy Andersson's ("Songs from the Second Floor") episodic, outlandishly deadpan and vaguely apocalyptic index of modern Swedish discontents;
And the, um, classic Shaw Brothers martial arts potboiler "Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan." It may not be art, but it's a jaw-dropper from forced porstitution start to limb-hacking finish.

That's what I saw. Now, onto what the judges and "kings" deemed worthy:

LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL HONORS 2008 AWARD WINNERS

AT FESTIVAL AWARDS NIGHT

TARGET FILMMAKER AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT CLOSING NIGHT

BY GUILLERMO DEL TORO

Sean Baker's Prince of Broadway

Winner of the Target Filmmaker Award (for Best Narrative Feature)

-- The award carries with it an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 funded by Target -

Darius Marder's Loot

Winner of the Target Documentary Award (for Best Documentary Feature)

-- The award carries with it an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 funded by Target -

Jonathan Levine's The Wackness

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature

Sacha Gervasi's Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature

James Marsh's Man on Wire

Winner of the Audience Award for Best International Feature

SHORT FILM AND OTHER AWARDS ALSO ANNOUNCED

The Los Angeles Film Festival announced its 2008 award winners at the Festival's Awards Night on Sunday, June 29, where acclaimed actor Don Cheadle was honored with the 2008 Spirit of Independence Award. The awards, presented by Rosanna Arquette, Illeana Douglas, Paul Haggis, Jennifer Beals and Halle Berry, include the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, which went to Jonathan Levine for The Wackness and the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, which went to Sacha Gervasi for Anvil! The Story of Anvil. James Marsh's Man on Wire won the Audience Award for Best International Feature.

The award for Outstanding Performance in the Narrative Competition went to Jennifer Lawrence for her performance in Lori Petty's The Poker House. Given to an actor or actors from an official selection in the Narrative Competition, this is the fifth year the award has been given out at the Festival.

The award for Best Narrative Short Film went to Alice Winocour's Magic Paris. The award for Best Documentary Short Film went to Eva Weber's City of Cranes. Cam Christiansen's I Have Seen the Future won the award for Best Animated/Experimental Short Film.

The Audience Award for Best Short Film went to Darren Thornton's Frankie. Melanie Mandl's Run won the Audience Award for Best Music Video for Air.

"The audience truly is king, and it shows through their continued enthusiasm for diverse, entertaining, and thought-provoking films," said Los Angeles Film Festival Director Rich Raddon. "The opportunity to see new summer movies and discover new international and independent talent has continued to fuel the growth in attendance at the Festival."

The winners of the Target Filmmaker Awards were announced at Closing Night on Saturday, June 28. Hellboy II director Guillermo del Toro presented the awards to this year's lucky winners. The Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature went to Sean Baker for Prince of Broadway, and the Target Documentary Award for Best Documentary Feature went to Darius Marder for Loot. The Documentary Jury also bestowed a Special Jury Commendation to Pressure Cooker directed by Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker.

In Sean Baker's Prince of Broadway, immigrants from different parts of the world, Lucky and Levon, are trying to carve out their chunk of the American dream, hustling knock-offs in New York City's chaotic Garment District. When an ex-girlfriend leaves a toddler in Lucky's care, his newfound responsibilities send a ripple effect through both men's lives. Working against predictability and melodrama, director Sean Baker's delicately drawn portrait of American life is laced with humor and a deep affection for his characters, expertly brought to life by a near-perfect cast of up-and-comers who grace the screen with truthful and compelling performances.

In awarding Prince of Broadway with the Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature, the jury stated the following: "Combining uncommonly quick-witted directorial skill with a lively and humane understanding of how all sorts of new Americans learn to scrape by at the bottom of New York's melting pot, Sean Baker's Prince of Broadway avoids sentimental pitfalls while letting the audience share the complications and private victories of lives that too many movies don't think twice about."

The Narrative Feature Competition jury was comprised of Stephanie Allain, Tom Carson, and Robert M. Young.

Darius Marder's Loot asks the question, what would possess a used-car salesman from Utah to spend months searching through a filthy house piled with years of junk or to trek through the hills of Austria with only the memories of a blind man to guide him? Buried treasure, hidden more than 60 years ago by two World War II veterans. Despite the complications of fading memories and failing health, the lure of untold riches -- no matter how unlikely -- is simply irresistible. But what begins as a fool's errand slowly becomes a journey all three men were destined to take in this quietly devastating documentary.

The Documentary Jury chose Loot as the recipient of the Target Documentary Award "because its elegance and exquisite craft delivers everything you want in a documentary. Its uniquely flawed characters, sublime surprise of verité, and keen cinematic eye come together in a beautiful and riveting film."

The Documentary Feature Competition jury was comprised of Marina Goldovskaya, Esther Robinson, and Morgan Spurlock.

In Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker's Pressure Cooker, unorthodox Culinary Arts teacher Mrs. Stephenson isn't sugar and spice; she's a tyrant known throughout her Philly public high school for her hoarse rebukes of her students' "McDonald's palates" and sloppy crêpes. She may be disarmingly blunt, but she cares about the final product: Last year, 11 of her seniors totaled $750,000 in scholarships to top culinary schools across the nation. Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker's high-heat documentary follows students Erica, Tyree, and Fatoumata, three dedicated inner-city kids with circumstances stacked against them whose best hope for their futures depends on the perfect Tourne potato.

The Documentary Jury bestowed a Special Jury Commendation on Pressure Cooker "for passionately demonstrating the beauty and artfulness of food, the miracle of education, and the difference tough love can make in the lives of many."

Awards were given out in the following categories:

Target Filmmaker Award (for Best Narrative Feature)

Winner: Prince of Broadway written by Sean Baker and Darren Dean, and directed by Sean Baker

Credits: Producer Darren Dean

Cast: Prince Adu, Karren Karagulian, Aiden Noesi

Film Description: Immigrants from different parts of the world, Lucky and Levon are trying to carve out their chunk of the American dream, hustling knock-offs in New York City's chaotic Garment District. When an ex-girlfriend leaves a toddler in Lucky's care, his newfound responsibilities send a ripple effect through both men's lives. Working against predictability and melodrama, director Sean Baker's delicately drawn portrait of American life is laced with humor and a deep affection for his characters, expertly brought to life by a near-perfect cast of up-and-comers who grace the screen with truthful and compelling performances.

The Target Filmmaker Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 funded by Target, offering the financial means to help filmmakers transfer their vision to the screen. The award recognizes the finest American narrative film in competition. The award is given to the winning director of the Narrative Feature Competition. A special jury selects the winner. All narrative feature-length films screening in the Narrative Competition section were eligible.

The Narrative Feature Competition jury was comprised of Stephanie Allain, Tom Carson, and Robert M. Young.

****

Target Documentary Award (for Best Documentary Feature)

Winner: Loot written/directed by Darius Marder

Credits: Producer Darius Marder

Film Description: What would possess a used-car salesman from Utah to spend months searching through a filthy house piled with years of junk or to trek through the hills of Austria with only the memories of a blind man to guide him? Buried treasure, hidden more than 60 years ago by two World War II veterans. Despite the complications of fading memories and failing health, the lure of untold riches -- no matter how unlikely -- is simply irresistible. But what begins as a fool's errand slowly becomes a journey all three men were destined to take in this quietly devastating documentary.

The Target Documentary Award carries an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 funded by Target, offering the financial means to help filmmakers transfer their vision to the screen. The award recognizes the finest American documentary film in competition. The award is given to the winning director of the Documentary Feature Competition. A special jury selects the winner. All documentary feature-length films screening in the Documentary Competition section were eligible.

The Documentary Feature Competition jury was comprised of Marina Goldovskaya, Esther Robinson, and Morgan Spurlock.

Special Documentary Jury Commendation

Title: Pressure Cooker, directed by Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker

Credits: Producer Jennifer Grausman

Film Description: Unorthodox Culinary Arts teacher Mrs. Stephenson isn't sugar and spice; she's a tyrant known throughout her Philly public high school for her hoarse rebukes of her students' "McDonald's palates" and sloppy crêpes. She may be disarmingly blunt, but she cares about the final product: Last year, 11 of her seniors totaled $750,000 in scholarships to top culinary schools across the nation. Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker's high-heat documentary follows students Erica, Tyree, and Fatoumata, three dedicated inner-city kids with circumstances stacked against them whose best hope for their futures depends on the perfect Tourne potato.

****

Outstanding Performance in the Narrative Competition

Winner: Jennifer Lawrence of Lori Petty's The Poker House

Film Description: An ordinary day in young Agnes' life is anything but. With a strung-out mother, a pimp father figure, and a home overrun by gamblers, thieves, and johns, Agnes is simply trying to survive, along with her two younger sisters. Beautifully crafted and featuring breakout performances by a trio of young actresses, Lori Petty's directorial debut is at once frank and heartbreaking, lithe and hopeful. Eschewing predictability and indie tropes, Petty's film has at its heart the candid assertion that while the world can be cruel, good things can happen to people who need them.

In bestowing Jennifer Lawrence with Oustanding Performance recognition, the Jury stated: "Everything in The Poker House is riding on Jennifer Lawrence's performance, but we never once catch her looking like she knows it. Her ability to convince us that the victimized teenager she plays has never known any other life but this one -- and has no idea if it's unusual or not -- is screen acting at its very best."

The Narrative Feature Competition jury was comprised of Stephanie Allain, Tom Carson, and Robert M. Young.

****

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature

Winner: The Wackness written/directed by Jonathan Levine

Credits: Producers Keith Calder, Felipe Marino, Joe Neurauter, Brian Udovich

Cast: Josh Peck, Sir Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen, Olivia Thirlby, Mary-Kate Olsen, Method Man, Jane Adams

Film Description: Where were you in the summer of 1994? Writer and director Jonathan Levine brings those days of mixtapes and mad flavor back to life in this story of a New York City teenager who copes with the usual problems of girls and growing up while also slinging weed and trying to keep his family from getting evicted. Add an outrageous dope-smoking therapist played by Ben Kingsley alongside the central performances of Josh Peck and Juno's Olivia Thirlby, and this freewheeling farce plays as anything but wack.

This award is given to the narrative feature audiences liked most as voted by a tabulated rating system. Narrative feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Narrative Competition, International Showcase, Summer Previews, Outdoor Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre, Dark Wave, Guilty Pleasures, and Special Screenings.

****

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature

Winner: Anvil! The Story of Anvil directed by Sacha Gervasi

Credits: Producer Rebecca Yeldham

Film Description: A totally uncool twist of fate left pioneering Canadian metal band Anvil foundering in obscurity, despite the impact of its second album, 1982's Metal on Metal, on the then-burgeoning metal scene. Covering two years of tireless touring and the recording of Anvil's 13th album, former roadie Sacha Gervasi perfectly captures the humor and pathos of two middle-aged guys who still just want to rock and who never stopped believing that stardom could be just another gig away. Part comedy, part cautionary tale, Anvil! The Story of Anvil is an anthem to people who can't give up on their dreams without one last fight.

This award is given to the documentary feature audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Documentary feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: Documentary Competition, International Showcase, Summer Previews, Outdoor Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre, Dark Wave, Guilty Pleasures, and Special Screenings.

****

Audience Award for Best International Feature

Winner: Man On Wire directed by James Marsh

Credits: Producer Simon Chinn

Cast: Featuring Philippe Petit

Country: England

Film Description: An unexpectedly moving tale of Philippe Petit, the French acrobat who in 1974 realized his fantasy to walk a tight-rope between the newly erected twin towers of the World Trade Center, Man on Wire is in many ways a tribute to the art of dreaming big, as footage of the construction of the WTC is intercut with interviews with Petit and his oddball collection of collaborators/co-conspirators. His walk is part art project, part performance, part act of rebellion, and James Marsh's film celebrates the seemingly impossible task and the man who dared dream it.

This award is given to the international feature audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. All international feature-length films, both narrative and documentary, in the International Showcase, Summer Previews, Outdoor Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre, Dark Wave, Guilty Pleasures, and Special Screenings were eligible for the Audience Award for Best International Feature.

****

Audience Award for Best Music Video

Winner: Run by Melanie Mandl

Music: Air

Description: A couple is forced to face their fears of spiders and loneliness.

This award is given to the music video audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system.

****

Best Narrative Short Film

Winner: Magic Paris by Alice Winocour

Credits: Producer Dharamsala

Description: Oh Paris! What a perfect setting for meeting the man of one's life...and his dog.

"Our choice for Best Narrative Short starts with the seemingly familiar setting of a woman adventuring into an unfamiliar city and finding romance, but with a humorously unexpected turn of events reminds us how life is truly an undefined map, marked by paths of sweet reward and bittersweet compromise," said the Shorts Competition Jury.

The Shorts Competition Jury was comprised of Robert Abele, Jessica Sanders, and Sean Shodahl.

****

Best Documentary Short Film

Winner: City of Cranes by Eva Weber

Credits: Producer Samantha Zarzosa

Description: Hidden in plain sight, a graceful and profound world is revealed in this documentary about the cranes that quietly shape our urban landscape.

"Best Documentary Short goes to Eva Weber's beautifully made film that gives us insight into the stories and perspectives of crane workers who operate their powerful machinery in birds'-eye solitude. Taking the short form into places new and unexpected, she's crafted a quietly artful piece that is thoughtful, touching, and funny," said the Shorts Competition Jury.

Best Animated/Experimental Short Film

Winner: I Have Seen the Future by Cam Christiansen

Credits: Written by Kris Demeanor, animated by Cam Christiansen and Scott Underhill

Description: On a hot summer afternoon, a father and son play tennis until their game is interrupted by a group of foul-mouthed hooligans.

"Visually interpreting Kris Demeanor's witty spoken-sung tune about pint-sized brats spoiling a young man's tennis match with his father, filmmaker Cam Christiansen uses primitive yet lyrical computer renderings to create an offbeat rumination on maturity and generation gaps," said the Shorts Competition Jury.

The Shorts Competition Jury was comprised of Robert Abele, Jessica Sanders, and Sean Shodahl.

****

Audience Award for Best Short Film

Winner: Frankie by Darren Thornton

Credits: Producer Collette Farrell

Description: Frankie is 15 and becoming a dad. He wants to do everything right but soon discovers that his determination may not be enough.

Awarded to the short film audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Short films screening in the Shorts Programs or before Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, or International Showcase feature-length screenings were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Short Film.

The Shorts Competition Jury was comprised of Robert Abele, Jessica Sanders, and Sean Shodahl.

If you're into the stylized Japanese cartoon format, you'll be spending your Fourth of July Downtown.
Here's the press release:

ANIME EXPO® 2008 PREVIEW

Excitement Builds for Nation¹s Largest Anime and Manga Convention

Los Angeles, California (July 1, 2008) ‹ With a huge colorful 200 foot long
banner proudly facing major L.A. freeways, a fantastic list of talent from
the U.S. and Japan, 2 huge concerts, Convention favorites like the
Masquerade and AX Idol, 11 major hotels in the Downtown Los Angeles area,
free 24 hour shuttle services, almost 200 exhibitors (with many of the major
industry players) and a state of the art registration system, Anime Expo®
2008 is looking to be, once again, the nation¹s premiere anime and manga
convention of the year. Anime Expo® 2008 will be held from July 3-6, 2008
at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. More information
can be found on the website www.anime-expo.org .

Attendee numbers continue to grow by the hour in anticipation of one of the
most colorful conventions in the nation. ³Our current pre-registration
numbers are amazing and surpass that of last year, we are really excited
that so many fans are coming to celebrate the popularity of anime and manga
in the U.S. To those who have yet to register, come and join us for one of
the most memorable experiences ever² states Liyin Liang Anime Expo® 2008¹s
Convention Chairwoman.

³With such huge support from the city of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police
Department, the Los Angeles Convention Center, Experient and LA Inc. we are
very excited and are sure that our attendees will have one of the most
enjoyable and fantastic convention experiences to date² states Trulee
Karahashi SPJA CEO.

The two (2) new sneak peeks will introduce some of this year¹s AXBackstage
hosts as well as some tips on obtaining ³good and cheap eats² for con-goers.

AXBackstage offers visitors an insider¹s look at the hottest anime/manga
titles, exclusive interviews with Guests attending this year¹s hottest
convention, video coverage of convention activities, attendee and convention
photos/images, news and related peripherals. In addition, visitors can
download up to date information and change/corrections in scheduled events,
activities and much more. AXBackstage will launch July 2, 2008 on the world
wide web at www.axbackstage.org.

The full list of official Anime Expo® 2008 Guests of Honor include up and
coming director Masahiro Ando, legendary American voice actor David Hayter,
famed POKEMON director Masamitsu Hidaka, the dynamic duo known as Jyukai,
renowned animator Hiromi Kato, celebrated veteran voice actor Toshihiko
Seki, the new Japanese ³It-Girl² Shokotan and the legendary character
designer Takada Akemi.

Attendees that have pre-registered can also update their information and add
on orders for main event tickets via the Anime Expo® 2008 Online
Registration Area at www.anime-expo.org .

Free shuttle services for all hotel attendees will be provided. Regular
non-hotel attendees will have access to utilize the free shuttle services
during designated hours as well. All schedules and routes will be posted in
the lobby of each shuttle hotel. Frequency of service is pending local
traffic, road conditions and can change without notice. Also, no shuttle
service provided to the Holiday Inn City Center and the Figueroa Hotel (both
are within walking distance of the Los Angeles Convention Center).

Attendees, Press and Industry Members are also encouraged to view the video
coverage site of the 2007 convention at www.AXBackstage.org
.

This year¹s Red & Black Sponsors are FUNimation and ImaginAsian Television.
Platinum Sponsor is Imagi Studios. Gold Sponsor is Digital Manga
Publishing. Silver Sponsor is Gaia Online. Patron Sponsors are Central
Park Media and COPIC Markers.

About Anime Expo®
Located in Los Angeles, California - Anime Expo®, the nation¹s largest
anime/manga convention, serves to foster trade, commerce and the interests
of the general public and animation/ comics industry. This event serves as
a key meeting place for the general public to express their interest and
explore various aspects of anime/manga, as well as for members of the
industry to conduct business. AX 2008 will be held July 3 ­ July 6, 2008 at
the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California. More information
can be found at its website (www.anime-expo.org).

About Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit
organization with a mission to popularize and educate the American public
about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate
communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more
popularly known by its entertainment property ­ Anime Expo®. More
information can be found at its website (www.spja.org
).

It's only taken HALF THE YEAR, but I've seen the first flat-out great movie of 2008.
No surprise, considering the talent involved, but you never know if these things are going to work out. Especially these days, when the surest-seeming movie bets tend not to pay off on the screen.
Anyway, what a relief. And with this one opening later in the month and two sublime comedies slated for August, the last half of the year will be off to a great start.
But do six whole months really have to be so barren first?

Below are the official synopses of all the features and events at this year's LAFF. It all starts Thursday night with the premiere of "Wanted," and continues for the next 10 days with both more of the mainstream same and a bunch of movies that could actually use some festival exposure, mostly in and around Westwood Village.
For info, screentimes and tickets, go to www.lafilmfest.com, (866) 345-6337 or the festival box office at 1020 Westwood Blvd., 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through June 29.

OPENING NIGHT

Wanted
Based upon Mark Millar's explosive graphic novel series, Wanted tells an action-packed story of a disaffected, cube-dwelling drone who discovers dormant powers after he is recruited into a secret society of assassins.
DIRECTOR Timur Bekmambetov STORY BY Michael Brandt, Derek Haas WRITERS Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Chris Morgan PRODUCERS Marc Platt, Jim Lemley, Jason Netter, Iain Smith EXECUTVE PRODUCERS Marc Silvestri, Adam Siegel, Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber CAST James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, Angelina Jolie

CLOSING NIGHT

Hellboy II: The Golden Army
With a signature blend of action, humor, and character-based spectacle, the saga of the world's toughest kitten-loving hero from Hell continues to unfold in Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Bigger muscles, badder weapons, and more ungodly villains arrive in an epic vision of imagination from Guillermo del Toro.
DIRECTOR Guillermo del Toro STORY BY Guillermo del Toro, Mike Mignola WRITER Guillermo del Toro PRODUCERS Lawrence Gordon, Mike Richardson, Lloyd Levin EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Chris Symes CAST Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, John Hurt

CENTERPIECE PREMIERE

Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Following the obscure Canadian heavy metal band Anvil on a last-stint effort to gain much-belated stardom, this emotionally evocative documentary proves it is never too late to chase your dream.
DIRECTOR Sacha Gervasi PRODUCER Rebecca Yeldham FEATURING Steven "Lips" Kudlow, Robb Reiner

NARRATIVE COMPETITION

Big Heart City
Frankie is a young man whose tales of domestic bliss are at odds with his mysteriously empty apartment in this taut look at life on the edges of a sun-blanched Los Angeles.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Ben Rodkin PRODUCER Matthew Harrison CAST Shawn Andrews, Seymour Cassel, Desi Lydic, Jake Alston

HottieBoombaLottie - World Premiere
Cheerfully clueless and unexpectedly charming, clueless hipster doofus Ethan attempts to win the heart of high school hottie Madison Sweet, only to find himself in competition with his own brother.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Seth Packard PRODUCERS Ben Lakey, Seth Packard CAST Seth Packard, Lauren McKnight, Matthew Webb, Shay Williamson, Pam Eichner, Trace Williamson

I'll Come Running - World Premiere
An impulsive fling between a Danish tourist and a Texan waitress leads to a life-changing journey in this poignant, darkly humorous, and deeply affecting fractured romance starring Melonie Diaz in a breakout role.
DIRECTOR Spencer Parsons WRITERS Line Langebek, Spencer Parsons PRODUCERS Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Anish Savjani CAST Melonie Diaz, Jon Lange, Christian Tafdrup, Birgitte Raaberg, Hallie Bulleit

Medicine for Melancholy
A one-night stand blossoms from awkwardness to romance during a day in San Francisco, as two twenty-something African-Americans forge a connection despite other lovers and different perspectives on identity.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Barry Jenkins PRODUCERS Justin Barber, Cherie Saulter CAST Wyatt Cenac, Tracey Heggins

The Pleasure of Being Robbed
Anchored by a quirky and seductive lead performance from Eléonore Hendricks, Josh Safdie's inspired first feature adopts the skewed but wonderous perspective of a young woman who savors the imaginary connections that come from theft.
DIRECTOR Josh Safdie WRITERS Josh Safdie, Eléonore Hendricks PRODUCERS Josh Safdie, Brett Jutkiewicz, Zachary Treitz, Sam Lisenco CAST Eléonore Hendricks, Josh Safdie, Wayne Cin, Batman, Jordan Zaldez, Jerry Damons, Andy Spade, Alex Greenblatt, Gary Greenblatt

The Poker House - World Premiere
Actress Lori Petty makes her directorial debut with this poignant, beautifully crafted film about a teenage girl trying to survive the dismal circumstances of her life with dignity, humor, and basketball.
DIRECTOR Lori Petty WRITERS Lori Petty, David Alan Grier PRODUCERS Steve Cannell, Mike Dubelko CAST Selma Blair, Jennifer Lawrence, Bokeem Woodbine, David Alan Grier, Sophia Bairley, Chloe Grace Moretz, Clarke Peters

Prince of Broadway - World Premiere
A charming hustler in New York City's vibrant Garment District has his life irrevocably thrown off course by the arrival of a toddler who may or may not be his.
DIRECTOR Sean Baker WRITERS Sean Baker, Darren Dean PRODUCER Darren Dean CAST Prince Adu, Karren Karaguilian, Aiden Noesi

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
This fascinating and telling documentary about one-time GOP chairman Lee Atwater chronicles how, in the 1980s, he pioneered the modern art of hardball campaigning and solidified the GOP's hold on Middle America.
DIRECTOR Stefan Forbes PRODUCERS Stefan Forbes, Noland Walker FEATURING Ed Rollins, Mike Dukakis, Tucker Eskew, Howard Fineman, Mary Matalin, Sam Donaldson

Dirty Hands: The Art & Crimes of David Choe - World Premiere
Underground artist David Choe's rise to fame and bizarre adventures are chronicled by his lifelong friend Harry Kim, the only one brave enough to follow him from the mean streets of L.A. to the heart of the Congo.
DIRECTOR Harry Kim PRODUCERS Elizabeth Ai, Harry Kim FEATURING David Choe

Finishing Heaven - World Premiere
In 1970, Robert Feinberg set out to make Heaven, a feature film meant to be his directorial debut. In 2007, a documentary crew uncovers why it has taken so long to bring Heaven to fruition.
DIRECTOR Mark Mann PRODUCERS David Shapiro, Laurie Gwen Shapiro, Ian Rosenberg FEATURING Robert Feinberg, Ruby Lynn Reyner

Largo - World Premiere
Performances by Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Brion and many more are featured in this intimate concert film shot in the famed Los Angeles music and comedy venue Largo.
DIRECTORS Andrew van Baal, Mark Flanagan PRODUCER Mark Flanagan FEATURING Jon Brion, Fiona Apple, Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, Aimee Mann, Patton Oswalt, Andrew Bird, Grant-Lee Phillips

Loot - World Premiere
Despite the complications of fading memories and failing health, an amateur treasure hunter from Utah helps two WWII veterans search for the treasures they buried more than 60 years ago in this quietly devastating documentary.
DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Darius Marder FEATURING Lance Larson, Andrew Seventy, Darrel Ross, Michael Larson

Must Read After My Death - US Premiere
Audio recordings and home-movie footage create a shattering portrait of the dark, secret lives of one free-thinking family that roiled beneath the surface of the American dream in the 1960s.
DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Morgan Dews

Paper or Plastic? - World Premiere
Celebrating the spirit of the American working class, Paper or Plastic? follows eight grocery-bagging state champions as they prepare for the nationals, held in the Mecca of the American dream, Las Vegas.
DIRECTORS Justine Jacob, Alex D. Da Silva PRODUCER Justine Jacob

Pressure Cooker - World Premiere
Unorthodox Culinary Arts teacher Mrs. Stephenson disses her students' "ghetto palates" but spurs them to win fortunes in scholarships to culinary schools in a high-heat documentary about three kids whose futures depend on making the perfect crêpe.
DIRECTORS Mark Becker, Jennifer Grausman PRODUCER Jennifer Grausman

Thing With No Name
A chronicle of two African women and their decisions to begin antiretroviral drug therapy for their late-stage HIV/AIDS, this sensitive documentary expands to show a culture struggling to maintain hope in the face of an epidemic.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Sarah Friedland PRODUCERS Sarah Friedland, Esy Casey

Trinidad - World Premiere
With humor and sociological precision, this compelling documentary chronicles the contradictions of Trinidad, Colorado, a rodeo-loving Red State town that also happens to be the "sex change capital of America."
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS PJ Raval, Jay Hodges FEATURING Marci Bowers, Laura Ellis, Sabrina Marcus

INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE

The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela - Iceland/Philippines/USA
Raquela, a charming and insightful Filipina transsexual longing for Parisian romances and a better life, takes the audience on a heartbreaking, profound, and ultimately inspiring journey.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Olaf De Fleur Johannesson PRODUCERS Olaf De Fleur Johannesson, Stefan Schaefer, Arleen Cuevas CAST Raquela Rios, Stefan Schaefer, Brax Villa, Via Galudo, Valerie Grand

Captain Ahab (Capitaine Achab) - France
With stunning imagery reminiscent of French realist painting and early photography, Philippe Ramos constructs a mysterious portrait of Moby Dick's Captain Ahab, revealing him as a man wounded as much by life as the whale.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Philippe Ramos PRODUCERS Florence Borelly CAST Denis Lavant, Philippe Katerine, Dominique Blanc, Jacques Bonnaffé

The Choir - South Africa - North American Premiere
Led by a charismatic convicted bank robber, the prison choir of Leeuwkop Prison in South Africa teaches its members discipline and faith through the transformative power of music.
DIRECTOR Michael Davie PRODUCER Chris Hilton FEATURING Jabulani Shabangu, Coleman Mgogodlo, Richmond Febana, Thabo Molahli

Exodus (Ceot Oi Kap Gei) - Hong Kong
Police officer Tsim can't resist investigating a suspect's wild claims about a cabal of women conspiring to kill all men in Pang Ho-Cheung's deadpan black-comic fable about the eternal battle of the sexes.
DIRECTOR Pang Ho-Cheung WRITERS Pang Ho-Cheung, Cheuk Wan Chi, Jimmy Wan PRODUCERS Stanley Tong, Pang Ho-Cheung CAST Simon Yam, Annie Liu, Nick Cheung, Irene Wan

Fear(s) of the Dark (Peur(s) du Noir) - France
Asked to draw from their own personal phobias and fears, six internationally renowned graphic artists have come together for this black and white omnibus film filled with ominous portents, paranoid delusions, and fears--rational and irrational.
DIRECTORS Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, Richard McGuire WRITERS Blutch, Charles Burns, Romain Slocombe, Pierre di Sciullo, Jerry Kramsky, Richard McGuire, Michel Pirus PRODUCERS Válerie Schermann, Christophe Jankovic CAST Aure Atika, Arthur H, Guillaume Depardieu, Nicole Garcia, Louisa Pili

Four Wives - One Man - Sweden/Iran
In Iran, polygamy isn't illegal. This outrageous three-year portrait of an outspoken family is funny and infuriating, as rural farmer Heda's solution to marital discord is to bring home another bride.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Nahid Persson PRODUCER Setareh Persson FEATURING Farang, Goli, Shahpar, Ziba, Heda, Golshah

Hafner's Paradise (Hafners Paradies) - Austria/Spain - US Premiere
Paul Hafner would be the model octogenarian if he weren't penning a book called Hitler for Eternity. The former SS officer considers his life perfect in this documentary that tries to probe his conscience.
DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Günter Schwaiger

Heartbeat Detector (La Question Humaine) - France
In Nicholas Klotz's haunting mystery, a corporate psychologist starts to lose his grip when he has to investigate his company's CEO and uncovers long-buried secrets about the firm's past.
DIRECTOR Nicolas Klotz WRITER Elisabeth Perceval PRODUCERS Sophie Dulac, Michel Zana CAST Mathieu Amalric, Michael Lonsdale

Hello, Stranger (Cher-eum Man-nan Sa-ram-deul) - South Korea - North American Premiere
The wondrous strangeness and difficulty of daily life for a newly "adjusted" North Korean defector in South Korea forms the core of this gentle and moving drama about uprooted connections.
DIRECTOR/ WRITER Kim Dong-hyun PRODUCERS Kim Dong-hyun, Park Jin-soo CAST Park In-soo, Choi Hee-jin, Quang Su, Bang Young

Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go - England
Documentarian Kim Longinotto follows the experience of four boys at the unconventional Mulberry Bush School, where emotionally traumatized children who've been written off as lost causes get a last shot at fixing their lives.
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Kim Longinotto

Hotel Very Welcome - Germany
The overly-romanticized notion of finding oneself in an exotic land may not be all it's cracked up to be for five hapless twenty-somethings traveling through South Asia in this delightful comedy.
DIRECTOR Sonja Heiss WRITERS Sonja Heiss, Nikolai von Graevenitz PRODUCERS Janine Jackowksi, Maren Ade, Sonja Heiss CAST Svenja Steinfelder, Eva Lobau, Chris O'Dowd, Ricky Champ, Gareth Llewelyn

Infinite Border (La Frontera Infinita) - Mexico - US Premiere
As a northbound train gathers speed, migrants quickly jump onboard to hitch a clandestine ride toward a better life in this transcendent portrait of the present-day migration from Central America toward the U.S.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Juan Manuel Sepúlveda PRODUCER Patricia Coronado Nobrega

La France - France
Serge Bozon's absolutely singular film sets a band of pop-singing soldiers in the midst of battle-ravaged WWI France, crossing paths with a woman disguised as a man searching for her husband at the front.
DIRECTOR Serge Bozon WRITER Axelle Ropert PRODUCER David Thion CAST Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory, Guillaume Verdier, François Negret, Laurent Talon, Pierre Leon, Benjamin Esdraffo

Mechanical Love - Denmark
Can emotions be transmitted through circuitry? Is love given to a machine still love? These questions are at the heart of Phie Ambo's fascinating look at the developing field of therapeutic robotics. DIRECTOR/WRITER Phie Ambo PRODUCER Sigrid Helene Dyekjœr FEATURING Hiroshi Ishiguro, Takanori Shibata, Frau Körner

Sonetàula - Italy/France/Belgium
A young boy in the idyllic Sardinian countryside grows up to become a man on the run from both the law and his own past in this moving, beautifully filmed historical drama.
DIRECTOR Salvatore Mereu WRITERS Salvatore Mereu, Giuseppe Fiori PRODUCER Gianluca Arcopinto CAST Francesco Falchetto, Manuela Martelli, Antonio Crisponi, Serafino Spiggia

Tricks (Sztuczki) - Poland
As his older sister begins to make plans for her future, a young boy attempts to bribe fate with small offerings in order to reunite his family with the father who abandoned them years ago.
DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Andrzej Jakimowski CAST Damian Ul, Ewelina Walendziak, Rafal Guzniczak, Tomasz Sapryk

Useless (Wu Yong) - China
Jia Zhang-ke's gorgeous documentary examines China's shift from artisanal to industrial through its fashion industry, drawing connections between textile factory workers, an uber-hip designer, and an old man taking his pants to be mended.
DIRECTOR Jia Zhang-ke PRODUCER Chow Keung FEATURING Ma Ke

When Clouds Clear (Después de la Neblina) - Ecuador/USA
Despite frequent threats of violence and conflicts that have split families apart, a community in the mountainous central region of Ecuador fights back against international mining corporations.
DIRECTORS/WRITERS Anne Slick, Danielle Bernstein PRODUCERS Anne Slick, Danielle Bernstein, Gabriela Calvache

Where Are Their Stories? (¿Donde Estan Sus Historias?) - Mexico/Canada
Further evidence of a new Mexican cinema of bold aesthetics and keen social conscience, this startling debut employs mesmerizing long takes to tell the story of a young man's attempt to save his grandmother's land from being sold.
DIRECTOR/ WRITER Nicolás Pereda PRODUCER Catalina Pereda CAST Gabino Rodriguez, Teresa Sanchez

Wonderful Town - Thailand
Visually stunning, with an entrancing soundtrack, this debut feature follows a fragile romance between a Bangkok architect and a rural hotel owner in a Thai coastal town still recovering from the 2004 tsunami.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Aditya Assarat PRODUCERS Soros Sukhum, Jetnipith Teerakulchanyut CAST Anchalee Saisoontorn, Supphasit Kansen, Dul Yaambunying

You, the Living (Du Levande) - Sweden
This is the way the world ends--not with a bang but a tuba--in Roy Andersson's ultra-black comedy, featuring a symphony of downtrodden city-dwellers complaining to the camera while watching the skies for the final end.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Roy Andersson PRODUCER Pernilla Sandstrom CAST Jessica Lundberg, Elisabet Helander, Bjorn Englund, Leif Larsson, Ollie Olson

SUMMER PREVIEWS

American Son
With 96 hours before his deployment to Iraq, a young Marine struggles to deal with expectations of old friends, lingering family tensions, and the excitement of new love.
DIRECTOR Neil Abramson WRITER Eric Schmid PRODUCERS Danielle Renfrew, Michael Roiff CAST Nick Cannon, Melonie Diaz, Matt O'Leary, Jay Hernandez, Chi McBride, Tom Sizemore, April Grace

The Art of Failure: Chuck Connelly Not For Sale - WORLD PREMIERE
Painter Chuck Connelly should have been a star like Schnabel or Basquiat--but he's not. Combining unvarnished interviews and revealing home movies, Jeff Stimmel creates a striking portrait of the artist as his own worst enemy.
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Jeff Stimmel

Baghead
In this improvisational comedy, four struggling actors head to a secluded cabin. When it seems they are being stalked, it's hard to know what's scarier: the thing in the woods or the awkward sexual tensions between them.
DIRECTORS/WRITERS Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass PRODUCERS John Bryant, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass CAST Steve Zissis, Ross Partridge, Greta Gerwig, Elise Muller

Ballast
Lance Hammer creates one of the year's most exciting debuts with a precise, moving, delicately modulated look at lives teetering on the brink, as a family struggles to come to terms with a death in their midst.
DIRECTOR Lance Hammer WRITER Lance Hammer PRODUCERS Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh CAST Micheal J. Smith Sr., JimMyron Ross, Tarra Riggs, Johnny McPhail

Boy A - England
Anchored by finely nuanced performances by Peter Mullan and newcomer Andrew Garfield, Boy A is a powerful story of a young man slowly re-entering society in search of rehabilitation and redemption.
DIRECTOR John Crowley WRITER Mark O'Rowe PRODUCER Lynn Horsford CAST Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan, Katie Lyons

Choke
Somehow tying together sexual addiction, low-grade con artistry, and historical theme parks, Clark Gregg's adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's darkly comic novel captures one man's struggles to escape his own worst impulses.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Clark Gregg PRODUCERS Beau Flynn, Tripp Vinson, Jonathan Dorfman CAST Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald

Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite) - Brazil
Filmmaker José Padilha's latest follows three police officers--two rookies and their burnt-out captain--as they are drawn into a world of rampant police corruption and Rio's most dangerous gang-controlled neighborhoods.
DIRECTOR José Padilha WRITERS José Padilha, Bráulio Mantovani, Rodrigo Pimentel PRODUCERS Marcos Prado, José Padilha CAST Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, Caio Janqueira, Milhem Cortaz, Fernando Machado, Maria Ribeiro

Encounters at the End of the World
In his most recent tongue-in-poetic-cheek study, Warner Herzog takes a bizarre and profound look at the people and creatures living in nature's most extreme environment--Antartica.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Werner Herzog PRODUCER Henry Kaiser

Frozen River
A knockout of carefully modulated storytelling with astounding dramatic heft, Frozen River is a tale of two women who form an unlikely bond and provide each other with a way forward.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Courtney Hunt PRODUCER Heather Rae CAST Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott, Michael O'Keefe, Mark Boone Jr., Jay Klaitz, Bernie Littlewolf

A Girl Cut in Two (La Fille Coupée en Deux) - France
Claude Chabrol's latest sharp-eyed social satire follows a young TV weathergirl pursued by both a jaded novelist and an unstable heir to a pharmaceutical fortune.
DIRECTOR Claude Chabrol WRITERS Claude Chabrol, Cécile Maistre PRODUCER Patrick Godeau CAST Ludivine Sagnier, Benoît Magimel, François Berléand

Man on Wire - England
A tribute to the art of dreaming big, Man on Wire tells the story of how Philippe Petit came to walk a tight-rope between the newly-erected twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.
DIRECTOR James Marsh PRODUCERS Simon Chinn, Jonathan Hewes FEATURING Philippe Petit

Momma's Man
Azazel Jacobs crafts this funny and subtly touching look at adult men who can't grow up, as well as a tribute to the waning bohemian wonderland fast disappearing from lower Manhattan.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Azazel Jacobs PRODUCERS Hunter Gray, Alex Orlovsky CAST Matt Boren, Flo Jacobs, Ken Jacobs, Richard Edson, Dana Varon, Nan Arcilesi, Eleanor Hutchins, Piero Arcilesi

The Order of Myths
Margaret Brown's superb documentary illuminates Mobile, Alabama's Mardi Gras celebrations as a pageant of racial division, separating townspeople at the same time as it brings them together.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Margaret Brown PRODUCERS Margaret Brown, Sara Alize Cross

The Wackness
Filmmaker Jonathan Levine brings the mad flavor of the summer of 1994 back to life with this freewheeling farce about a dope-slinging NYC teenager trying to cope with girls and growing up.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Jonathan Levine PRODUCERS Keith Calder, Felipe Marino, Joe Neurauter CAST Josh Peck, Sir Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen, Olivia Thirlby, Mary-Kate Olsen, Method Man, Jane Adams

DARK WAVE

Cargo 200 (Gruz 200) - Russia
Alexei Balabanov's sardonic, grittily realistic take on a true story of rape, murder, and kidnapping is a stinging, unforgettable indictment of 1984 Soviet Russia's corruption and inhumanity.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Alexei Balabanov PRODUCERS Sergey Selyanov, Maxim Ukhanov CAST Alexey Serebryakov, Leonid Gromov, Yuri Stepanov, Agniya Kuznetsova, Alexei Poluyan, Natalya Akimova, Valentina Andryukova, Leonid Bicevin

Let the Right One In (Låt Den Rätte Komma In) - Sweden
A prepubescent vampire and a lonely weakling discover they are soulmates, only to have their loyalty to one another tested as each of them goes through their darkest hour.
DIRECTOR Tomas Alfredson WRITER John Ajvide Lindqvist PRODUCERS Carl Molinder, John Nordling CAST Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson

X-Cross (Ekusu-Kurosu) - Japan
From the screenwriter of Death Note and the director of Battle Royale II and Yo-Yo Girl Cop comes this fabulously fractured film about two friends running for their lives -- just not from the same things.
DIRECTOR Kenta Fukasaku WRITERS Oishi Tetsuya, Joko Nobuyuki PRODUCERS Koike Kentaro, Matsuhashi Shinzo, Kondo Masatake CAST Mizuno Shiyori, Hiuke Aiko, Asamiya Keiichi

GUILTY PLEASURES

Coyote
Best friends J and Steve get the opportunity to help a Mexican friend cross the border. Finding it surprisingly easy, the guys take a chance to corner the market as the "kindler, gentler" people smugglers.
DIRECTOR Brian Petersen WRITERS Brian Petersen, Brett Spackman PRODUCERS Chris Wyatt, Devin Colvin CAST Brian Petersen, Brett Spackman, Marina Valle, Carley Adams, David C. Thompson

Heidi Fleiss: The Would-Be Madam of Crystal
With their signature humor and sympathy, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato document infamous madam Heidi Fleiss' long, strange trip through the Nevada desert and brothel politics to open Heidi's Stud Farm.
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato FEATURING Heidi Fleiss, Monique La Barr, Katelyn Pacitto

Mirage Man - Chile
This wickedly funny, fight-filled Chilean superhero flick follows a strip-club bouncer who decides one night to don a costume and fight crime. Unfortunately, in real life, crime fights back.
DIRECTOR Ernesto Díaz Espinoza WRITER Ernesto Díaz Espinoza PRODUCER Derek Rundell CAST Marko Zaror

SPECIAL EVENT SCREENINGS AT THE FORD AMPHITHEATRE

Cinematic Titanic
The minds behind the cult classic TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 presents Cinematic Titanic, a hilarious combination of comedy and B-movies, in a special live performance by Joel Hodgson and his crew.
FEATURING Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, J. Elvis Weinstein, Frank Conniff, Mary Jo Pehl

Highwater - WORLD PREMIERE
Both a portrait of a distinctly Hawaiian way of life and an incredible surf documentary, Highwater profiles the men and women who gather every year on Oahu's North Shore for big wave surfing's ultimate challenge.
DIRECTOR Dana Brown PRODUCER C. Rich Wilson FEATURING Kelly Slater, Tom Curren, Rochelle Ballard, Andy Irons, Jon Jon Florence, Carrissa Moore, Malik Joyeux, Mark Healy, Poncho Sullivan, Kalani Chapman, Sunny Garcia, Pat O'Connell, Sofia Mulanovich, Chelsea Georgeson

Swear-A-Long Scarface
Think you've got what it takes to swear alongside Tony Montana and his foul-mouthed crew? Don't miss this opportunity to curse under the stars at this special "Adults Only" screening of a timeless f#*!*ing classic.
DIRECTOR Brian de Palma WRITER Oliver Stone PRODUCERS Martin Bregman, Peter Saphier CAST Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia, Miriam Colon,
F. Murray Abraham

TRIBUTE SCREENINGS

Derek - Derek Jarman (1942-1994)
Isaac Julien creates a vivid illustrated portrait of the pioneering British director Derek Jarman, featuring a little-seen interview and a gorgeous tapestry of clips and remembrances.
DIRECTOR Isaac Julien PRODUCERS Eliza Mellor, Colin MacCabe, Issac Julien FEATURING Tilda Swinton

The Makioka Sisters (1983) - Kon Ichikawa (1915-2008)
In a career that spanned more than 70 years, Kon Ichikawa did many acclaimed literary adaptations, and this is one of his finest from the '80s, a visually stunning film about fading traditions in the modern world.
DIRECTOR Kon Ichikawa WRITERS Shinya Hidaka, Kon Ichikawa PRODUCERS Kon Ichikawa, Tomoyuki Tanaka CAST Keiko Kishi, Yoshiko Sakuma, Sayuri Yoshinaga, Yuko Kotegawa

Nothing But A Man (1964) - Ivan Dixon (1931-2008)
Reputedly Malcolm X's favorite film, this little-screened gem features Ivan Dixon in a tremendous performance as a railroad worker in the American South of the 1960s, struggling to retain both a job and his dignity.
DIRECTOR Michael Roemer WRITERS Michael Roemer, Robert M. Young PRODUCERS Irwin Young, Robert Young, Michael Roemer, Robert Rubin CAST Ivan Dixon, Abbey Lincoln, Gloria Foster, Julius Harris, Yaphet Kotto

Peter Pan (1953) - Ollie Johnston (1912-2008)
The recent passing of Ollie Johnston marked the end of an era--that of classic hand-drawn Disney animation by the studio's "Nine Old Men." As their final film together, Peter Pan is a fitting tribute to their lasting legacy.
DIRECTORS Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske WRITERS Ted Sears, Bill Peet, Joe Rinaldi, Erdman Penner, Winston Hibler, Milt Banta, Ralph Wright CAST Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried, Bill Thompson, Heather Angel, Paul Collins, Tommy Luske, Candy Candido, Tom Conway

Planet of the Apes (1968) - Charlton Heston (1923-2008)
Planet of the Apes makes a perfect tribute to Charlton Heston, as the role of a stranded astronaut was in many ways the perfect one for the actor, playing off both his steel-jawed authority and the tormented sensitivity that lurked underneath.
DIRECTOR Franklin J. Schaffner WRITERS Michael Wilson, Rod Sterling PRODUCER Arthur P. Jacobs CAST Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

The Lost Boys
Smokin' hot vampires, a rockin' '80s soundtrack and a couple of Coreys in their prime -- what's not to love? Sexy, bloody, and hilariously funny, The Lost Boys truly stands the test of time.
DIRECTOR Joel Schumacher WRITERS Janice Fischer, James Jeremias, Jeffrey Boam PRODUCER Harvey Bernhard CAST Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Dianne Wiest, Barnard Hughes, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Alex Winter

Night Flight: Born Again
Twenty years ago, the cult TV show Night Flight was required late-night viewing for its unbelievable mix of music, movies, and more. This "Best Of" show will bring tears of joy to fans' sleep-deprived eyes.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Stuart Samuels PRODUCERS Stuart S. Shapiro, Stuart Samuels

Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman
Indisputably the master of architectural photography, Julius Shulman has popularized the work of many of this century's most prominent architects, imparting his own perspective on living spaces in the process, as displayed in this lively portrait.
DIRECTOR Eric Bricker WRITERS Eric Bricker, Phil Ethington PRODUCERS Eric Bricker, Babette Zilch FEATURING Dustin Hoffman, Benedikt Taschen, Dante Spinotti, Ed Ruscha, Frank Gehry, Julius Shulman, Juergen Nogai, Kelly Lynch, Leo Marol, Mitch Glazer, Raymond Neutra, Ricardo Legorreta, Tom Ford, Wim de Wit

SPECIAL SERIES

L.A. Film Critics: The Films That Got Away
Co-presented by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the UCLA Film & Television Archive

Ice (1970)
An American guerilla group struggles to maintain unity while combating government fascism in director Robert Kramer's prescient neo-futuristic parable, a masterpiece of the 1960s counterculture cinema.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Robert Kramer PRODUCER David C. Stone CAST Leo Braudy, Tom Griffin, Robert Kramer, Paul McIsaac

Milestones (1975)
Praised by The New York Times' A.O. Scott as "as sad and compassionate a movie as I have ever seen," Robert Kramer and John Douglas' epic deconstruction of the 1960s' American underground returns in a new restoration.
DIRECTORS/WRITERS Robert Kramer, John Douglas PRODUCERS Barbara Stone, David C. Stone CAST Mary Chapelle, John Douglas, Kalaho, Lou Ho, Grace Parey, Tina Shepherd, Suie Solf, David C. Stone, Paul Zimet

Reunion (1989) - France/Germany/England
Director Jerry Schatzberg and screenwriter Harold Pinter's deeply moving portrait of individuality and friendship at odds with groupthink in 1930s Germany is one of the great, unknown movies of the 1980s.
DIRECTOR Jerry Schatzberg WRITER Harold Pinter PRODUCER Anne Francois CAST Jason Robards, Christien Anholt, Samuel West

Shaw Sensations
Co-presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive

The Boxer of Shantung (Ma Yongzhen) - China
In one of the signature "heroic bloodshed" films by the "Godfather of Kungfu" Zhang Che, a young hick muscles his way to the top of the Shanghai underworld in the 1930s.
DIRECTORS Zhang Che (Chang Cheh), Bao Xueli WRITERS Ni Kuang, Zhang Che PRODUCER Runme Shaw CAST Chen Guantai, Jing Li, David Jiang, Ma Lannu

Eight Diagram Pole Fighter - China
The masterminds of The 36th Chamber of Shaolin--director Lau Kar-leung and actor Gordon Liu--reteam for a gripping account of a Song Dynasty hero who perfects Shaolin pole-fighting to right injustice.
DIRECTOR Lau Kar-leung (Liu Jialiang) WRITERS Lau Kar-leung, Ni Kuang PRODUCER Mona Fong CAST Gordon Liu Jiahui, Alexander Fu Sheng, Li Lili, Kara Hui Yinghong

Hong Kong Nocturne (Xiang Jiang Hua Yue Ye) - China
It's Viva Hong Kong as Zheng Peipei headlines a triple threat of up-and-coming Shaw starlets. This effervescent backstage musical follows three sisters who find different paths to happiness on- and off-stage.
DIRECTOR Umetsugu Inoue PRODUCER Run Run Shaw CAST Zheng Peipei, He Lily (Lily Ho), Qin Ping, Peter Chen Ho

Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (Ai Nu) - China
In this martial arts murder mystery, a sword-fighting prostitute plots revenge against the lesbian brothel madam who's also her lover and the lecherous men who deflowered her.
DIRECTOR Chu Yuan WRITER Qiu Gangjian PRODUCER Runme Shaw CAST He Lili (Lily Ho), Yue Hua, Betty Bei Di, Dong Lin

The Singing Thief (Da Dao Ge Wang) - China
A cat thief-turned-cabaret singer comes under suspicion for a new spate of copycat crimes in which the burglar leaves behind a red carnation as a calling card.
DIRECTOR Zhang Che WRITER Qiu Gangjian PRODUCER Run Run Shaw CAST He Lily (Lily Ho), Jimmy Lin Chong, Lo Lie, Essie Lin Jia

The Film Foundation & American Express' Preservation Screening Program
Presented by the Film Foundation and American Express. Co-presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive

Shadows (1959)
John Cassavetes' seminal directorial debut explores the lives and interracial relationships of three African-American siblings in 1950s beat-era New York.
DIRECTOR/WRITER John Cassavetes PRODUCERS Maurice McEndree, Nikos Papatakis CAST Hugh Hurd, Lelia Goldoni, Ben Carruthers, Anthony Ray

The Short Films of George and Mike Kuchar (1958 - 1963)
Using any available friends, family members and locations, George and Mike Kuchar captured the peculiarities of everyday working-class life with the campy plotlines and Hollywood-inspired themes of these 8mm avant-garde shorts.
DIRECTORS George Kuchar, Mike Kuchar

MOVIES AND MORE - FILMS WITH EXTENDED CONVERSATIONS

The American President (1995) - Conversation with director Rob Reiner and select cast and crew
The American President brings a sense of humanity and warmth to the most unknowable of jobs. Join director Rob Reiner for an election-year conversation about his movie and its insider-smart portrait of modern politics.
DIRECTOR Rob Reiner WRITER Aaron Sorkin PRODUCERS Rob Reiner, Charles Newirth, Jeffrey Stott CAST Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, Richard Dreyfuss, David Paymer, Samantha Mathis, John Mahoney

Silverado (1985) - Conversation with writer--director Lawrence Kasdan, writer Mark Kasdan, and select cast and crew.
Lawrence Kasdan will introduce this hugely entertaining Western which highlights the easy-going camaraderie of its stellar leads -- Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, and Kevin Costner -- providing a good old-fashioned tale of good guys saving a small town from a corrupt lawman.
DIRECTOR Lawrence Kasdan WRITERS Lawrence Kasdan, Mark Kasdan PRODUCER Lawrence Kasdan CAST Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, John Cleese, Rosanna Arquette, Brian Dennehy, Linda Hunt, Jeff Goldblum, Lynn Whitfield

The Women (1939) - Conversation with Diane English, writer--director of the upcoming remake.
With its all-female, all-star cast, director George Cukor's The Women has long been a favorite for devotees of classic Hollywood's effortless style, sense of fun and pure camp. Join Diane English, director of the upcoming remake, for a discussion of now vs. then.
DIRECTOR George Cukor WRITERS Anita Loos, Jane Murfin PRODUCER Hunt Stromberg CAST Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Mary Boland, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine, Virginia Weidler

FREE SCREENINGS

Bye Bye Birdie (1963) - 45th Anniversary
Postmodern before such a concept much existed, Bye Bye Birdie is a razor-smart satire on show-biz and small-town Americana, as Ann-Margret wins a chance to kiss an Elvis-esque singer.
DIRECTOR George Sidney WRITER Irving Brecher PRODUCER Fred Kohlmar CAST Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Maureen Stapleton, Bobby Rydell

A Fish Called Wanda (1988) - 20th Anniversary
Four horny bank robbers and a repressed Brit barrister engage in a battle of wits over $20 million in this 1988 romantic-heist-comedy sensation jammed with Monthy Python-style humor and goofy sexuality.
DIRECTOR Charles Crichton WRITER John Cleese PRODUCER Michael Shamberg CAST John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin

The Garden
This activist documentary looks back at the struggle of the South Central Farmers who, when faced with eviction from their urban farmland, struggled against all odds to keep their land and their community.
DIRECTOR Scott Hamilton Kennedy PRODUCERS Scott Hamilton Kennedy, Julie Bergman Sender, Stuart Sender, Vivianne Nacif, Dominique Derrenger CAST Rufina Juarez, Tezozomoc, Dan Stormer, Deacon Alexander, Miguel Perez, the farmers of the South Central Farm, Antonio Villaraigosa, Daryl Hannah, John Quigley, Joan Baez, Dennis Kucinich

Half-Life - Project:Involve Screening
Jennifer Phang's exceptional feature debut is part apocalyptic allegory, part dysfunctional family drama about an Asian-American single mother, a destructive teenage daughter, and a paranormally gifted son on the edge of crisis.
DIRECTOR/WRITER Jennifer Phang PRODUCERS Reuben Lim, Alan T. Chan, Robert Zimmer Jr. CAST Sanoe Lake, Julia Nickson, Leonardo Nam, Ben Redgrave, Lee Marks, Susan Ruttan, James Eckhouse, Alexander Agate

Made In America - Grand Performances Screening
With compelling interviews, archival footage, and an energetic soundtrack, Stacy Peralta explores how the block-by-block gang warfare that has held South Los Angeles and its black communities captive for decades is distinctively American made.
DIRECTOR Stacy Peralta WRITERS Stacy Peralta, Sam George PRODUCERS Baron Davis, Dan Halsted, Stacy Peralta, Jesse Dylan, Steve Luczo, Quincy "QD3" Jones III

How I See It
Made by youth, ages 14 to 24, and funded by the California Council for Humanities, these short documentaries candidly explore teen homelessness in Los Angeles, queer history in the Bay Area and the legacy of the Cambodian genocide in Long Beach.

SHORT FILMS

A: Head, B: Body by Jim Fields
Alexandra by Radu Jude - Romania
The Apology Line by James Lees - England
At the End of the Street by Jenifer Malmqvist - Poland
August 15th by Xuan Jiang - China
Carlin by Brent Green
Chonto by Carson Mell
City of Cranes by Eva Weber - England
Dennis by Mads Matthiesen - Denmark
Dog by Hermann Karlsson - Iceland
Farewell Packets of Ten by Ken Wardrop - Ireland
For the Unseen by Chi Jang Yin - China/USA
Frankie by Darren Thornton - Ireland
How to Save a Fish From Drowning by Kelly Neal - Scotland/USA
I Have Seen the Future by Cam Christiansen - Canada
I Love Sarah Jane by Spencer Susser - Australia
John and Kren by Matthew Walker - England
KJFG No. 5 by Alexei Alexeev - Hungary
La Saint Festin by Annelaure Daffis, Léo Marchand - France
Like Everyone Else by Fanco Lolli - France/Colombia
Little Minx Exquisite Corpse: Cara by Chris Nelson
Little Minx Exquisite Corpse: Rope A Dope by Laurent Briet
The Livelong Day by David Fenster
The Lumpkin's in "Couch Potatoes" by Dan and Jason
Magic Paris by Alice Winocour - France
Magnetic Movie by Semiconductor: Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt - England/USA
Mostly Untitled by Griffin Newman
The New Yorkist by Dana O'Keefe
One of the Last by Paul Zinder - Italy
Peter and Ben by Pinny Grylls - England
Pinatas Revenge by Delaney Bishop
Run by Mark Albiston - New Zealand
Salim Baba by Tim Sternberg - India
Self-Portrait of Cows Going Home and Other Works -- A Portrait of Sylvia Plachy by Rebecca Dreyfus
Sikumi by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean
Silent Snow by Jan van den Berg - The Netherlands
Single Girl by Kristen Swanbeck
The Smallest River in Almirante by Joshua Rofe - Trinidad/Tobago/USA
Spider by Nash Edgerton - Australia
Terminus by Trevor Cawood - Canada
The White Dress by Vanessa Gildea - Ireland
Wunderkammer by Andrea Pallaoro

FUTURE FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE (HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS)

2X2 by Grant Bielefeld
10 Italian Lessons by Alexandra Adams
Child (Bird) by Emmi Laakso
Cross Over by The Bridge
Danger Zone by John Dargan
Dinner Surprise by Mel Guel
Doggy Style by Nicholas Cox
Don't Mess With Cooper by Harrison Rego
Fish by Sami Kubo, Antonia Ramos
Fruits and Vegetables by Royce Brown
In a Place Like This by Sakeenah Aleem, Robert Barnes, Jessica Bonner, Jennifer Brown, Dominique Collier, Kayla Gillaspy, Janie Richards
The Life and Times of Buster Chaplin by Evan Hamilton
Life in Washington Heights by Elio Genao, Camillo Rodriguez, Willing Gonzalez
Look to Both Sides by Jessica Jones
A Modern Witch Hunt: The Dale Akiki Story by Adam Lee
The Morning News by Max Sokoloff
New Jack Swing by Dave Brown
Nuclear Peace by Abel Vargas
Ode to the Eyebrow by Lena Takamori
outFITin by Amanda Lin
Path of a Plant by Sean Struble
Playing with the Other Tigers by Zachary-Lennon Simon
The Revenge by Edgard De La Cruz
Roberto Molina by Yarisell Molina
Sew What? by Quintin Franklyn
Special 13 by Azain Bustamante, José García
A Strange Job by Sabrina Cotugno
Until It Ends by Dustin Muenchow, Evan Jones
Urea by Trevor Wilson
Yellow Cracks by Samantha Hiller
Zombie Slayer by Mel Guel

MUSIC VIDEO SHOWCASE

Eclectic Mix 1 and 2
Ankle Injuries, Fujiya & Miyagi, directed by Wade Shotter
Bad Blood, Supergrass, directed by Keith Schofield
Boys Wanna Be Her, Peaches, directed by Kris Lefcoe
Coffee, Aesop Rock, directed by Ace Norton
Darkhorse, Uncut, directed by Kris Lefcoe
Death to Los Campesinos, Los Campesinos, directed by Cat Solen
Dr. Blind, Emily Haines,Jaron, directed by Albertin
Evil Son, The Willowz, directed by Ace Norton
Feel It, Like It, The D4, directed by Wade Shotter
Flux, Bloc Party, directed by Ace Norton
Hitchcock, Phoenix Foundation, directed by Reuben Sutherland
Hustler, Simian Mobile Disco, directed by Ace Norton
I Feel It All, Feist, directed by Patrick Daughters
I'm Impressed, They Might Be Giants, directed by Rob Shaw
Invincible, Muse, Jonnie Ross
Kiss, Scout Niblett (featuring Will Oldham), directed by Judah Switzer & Emma Niblett
Lay Down Your Weapons, Scissors For Lefty, directed by Sharp / Ford
Like Something 4 Porno!, Felix da Housecat, directed by Walter Van Cleynenbreugel
Lollipop, Mika, directed by Bonzom
Me-I, TV on the Radio, directed by Mixtape Club & Daniel Garcia
Mental Cabaret, Polyphonic Spree, directed by Glen Real
My Impure Hair, Blonde Redhead, directed by Mike Mills
My People, The Presets, directed by Kris Moyes
My Slang, Spiss, directed by Joco Sandor
Peacebone, Animal Collective, directed by Timothy Saccenti
Plaster Casts of Everything, Liars, directed by Patrick Daughters
Postcards From Italy, Beirut, directed by Alma Har'el
Pro Nails, Kid Sister featuring Kanye West, directed by Ruben Fleischer
Rotten Hell, Menomena, directed by Warren Julius
Run, Air, directed by Melanie Mandl
Salmon Dance, Chemical Brothers with Fat Lip, directed by Dom & Nic
Sax Rohmer #1, Mountain Goats, directed by Ace Norton
Sheila (Director's Cut), Jamie T, directed by Adam Smith
Sirens, Dizzee Rascal, directed by W.I.Z
Strata, Moby, directed by Antonio Galloro
Tesco vs Sainsburys, Trans Am, directed by Subway Lung
Time to Pretend, Mgmt, directed by Ray Tintori
The Vice & Virtue Ministry, Happy Bullets, directed by Nader Husseini
You Are Never Alone, Socalled, directed by Benjamin Steiger Levine

Declare Yourself: Spotlight on Scandinavia
Animal Chin, Jaga Jazzist, directed by Namo & Roch
Baby's Got a Temper, Prodigy, directed by Traktor
Declare Yourself, Bjork, directed by Michel Gondry
Eple, Royksopp, directed by Thomas Hilland
Glosoli, Sigur Ros, directed by Arni & Kinski
Good Looks, Big Deal, Sweatmaster, directed by Las Palmas
Green Grass of Tunnel, Mum, directed by Semiconductor: Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt
Hands Remember, Seabear, directed by Lars Skjelbreia
Human, Carpark North, directed by Martin de Thurah
I Sing I Swim, Seabear, directed by Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir, Sindri Már Sigfússon
I'm Ready, Madrugada, directed by Thomas Hilland
Like a Pen, The Knife, directed by Andreas Nilsson
Pass This On, The Knife, directed by Johan Renck
Silent Shout, The Knife, directed by Andreas Nilsson
Teardrop, Jose Gonzalez, directed by Andreas Nilsson
They Made Frogs Smoke 'Til They Exploded, Mum, directed by Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir
What Else Is There, Royksopp, directed by Martin de Thurah
Where's Your Head At, Basement Jaxx, directed by Traktor
Ya Mama, Fatboy Slim, directed by Traktor

Everyone's excited that "The Incredible Hulk" made $54 million or so on its opening weekend. Even though that's roughly half of what Marvel Comics stablemate "Iron Man" earned when it debuted last month, this is supposed to indicate that the angry green guy can be a viable movie property despite what Ang Lee's widely reviled, unnecessarily "thoughtful" "Hulk" seemed to indicate.
Yeah, that film that opened to $62 million five years ago, when tickets were cheaper. And that only cost a reported $137 million compared to the new one's $150 million budget. I know, "Hulk" suffered a near-record attendance dropoff in subsequent weeks, and finished with an unimpressive $132 million domestic box-office. There are probably actuarial projections that predict, with this start, "Incredible" may ultimately do a little better. However, with big Hollywood movies earning higher and higher percentages of their total grosses on opening weekend all the time, I'd say we should at least throttle back on the Ang Lee bashing.

What, no tribute to Zohan? Well, there's lots of other interesting stuff. See press release below.

23rd ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL

CELEBRATES ISRAEL'S 60th ANNIVERSARY

AND THE BEST of ISRAELI CINEMA

June 12 - 26, 2008

Gala Awards Dinner Kick-Off With Award Presentations To

Jeffrey Berg, Kirk Douglas, Menahem Golan, Carl Reiner and Rob Reiner on June 11 Opening Night U.S. Premiere of Avi Nesher's The Secrets

Festival to Screen at Laemmle's Sunset 5 (West Hollywood), Laemmle's Royal Theatre (West Los Angeles) and Laemmle's Fallbrook 7 (San Fernando Valley)

The 23rd Israel Film Festival, the largest showcase of Israeli films in the United States, will screen close to 60 Israeli features, documentaries and award-winning student films, including 13 U.S., West Coast and Los Angeles Premieres, in Los Angeles from June 12th - June 26th, 2008. In honor of Israel's 60th anniversary, the Festival will host an unprecedented Retrospective of classic Israeli movies, including all seven Israeli films nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

The Gala Awards Dinner, on Wednesday, June 11th at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, will include IFF Award Presentations to Jeffrey Berg (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of International Creative Management, Inc.), Kirk Douglas (Academy Award-winning actor, noted producer and best-selling author), Menahem Golan (one of the most significant Founding Fathers of the Israeli film industry), Carl Reiner (the quintessential man of comedy) and Rob Reiner (actor, director, producer). For the first time ever, a portion of funds raised from the Gala will support scholarships for Israeli students to study cinema in six major film schools in Israel. The Gala Awards Dinner celebration is presented by the IsraFest Foundation, Inc., in association with the Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles, and is co-sponsored by The Saban Family Foundation and Nu Image / Millennium Films. Dinner Co-Chairs are Cheryl and Haim Saban and Avi Lerner & Danny Dimbort.

"On the momentous occasion of Israel's 60th birthday, we are very proud to present films which showcase the flourishing and dynamic Israeli film industry with the newest films of today, many of which have never before been shown in the U.S.," noted Meir Fenigstein, the Founder/Executive Director of the Israel Film Festival. "It's also a once in a lifetime chance to see award-winning past films produced by the country over the last six decades. This year's awards gala celebrates the achievements of a very distinguished group of Hollywood luminaries whose work and talent continue to support Israeli culture."

The Festival's Opening Night on June 12th at the Cinerama Dome at the ArcLight Hollywood will be the U.S. Premiere of The Secrets, directed by Avi Nesher and starring Fanny Ardant, Ania Bukstein and Michal Shtamler. A reception with the director and guest filmmakers from Israel will follow. The Spotlight Premiere Screening of Noodle, directed by Ayelet Menahemi and starring Mili Avital, will be screened on June 14th at Laemmle's Royal Theatre. All other films in the Festival will screen at three locations: Laemmle's Sunset 5 (Sunset Blvd. at Crescent Heights); Laemmle's Royal Theatre (11523 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Los Angeles); and Laemmle's Fallbrook 7 (5731 Fallbrook Avenue, San Fernando Valley). The films are in Hebrew with English subtitles.

To purchase tickets for screenings, including the Retrospective, events or for further information, please call 1-877-966-5566 or visit www.israelfilmfestival.com. Tickets are available for advance purchase online and at theatre box offices beginning May 30th. Ticket prices are: $11.00 for general admission, $9.00 for senior citizens (62 and older), children (under 12) and students with proper ID. Weekday matinees (shows before 6:00 p.m.) are $8.00 for all filmgoers. A Festival Pass (buy five, get one free) is available for $55.00 (restrictions apply - vouchers must be exchanged at the box office a half-hour prior to showtime and are not available for sold-out screenings). Tickets for Opening Night Screening and Reception are $60.00. Tickets for Spotlight Premiere Screening are $18.00. Tickets for the Gala Awards Dinner at The Beverly Hilton Hotel are $350.00/seat (to purchase Gala Awards Dinner tickets, please contact robin@lpaevents.com).

The Co-Chairs of the 2008 Israel Film Festival are Amy Pascal, Co-Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, and Arnon Milchan, Owner/Founder, Regency Enterprises.

With films ranging from cinéma vérité and comedies to thought-provoking, powerful dramas and documentaries, the Festival will highlight Israel's culturally rich landscape overflowing with filmmakers who have produced remarkable movies.

FESTIVAL NARRATIVE FEATURES:

THE SECRETS, U.S. Premiere, Festival Opening Night Film (2007, 120 minutes)

Director: Avi Nesher

The Secrets presents the complexities of a religious lifestyle within the context of youth, rebellion and desire. Naomi postpones marriage to the prodigy of her ultra orthodox rabbi father to study at a Jewish seminary for women in the ancient Kabalistic seat of Safed following her mother's death. Her quest for individuality takes a defiant turn when she befriends Michelle, a free-spirited but headstrong fellow student. Their unlikely alliance is jeopardized by a mysterious older woman named Anouk, a terminally ill tortured soul shunned by the community for her crime of passion. Together, they attempt to purge her sins through a series of secret rituals. The film was nominated for eight Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Costumes, Best Editing, Best Music and Best Sound.

NOODLE, Los Angeles Premiere (2007, 90 minutes)

Director: Ayelet Menahemi

Spotlight Premiere Screening

Miri, a twice war-widowed 37-year-old El Al flight attendant, is unexpectedly grounded when she finds herself saddled with a small Chinese boy. She's suddenly unchained from a melancholy existence that's also marked by mistreatment at the hands of her sarcastic sister, Gila, a fellow flight attendant who frets about whether she should dump her husband, Izzy, who's also an airline employee. In attempting to return the child to his migrant-worker mother who has been summarily deported from Israel, she embarks on a remarkable journey full of drama and humor that brings deep meaning to her life. The film won the Special Grand Prize of the Jury at the 2007 Montreal World Film Festival. The film won the Best Supporting Actress Award from the Israel Film Academy and earned nine other nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Music, Best Sound and Best Screenplay.

THE DEBT, U.S. Premiere (2007, 93 minutes)

Director: Assaf Bernstein

Spotlight Screening

Nominated for four Israeli Academy Awards, The Debt is a spellbinding, cat-and-mouse espionage thriller set in Israel in the mid-1990s. Rachel is a retired Mossad agent whose recently published memoirs boasted how she helped capture a monstrous Nazi war criminal known as the "Surgeon of Birkenau." But complications ensued, the prisoner never went on trial and a story was fabricated about him committing suicide. More than 30 years later, a frail, perhaps delusional, man in a nursing home in the Ukraine claims to be the surgeon, and Rachel, long considered a national hero, has some unfinished business. The film was nominated for four awards at the Israel Film Academy, including Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Costumes.

THE GALILEE ESKIMOS, West Coast Premiere (2007, 99 minutes)

Director: Jonathan Paz

Spotlight Screening

An old kibbutz tucked in the Hills of Galilee plunges into bankruptcy. Men, women and children abandon their homes, leaving behind a desolate scene except for a dozen residents of an old-folk's home on the property who discover they have been deserted and are left to fend for themselves. The largest creditor, a bank, closes a deal with a contractor who arrives at the kibbutz and is astonished to discover that the senior citizens were left behind. The group initially sinks into deep depression, feeling betrayed by their relatives and society, but organizes in hopes of rebuilding the kibbutz.

FOUL GESTURE, West Coast Premiere (2006, 100 minutes)

Director: Tzahi Grad

On the morning of Holocaust Memorial Day, Michael Klienhouse's personal nightmare begins when he encounters Dreyfus, a 60-year-old war hero Michael's wife, Tamar, has just flipped the middle finger (as the title suggests) to Dreyfus, who deliberately hits the gas pedal of his car and runs into Michael's open door, almost hitting her. Michael, a law-abiding citizen, hopes to resolve the situation with the help of the authorities, only to learn that Dreyfus is a violent man with connections and friends in high places. The unfolding events replenish Michael and give him a new sense of purpose. The film won the Israeli Film Competition Award at the 2006 Haifa International Film Festival and was nominated for five awards at the Israel Film Academy, including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Music.

THE LITTLE TRAITOR (2007, 83 minutes)

Director: Lynn Roth

Based on Panther in the Basement by world-renowned novelist, Amos Oz, this beautiful story of an implausible friendship between an amiable British soldier and a spirited, 11-year-old Israeli militant who wants the occupying imperialists off his land takes place just a few months before Israel achieves independent statehood. When Proffy Liebowitz meets British officer Sergeant Dunlop, he's reprimanded for roaming the streets after dark and breaking curfew. They later become friends, but town officials soon learn of their secret and accuse the boy of being a traitor. The ensuing events will forever change their respective outlook on life.

STRANGERS (2007, 85 minutes)

Directors: Erez Tadmor & Guy Netiv

Described as the story of a globe-trotting, Israeli Romeo who meets a Palestinian Juliet, Strangers puts love to the test in time of war. Eyal, an Israeli kibbutznik, and Rana, an expat Palestinian living in Paris, visit Berlin for the 2006 World Cup finals where they're forced to share an apartment after accidentally swapping backpacks. Over three intensive days their friendship turns to love as they're drawn out of the stark reality of their lives and into a passionate affair as the second Israel-Lebanon war plays out. When it's time to go home, they must decide where to go to from there. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize (World Cinema - Dramatic) at the Sundance Film Festival, won the Wolgin Award for Most Promising Actress at the Jerusalem Film Festival and was nominated for Best Actor at the Israeli Film Academy.

THE SHELTER (2007, 102 minutes)

Director: Roy Hornshtein

In this compelling drama written and directed by Roy Hornshtein, an Israeli father and his 11-year-old son are forced to take refuge in an underground shelter during a missile attack. When the son awakes that next morning, he's shocked to learn from his father that the bombing resulted in severe destruction and together they must get accustomed to their new underground reality, which includes food and water shortages. He's also reeling from the death of his mother six months earlier and gradually realizes that his father, who becomes detached and cruel, had been keeping secrets from him.

FESTIVAL ENCORE FEATURE PRESENTATIONS

THE BAND'S VISIT (2007, 87 minutes)

Director: Eran Kolirin

When the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrives in Israel from Egypt to perform at a cultural event in Petah Tikva, they're left stranded at the airport without a ride to their destination and wind up in the wrong town - a desolate spot in the desert called Beit Hatikva. Each of the eight band members attempts to interact with the locals, who feel their impact on the town in a charming and offbeat comedy from Israeli writer and director Eran Kolirin that has been described as a "small-scale sermon about Middle East man's humanity to Middle East man, minus the politics of course." Among the films many awards are Un Certain Regard Award - Jury Coup de Coeur at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, the European Discovery of the Year at the European Film Awards, the Critics' Award and the Director's Week Award at Fantasporto, the Special Mention Award and a Grand Prix nomination at the Flanders International Film Festival, an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Foreign Film, the Feature Film Award at the Montreal Festival of New Cinema, the Audience and Cine Vision Awards at the Munich Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival and the Tokyo Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival. The film won the Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Music and Best Costumes Awards at the Israeli Film Academy and received nominations for Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Sound. The film is the highest-grossing Israeli motion picture at the U.S. box office.

BEAUFORT, 2007 Academy Award-Nominee (2007, 125 minutes)

Director: Joseph Cedar

Beaufort chronicles the life of Liraz Liberti, a 22 year-old outpost commander, and his troops in the months before Israel pulled out of Lebanon. It's a story of retreat, not war - one with no enemy, only an amorphous entity that drops bombs from skies while terrified young soldiers who quake in their boots must somehow find a way to carry out their mission until their final moments on that mountaintop. As Liraz lays the explosives that would destroy the very same structure his friends had died defending, he witnesses the collapse of all he's been taught as an officer, as well as his foot soldiers' mental and physical disintegration. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film won the Silver Berlin Bear and was nominated for Golden Berlin Bear a the Berlin International Film Festival, was nominated for the Golden Kinnaree Award for Best Film at the Bangkok International Film Festival and won Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Art Direction and Best Sound from the Israeli Film Academy and was nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Costumes and Best Music.

FESTIVAL FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES

CHILDREN OF THE SUN Los Angeles Premiere (2007, 70 minutes)

Director: Ran Tal

Winner of the 2007 Jerusalem International Film Festival's Best Documentary Award, Children of the Sun is an unconventional history of the kibbutz movement that inspired so many of the original settlers in the Holy Land. What was it like to grow up driven by such strong idealism? What was the impact of living in quarters where children were raised together largely separate from their parents? Director Ran Tal, who himself grew up on a kibbutz, turns to other members of his generation, using their words and home movies to reveal a thoroughly fascinating, conflicted and authentic portrait of a disappearing world.

I'M A CIVIL WAR, U.S. Premiere (2007, 45 minutes)

Director: Omri Lior

This 45-minute documentary depicts the extraordinary life and work of Israel Prize winner Chaim Guori as a reflection of Israel's history. Born in 1923, the 84-year-old Tel Aviv native made his mark as an author, journalist and filmmaker whose first book, "Flowers of Fire," was published in 1949 when he still was a soldier. Guori, who takes a critical look at the political and social reality of his beloved homeland, mourns from the northern border next to Mettula that "everything has changed and the feeling of hatred and being under siege continues and the land continues to bleed."

PERES RABIN - EVERYTHING IS PERSONAL, West Coast Premiere (2007, 64 minutes)

Director: Erik Heing

You will be deeply moved by this extraordinarily gripping exploration of the complex professional and personal ties linking Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, two men with radically different backgrounds and temperaments whose actions - and rivalry - dramatically shaped today's Middle East. "The Jerusalem Post" once observed that there differences were so intense, "the battle between Rabin and Peres is every bit as nasty as the ultimate sports rivalry." Filmmaker Henig, who served as media and political advisor to Rabin and other Israeli leaders, uses never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews to present the two men in a fresh light.

PRAYING IN HER OWN VOICE (2007; 60 minutes)

Director: Yael Katzir

Jewish tradition and modern life clash in director Yael Katzir's spellbinding portrait of the famed Women of the Wall movement as it does battle with the ultra-orthodox establishment in Israel over their right to wear prayer shawls and read aloud from the Torah at the Western Wall. These courageous women are followed for two years during religious services, hearings at the Israeli Supreme Court (and the aftermath of controversial rulings), and violent confrontations with their opponents. Their struggle is seen as a test case for the deprived status of women in Israeli public life, religious coercion and the hunger for equality. Yael Katzir is a filmmaker, author, college professor, wife and mother. Born in Tel Aviv in 1942, she studied at Hebrew University, UCLA and Boston University before going on to make award-winning films that include Company Jasmine, Shivah for My Mother, A Place for Everyone and a Glimpse of Paradise.

THE QUEST FOR THE MISSING PIECE Los Angeles Premiere (2007, 52 minutes)

Director: Oded Lotan

Oded Lotan, a young Jewish gay man living in Tel Aviv with his German partner, pieces together the story of his own bris while reflecting on the complex role his sexuality and time abroad has played in shaping his Israeli identity. Presented as a gently humorous fairy tale bridging the gap between tradition and modernity, the film sheds light on feelings toward the male-circumcision ritual, fear of exclusion and the need to belong. Aided by wonderful animated sequences, Lotan negotiates an emotive topic with considerable wit and panache, proving to be an endearing presence and filmmaking talent to watch.

THE STONE FLOWER (GOLE SANGAM), U.S. Premiere (2007, 54 minutes)

Director: Sarit Haymian

Written and directed by Sarit Haymian, an Israeli-born Iranian Jew, The Stone Flower raises questions about love, relations, femininity and dreams. The film traces the lives of two elderly Jewish women, Ilanit and Naima, who came to Israel from Iran 50 years ago and married when they were young teenagers. Ilanit's husband humiliated and beat her, but still she took care of him when he became sick. Naima had good relations with her husband and was surrounded by children and grandchildren who she always dutifully served. Now, 70-years-old, both women reflect on the choices they made and were forced to make.

WAITING FOR GODIK, U.S. Premiere (2007, 60 minutes)

Director: Ari Davidovich

Nominated for the 2007 Jerusalem Film Festival's Best Documentary award, this intimate look at the rise and fall of legendary producer and impresario Giora Godik examines the Israeli King of Musicals' quest to bring the American dream to Tel Aviv. That vision ended when Godik unexpectedly fled to Germany on the eve of his last premiere and ended up selling hotdogs for a living at the central railway station in Frankfurt. The film glimpses into the gap between glittering lights and a life in the shadows, bringing to life the story of a man who believed that life was a musical.

YOU NEVER KNOW (2008, 63 minutes)

Director: Boaz Shahak

Shlomo Carlebach was a brilliant young torah scholar sent by the Lubavitcher rebbe to deliver the good word from scripture to hippies in the San Francisco Bay Area for whom he once performed on guitar and vocals at a festival in 1966 wedged between Pete Seeger and the Jefferson Airplane. When his love for flower power crossed the boundaries of Jewish law, the Orthodox establishment shunned him. Carlebach, who once boasted about having composed 4,000 original melodies, died penniless 13 years ago. But his music still fills concert halls and his followers live in nearly every Jewish community.

FESTIVAL HONOREES

Jeffrey Berg, 2008 IFF Visionary Award Honoree, is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of International Creative Management, Inc., a talent and literary agency representing clients in the fields of publishing, motion pictures, television, music and theater. Berg also serves on the Board of Directors of Oracle Corporation and the Tribune Company and sits on the Board of Visitors at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. He has lectured on management and finance in the arts at the London School of Economics, where he serves on its Court of Governors. For his leadership and vision in the entertainment industry and immense support of Israel's media arts and talent, the Israel Film Festival is proud to present Mr. Berg with the IFF 2008 Visionary Award.

Kirk Douglas, 2008 IFF Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree, is an Academy Award-winning actor, noted producer and best-selling author of nine books. A driving force in Jewish and Israeli film and societal advancement, his maverick moral sensibility is undying. With a legendary body of work spanning over 60 years, he has starred in films such as Spartacus, and has supported numerous projects including funding playgrounds for Jews and Arabs in Israel. On screen, his portrayal of a Jewish American colonel in Cast a Giant Shadow profoundly illuminates the complex issues surrounding Jewish identity.

With over 200 feature film credits, Menahem Golan is one of the most significant Founding Fathers of the Israeli film industry. The IFF will present him with the 2008 Cinema Pioneer Award for his tireless contributions in helping make Israel an important film center. His productions portray the intricate prism of Israeli life, from the Oscar nominated Operation Thunderbolt and I Love You Rosa, to the most popular Israeli film ever, Lemon Popsicle.

Carl Reiner, 2008 IFF Achievement in Film Award Honoree, is the quintessential man of comedy. Among the first to bring Borscht Belt humor to television on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, he is a multiple Emmy award winner and also the creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show. He directed George Burns in Oh, God, and more recently is known for his role as Saul Bloom in Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen.

Rob Reiner, 2008 IFF Achievement in Film Award Honoree first became a household name with his Emmy Award-winning role as "Meathead" in the groundbreaking All in the Family. He has produced and directed some of the most influential films of our time including This is Spinal Tap and Stand By Me, and under his Castle Rock Entertainment banner, When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men, among others. He is committed to numerous environmental and social issues with his wife, Michele, and pushed the California state government to create First 5 California to provide services for families at risk.

Under the expert supervision of Founder/Executive Director Meir Fenigstein, The Israel Film Festival is presented by IsraFest Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) created in 1982, in association with the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles. The Festival, celebrating its 23rd year, is the second oldest film festival in Southern California, and the only film festival that will visit three American cities - Los Angeles, New York and Miami. Dates of the Festivals: Los Angeles, June 11 - 26; New York, November 5 - 20; Miami; and December 10 - 18, 2008. The Festival has been responsible for introducing Israeli life and culture to American audiences through the powerful medium of film, providing a comprehensive intercultural exchange and has brought hundreds of Israeli filmmakers to the United States to share their art. Through the years, more than 750,000 filmgoers have experienced the best of Israeli cinema by showcasing more than 700 feature films, documentaries, television dramas, short films and student shorts.

You can already buy passes and tickets over the phone and online (see below). But if you're in Westwood over the next two weeks, stop by the ticket office to get a better grasp of everything that's in this wide-ranging, something-for-all-tastes event, which opens to the public June 20.

Below is the official festival announcement and list of titles. I can personally recommend the screening of John Cassavetes' seminal indie film "Shadows," the recently departed Kon Ichikawa's exquisite "The Makioka Sisters" and some just-announced guest-programmer stuff (Melvin Van Peebles chose Chaplin's "City Lights"; Common likes the more recent "Pulp Fiction" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind").

As for all the new films that I haven't seen, reports from earlier festivals and such indicate that you may want to catch "Ballast," "Elite Squad," "Frozen River," "Man on Wire," "Momma's Man," "The Wackness," "Paper or Plastic," "The Pleasure of Being Robbed," "The Poker House" and "You, The Living." Surely, there are many more.

And there's a revival of "Lost Boys," if you absolutely must.

2008 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

ANNOUNCES FULL PROGRAM LINE-UP

- Universal Picture's WANTED to Screen as Opening Night Film -

- Sacha Gervasi's ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL to Screen as Centerpiece Premiere -

- Universal Picture's HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY to Screen

as Closing Night Film -

"I am proud of the Festival's on-going growth within the community, and pleased that we continue to attract world-class filmmakers like Guillermo Del Toro (HELLBOY II) and Timur Bekmambetov (WANTED)," said Festival Director Rich Raddon. "The Los Angeles Film Festival celebrates the best in filmmaking as well as discovering new voices from around the world."

"We're proud to be bringing a wonderfully diverse slate of films and events to Festival audiences," said Los Angeles Film Festival Director of Programming Rachel Rosen. "This year's program has everything from family films to a for-adults-only swear-a-long which provides audiences with a chance to discover a range of work, and meet and interact with some superbly talented filmmakers."

"This year's Festival displays a collection of vibrant and diverse films that maintain Film Independent's spirit, quality, and originality," said Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent, the year-round filmmaker organization that produces the Festival. "The Festival is a chance for the film industry and filmgoers to have direct access to each other, which for Film Independent is an important on-going objective in building an interest for diverse films in art houses and multiplexes alike."

ABOUT THE 2008 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

Westwood Village is home to Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival, which runs from Thursday, June 19 - Sunday, June 29. 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 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 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: Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater At The Geffen Playhouse, AMC Avco 4, The Italian Cultural Institute, The Landmark, Landmark's Regent Theatre, Majestic Crest Theatre, Mann Festival Theatre, Mann Village Theatre, Hammer Museum, Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum, and W Los Angeles - Westwood. Additional offsite event screenings will take place at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood and the California Plaza on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles.

The Festival Ticket Office, located at 1020 Westwood Boulevard, will be open to the public beginning Sunday, June 8, selling both passes and individual tickets. For event information and tickets, call 866.FILM.FEST (866.345.6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com. Film notes, images, and trailers will are available for viewing at LAFilmFest.com.

The Target Red Room - filmmaker and press lounge - will be located at 1027 Westwood Boulevard.

FULL FESTIVAL PROGRAM

The 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen more than 230 feature films, shorts, and music videos. This year the Festival received more than 5000 submissions from filmmakers around the world with the final selections representing several World, North American, and U.S. premieres.

Narrative Competition (7): 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.

· Big Heart City, Ben Rodkin

· HottieBoombaLottie, Seth Packard - WORLD PREMIERE

· I'll Come Running, Spencer Parsons - WORLD PREMIERE

· Medicine for Melancholy, Barry Jenkins

· The Pleasure of Being Robbed, Josh Safdie

· The Poker House, Lori Petty - WORLD PREMIERE

· Prince of Broadway, Sean Baker - WORLD PREMIERE

Documentary Competition (10): This section is comprised of films made by emerging US filmmakers that will 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.

· Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, Stefan Forbes

· Dirty Hands: The Art & Crimes of David Choe, Harry Kim - WORLD PREMIERE

· Finishing Heaven, Mark Mann - WORLD PREMIERE

· Largo, Andrew van Baal, Mark Flanagan - WORLD PREMIERE

· Loot, Darius Marder - WORLD PREMIERE

· Must Read After My Death, Morgan Dews - US PREMIERE

· Paper or Plastic?, Justine Jacob, Alex D. Da Silva - WORLD PREMIERE

· Pressure Cooker, Jennifer Grausman, Mark Becker - WORLD PREMIERE

· Thing With No Name, Sarah Friedland

· Trinidad, PJ Raval, Jay Hodges - WORLD PREMIERE

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.

· The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela, Olaf De Fleur Johannesson - Iceland/Philippines/USA

· Captain Ahab, Philippe Ramos - France

· The Choir, Michael Davie - South Africa - NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

· Exodus, Pang Ho-Cheung - Hong Kong

· Fear(s) of the Dark, Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, Richard McGuire - France (IFC Films)

· Four Wives - One Man, Nahid Persson - Sweden/Iran

· Hafner's Paradise, Günter Schwaiger - Austria/Spain - US PREMIERE

· Heartbeat Detector, Nicolas Klotz - France (New Yorker Films)

· Hello, Stranger, Kim Dong-hyun - South Korea - NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

· Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go, Kim Longinotto - England (Women Make Movies)

· Hotel Very Welcome, Sonja Heiss - Germany

· Infinite Border, Juan Manuel Sepúlveda - Mexico - US PREMIERE

· La France, Serge Bozon - France

· Mechanical Love, Phie Ambo - Denmark

· Sonetàula, Salvatore Mereu - Italy/France/Belgium

· Tricks, Andrzej Jakimowski - Poland

· Useless, Jia Zhang-ke - China

· When Clouds Clear, Anne Slick, Danielle Bernstein - Ecuador/USA

· Where Are Their Stories?, Nicolás Pereda - Mexico/Canada

· Wonderful Town, Aditya Assarat - Thailand (Kino International)

· You, the Living, Roy Andersson - Sweden (Tartan Films)

Summer Previews (14): A sneak peek at this summer's upcoming independent film releases.

· American Son, Neil Abramson

· The Art of Failure: Chuck Connelly Not For Sale, Jeff Stimmel (HBO) - WORLD PREMIERE

· Baghead, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass (Sony Pictures Classics)

· Ballast, Lance Hammer (IFC Films)

· Boy A, John Crowley - England (The Weinstein Company)

· Choke, Clark Gregg (Fox Searchlight)

· Elite Squad, José Padilha - Brazil (The Weinstein Company)

· Encounters at the End of the World, Werner Herzog (THINKFilm)

· Frozen River, Courtney Hunt (Sony Pictures Classics)

· A Girl Cut in Two, Claude Chabrol - France (IFC Films)

· Man on Wire, James Marsh - England (Magnolia Pictures)

· Momma's Man, Azazel Jacobs (THINKFilm)

· The Order of Myths, Margaret Brown

· The Wackness, Jonathan Levine (Sony Pictures Classics)

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

· Cargo 200, Alexei Balabanov - Russia

· Let the Right One In, Tomas Alfredson - Sweden (Magnolia Pictures)

· X-Cross, Kenta Fukasaku - Japan

Guilty Pleasures (3)

· Coyote, Brian Petersen - USA/Mexico

· Heidi Fleiss: The Would-Be Madam of Crystal, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato (HBO)

· Mirage Man, Ernesto Díaz Espinoza - Chile (Magnolia Pictures)

Special Event Screenings at the Ford Amphitheatre (4): These unique outdoor screenings are part of the 2008 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.

· Anvil! The Story of Anvil, Sacha Gervasi

· Cinematic Titanic

· Highwater, Dana Brown - WORLD PREMIERE

· Swear-A-Long Scarface, Brian De Palma (1983)

Tribute Screenings (5)

· Derek, Isaac Julien (Derek Jarman, 1942 - 1994), England

· The Makioka Sisters (1983), Kon Ichikawa (Kon Ichikawa, 1915 - 2008) - Japan

· Nothing But A Man (1964), Michael Roemer (Ivan Dixon, 1931 - 2008)

· Peter Pan (1953), Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske (Ollie Johnston, 1912 - 2008)

· Planet of the Apes (1968), Franklin J. Schaffner (Charlton Heston, 1923 - 2008)

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

· The American President (1995), Rob Reiner - Conversation with director Rob Reiner and select cast and crew

· Silverado (1985), Lawrence Kasdan - Conversation with writer/director Lawrence Kasdan, writer Mark Kasdan, and select cast and crew

· The Women (1939), George Cukor - Conversation with Diane English, writer/director of the upcoming remake

Special Screenings (3):

· The Lost Boys (1987), Joel Schumacher

· Night Flight: Born Again, Stuart Samuels

· Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman, Eric Bricker

Special Series (10):

· L.A. Film Critics: The Films That Got Away (3)

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

o Ice (1970), Robert Kramer

o Milestones (1975), Robert Kramer, John Douglas

o Reunion (1989), Jerry Schatzberg - France/Germany/Great Britain

· Shaw Sensations (5)

Co-presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

o The Boxer of Shantung, Zhang Che (Chang Cheh), Bao Xueli (1972) - China

o Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, Lau Kar-leung (Liu Jialiang) (1983) - China

o Hong Kong Nocturne, Umetsugu Inoue (1967) - China

o Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, Chu Yuan (1972) - China

o The Singing Thief, Zhang Che (1969) - China

· The Film Foundation and American Express' Preservation Screening Program (2)

Presented by the Film Foundation and American Express. Co-presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

o Shadows, John Cassavetes (1959)

o The Short Films of George and Mike Kuchar (1958 - 1963)

Free Screenings (6):

· Bye Bye Birdie, George Sidney (1963) - 45th Anniversary

· A Fish Called Wanda, Charles Crichton (1988) - 20th Anniversary

· The Garden, Scott Hamilton Kennedy

· Half-Life, Jennifer Phang - Project:Involve Screening

· How I See It

· Made In America, Stacy Peralta - Grand Performances Screening

Short Films (42): 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 (31): These two programs of shorts made by high school students from around the country feature work by the next generation of filmmakers.

Music Videos (58): 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. Music videos will compete for an Audience Award. In addition, this year's Festival will spotlight music videos from Scandinavia.

· Eclectic Mix 1

· Eclectic Mix 2

· Declare Yourself: Spotlight on Scandinavia

Film Independent's Diversity EXPO: The Diversity Expo joins hands with the annual Festival Mixer 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 entertain