'TWILIGHT' at LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL
turns uptown into downtown
16th Los Angeles Film Festival
review by Wendy Dent published on
Filmfestivals.com May 2010
Wendy Dent
reporting from the Los Angeles Film Festival
June 2010
The L.A. Film Festival Directors have set the scene.
And the Film Independent press conference has announced action. Downtown
LA will be the stage for the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, with red
carpet events such as the world premiere of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
about to eclipse a lot of fine indie films but spotlight "a vibrant
and burgeoning independent arts community in downtown Los Angeles".
Over 16 years the L.A. Film Festival has shown itself worthy of its
reputation as a world class event, showcasing the best of world cinema
from venues all over Los Angeles. "Our new location will continue
to pave the way for LAFF to realize its potential as an international
destination event, and unites our filmmakers and audiences with the
diverse arts community that exists downtown", said Festival Director
Rebecca Yeldham.
Last year's LAFF, based in Westwood Village, attracted over 85,000 attendees.
For this year's festival from June 17 to 27, it's easy to imagine that
number alone lining the roads to LA LIVE, where all LAFF events will
be centred - uptown girls rushing downtown for just a glimpse of Robert
Pattinson, the centre of their universe.
In an alternative universe, the independent film community will also
be celebrating some great success stories on film.
"We welcome the Los Angeles Film Festival and its supporters to
L.A. LIVE and downtown Los Angeles, in an area that is already considered
one of the great arts communities in our region," said Tim Leiweke,
president and CEO, AEG, developers of L.A. LIVE. "With our array
of restaurants and entertainment options for visitors, L.A. LIVE was
truly built to be the home of prestigious internationally noted events
like the Los Angeles Film Festival."
And diners will have a lot to discuss over dinner, with a world class
entree into the independent film world at LAFF 2010 including over 200
features, short films and music videos from over 30 countries.
Aside from the Twilight invitation-only event, other gala screenings
will showcase a whole other world of cinema far beyond the Hollywood
studio system. 'Revolucion' promises a subversive vision of Mexico as
seen through the lens of 10 cutting edge Mexican directors in the midst
of their centenary celebrations. And Animal Kingdom, starring Guy Pearce
of L.A. Confidential fame, hopes to repeat his gunning down of the box
office in yet another in a long line of "intense, high class Australian
crime movies" that hints this as the 'genre du jour' for Australian
film.
The Los Angeles downtown theme (and a twilight theme) continues in a
fun festival side program 'Downtown Confidential'. 'The Driver' (1978)
"unfolds in an urban twilight zone between Union Station and the
Bonaventure Hotel, where Ryan O'Neal's getaway driver rules the night
streets and Bruce Dern's obsessed cop tries to bust him on the last
ride", you'll read in the festival program, as you race downtown
for the next screening.
And who could resist the chance to see Bill Cosby as
"a downtrodden private eye searching for a missing girl in the
sun-bleached mean streets of early 70's Los Angeles, leaving violence
in his wake" according to the festival program. Could 'Hickey and
Boggs' (1972) be that masterpiece of modern cinema that you unfortunately
missed?
Or perhaps you'll find those masterpieces in another genre. The LAFF
International Spotlight falls this year on Argentinian writer/director/producer
Leopoldo Torre Nilsson, proving his right to the title "international
art house sensation" with four films ranging from baroque melodrama
to dark, expressionistic tales dripping with sexual desire.
For those who desire another genre it will be a delight to just dip
into another downtown venue for a different cinematic experience.
From Annette Bening in the opening film 'The Kids Are All Right', (about
two teenagers conceived by artificial insemination), to Julie Andrews
in the closing night film 'Despicable Me' (about a supervillain voiced
by Steve Carroll, planning to steal the moon) the 2010 Los Angeles Film
Festival traverses more universes than one.
And isn't that the beauty of independent film?
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