Filmmakers and film lovers descended on Southern California last week for Film Independent’s annual Los Angeles Film Festival. The 2011 edition ran from June 16th through the 26th, and was held downtown in the L.A. Live complex for the third straight year. A remarkable crop of independent documentaries and features premiered alongside some of Hollywood’s newest and biggest, and the result was a ten-day celebration of spectacular cinema.
Festival Director Rebecca Yeldham (herself an accomplished film producer, with credits including “The Motorcycle Diaries,” “Anvil!” and the forthcoming “On the Road”) and her staff compiled a truly international slate of films, with dozens of World and North American premieres screening for audiences for the very first time. The festival was bookended by premieres of Richard Linklater’s “Bernie,” (starring Matthew McConaughey, Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine) and the Guillermo del Toro written and produced “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” (with Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce). In between were high profile screenings of Drive(the latest from Nicolas Winding Refn) and “The Devil’s Double” (Lee Tamahori), and an opening night screening of “The Green Lantern,” as well as festival-only conversations with the likes of James Franco and Julie Taymor, and screenings programmed by Guillermo del Toro and Erykah Badu.
As LAFF takes pride in continuing to invigorate Downtown Los Angeles, there was also free programming for the community on the slate. Fantastic open air screenings of classics “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Stand By Me” and “Rudy” were all well attended. And there was no shortage of stars taking part in the proceedings, with panelists and moderators at events including Diablo Cody, Guy Maddin, Richard Kelly, Allison Janney, Vera Farmiga, John C. Reilly and Quincy Jones. For the filmmakers, the screenings were only the first stop. Networking over free Jameson from the festival sponsor in the Filmmaker Lounge, attending pitch events, and listening in on writer’s workshops and poolside chats were only some of the events worth missing a screening for during the fest.
Buzz ran hot for several films on the LAFF slate, including Robbie Pickering’s SXSW award-winner “Natural Selection” (featuring a breakthrough performance by “The Hangover’s” Rachel Harris), the East L.A. produced coming-of-age drama “Mamitas,” and Ti West’s latest entry, “The Innkeepers.” Genre fans were hot for Asian imports, like Korea’s box office sensation “Haunters” and the “Austin Powers”-esque “Karate-Robo Zaborgar.” Fans of indie dramas were treated to premieres of “An Ordinary Family” (Directed by Mike Akel, who previously helmed “Chalk”) and the quirky but endearing “You Hurt My Feelings” (Directed by Steve Collins, and featuring his own children). And documentary junkies had no shortage of exciting options, with sport (“Once I Was A Champion,” “Salaam Dunk”), relationship (“Family Instinct,” “Somewhere Between”) and socio-political fare (“Unraveled,” “Paraiso for Sale”) all on display.
But this is a competition, and there were a few big winners. The Jury awards went to Stephane Lafleur, director of “Familiar Ground,” Beverly Kopf and Bobbie Birleffi for the documentary “Wish Me Away” and the cast of Amber Sealey’s “How to Cheat.” The Audience Awards went to “Attack the Block” (Directed by Joe Cornish) and “Beats,” “Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest” (directed by Michael Rapaport), and on the international side, the rollicking car racing doc, “Senna” (directed by Asif Kapadia).
Here’s the Complete List of Winners:
Best Narrative Feature
“Familiar Ground”
Stephane Lafleur, Dr.
Best Documentary Feature
“Wish Me Away”
Beverly Kipf, Bobbie Birleffi, Dirs.
Best Performance in the Narrative Competition
Amber Sealey, Kent Osborne, Amanda Street and Gabriel Diamond for “How to Cheat”
Amber Sealey, Dir.
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
“Attack the Block”
Joe Cornish, Dir.
Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
“Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest”
Michael Rapaport, Dir.
Audience Award for Best International Feature
“Senna”
Asif Kapadia, Dir.
Best Narrative Short Film
“The Wind is Blowing on My Street”
Saba Riazi, Dir.
Best Documentary Short Film
“I Am a Girl!”
Susan Koenen, Dir.
Best Animated Short Film
“The Eagleman Stag”
Mike Please, Dir.
Audience Award for Best Short Film
“Blind Date”
Joe Rosen, Dir.
Audience Award for Best Music Video
“Can’t Shake This Feeling”
The General Assembly’s Adam Littke, Ryan McNeill, and Adam Willis, Dirs.
Jason Chase Tyrrell is a writer, producer and distribution consultant from Venice, California, and the founder of Chunky Baby Productions. He has two feature screenplays in development, "Rainbow Snake Dreaming" (Woodburn Sweitzer Management) and "Erotomania: A Romance" (Chunky Baby Productions/Otis B Productions). Previously, Jason was the Director of Acquisitions for boutique distributor IndiePix Films, and now develops "go to market" distribution strategies for independent producers as a founding partner of MILK & HONEY. Visit http://www.consultmah.com for more information.
