On the day of his college graduation, Preston Plummer cannot think of a single thing he really loves. Adrift, Preston follows a beautiful but troubled young woman, Kate Cather, to a small island town where he begins to fall for her. Their relationship is soon threatened when he uncovers her family's dark past.
Also Screening
The Working Man (2011/USA/Dir. Randal Kirk II, Wing Ko, Samrod Shenassa) (10 Min.)
Armed with his new suit and gear, a skateboarding secret agent prepares to contend with Downtown Los Angeles and his own mind to unlock the key to successfully complete his mission and leave an undeniable impression.
The Opening Night Film presentation of “The Diary of Preston Plummer” will be followed immediately by the festival’s Opening Gala Party at Towne Food & Drink, the stunning new eatery on the ground floor of Watermarke Tower at the corner of 9th and Flower Streets, to open to the public the second week of July. Towne will offer guests a taste of the restaurant’s inventive, whimsical take on New American cuisine.
ABOUT TOWNE: Towne is located at 705 W. 9th St. in Downtown Los Angeles at the corner of 9th and Flower on the ground floor of the Watermarke Tower. The restaurant and lounge will serve an inventive take on American cuisine, and will initially be open for dinner daily, with lunch launching the week, and breakfast service to follow shortly thereafter. For more information, visit www.towne-la.com or visit the restaurant on Facebook or Twitter.
Deep in the burrows of East Los Angeles, a brother and sister reunite following a five-year hiatus and are forced to stumble towards reconciliation. Paul, a drunken vagrant, finds only awkward inconvenience as Betty is unwittingly thrust into his care. Forced to contemplate the suicide of her father, Betty’s naïve optimism becomes sanctuary for both siblings in this dark comedy where indifference is tested and ultimately vanquished by the chance to begin anew.
This poignant documentary, which premiered at Slamdance earlier this year, captures the real-life dramatic story of graffiti artist Tempt 1 - the celebrated West Coast tagger effectively silenced in 2003 when he was diagnosed with ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease. (The degenerative nerve disorder that left him unable to move, speak and breathe.) But with the invention of a device, and a little help from his friends, the artist makes a stirring comeback.
Also Screening
Corro (2012/USA/Dir. Fernando Rovzar) (4.5 Min.)
A Spanish music video for Fernanda Ulibarri's song CORRO. A reflection of the little time we have in life, to do all the things we want to do. Fernanda is trying to see and do as much as she can, before time runs out.
Filmmakers won’t want to miss the unveiling of new ventures for filmmakers. Do you need money or distribution for your projects? If so, you might want to attend this presentation networking reception to follow. Hear all about these great programs that filmmakers will definitely want to consider…
FilmBreak, the film and entertainment industry’s premier funding and distribution platform, will give filmmakers unprecedented access to tools and resources they need to project their concept onto the big screen. FilmBreak will present their platform to a group of accredited investors and filmmakers.
Flix on Stix is a revolutionary self-serve kiosk designed to allow consumers to download content such as movies, TV shows, games, ebooks and music, quickly and easily onto almost any form of portable media, from memory sticks to tablets to even smart phones. If you are looking for distribution, you might want to consider this amazing opportunity. Flix on Stix is what the independent film community has been waiting for!
Premiering earlier this year’s Slamdance, this documentary swept the festival circuit earlier this year with subsequent screenings at SXSW, HotDocs, Seattle Film Festival. No wonder. It takes us deep inside the world of Anonymous, the radical “hacktivist” collective that has redefined civil disobedience for the digital age. It explores the historical roots of early hacktivist groups like Cult of the Dead Cow and Electronic Disturbance Theater and then follows Anonymous from “4chan” (an imageboard website with anonymous postings) to a full-blown movement with a global reach, one of the most transformative of our time.
Community Partner.....Activist Post
Also Screening
Been Good To Know Yuh (2011/USA/Dir. Corey Brandenstein) (25 Min.)
Facing his impending mortality, America's Father of Folk Music, Woody Guthrie, relives a handful of life shaping occurrences while waiting for his closest friend, Cisco Houston, to show up for one last drink.
Downtown Film Festival L.A. and L.A.Center for Digital Art kick the weekend into high gear when cutting-edge art gets down with global digital music at a historic space in the middle of downtown’s Gallery Row. Live dj set. Curated art exhibition. Cash bar.
The world of rock show “gig posters” and the artist community behind them, is a big idea. Intended or not, the film - hot off its showing at SXSW - presents us with the notion that a really good gig poster can evoke lasting emotionse. One look and you’re transported back to that experience. Therein lies the brilliance of what is exposed within Scout Shannon’s directorial debut: it’s not about the art, so much as it is about how the art makes us feel.
Exene's Hootenanny: Godmother of Punk (2011/USA/Dir. Heather Breen Schlossnagle) (15 Min.)
Exene Cervenka, of the punk rock band X, takes you backstage at her Hootenanny event, featuring music acts ranging from New Orleans Jazz to punk rock with Phil Alvin, London May, Petunia & the Vipers, and Sean & Zander. Through exclusive backstage interviews, musicians describe their artistic inspirations, struggles, and experiences, including Exene revealing her battle with MS.
Seasoned entertainment attorney Jaia Thomas will be moderate a panel of experts on legal issues you will face during your filmmaking journey and throughout your search to find the right distribution partner. Think of it as a really expensive consultation session but for only 10 bucks!
This year’s panelists include Morris Bird (formerly at Lionsgate), Bryan Duran (currently at RogueFlix, and formerly at Warner Bros. and Universal Studios, Anchor Bay doing finance, business and legal affairs) and others to be announced. The panel includes generous time for questions from the audience.
Clifford Lo, Esq., has practiced exclusively entertainment law since 1996, and is Of Counsel to the firm Kalmansohn & Andersen, LLP, in Century City. A Yale graduate, Mr. Lo spent six years as in-house counsel at the Walt Disney Company before establishing his private practice in 2002. Mr. Lo assists producers, production companies, screenwriters, directors, actors & others with transactional matters in film, television, new media, and music.
Bryan Duran is an attorney, financial analyst, filmmaker, and founder of RogueFlix.com. RogueFlix.com is at the forefront of the digital convergence movement in Hollywood blending highly popular action movies, nutritional supplements, exercise and self-defense tips, movie memorabilia, and novelty gadgets.
Bring your laptop for this hands-on workshop presented by Linda Nelson and Michael Madison, founders of Nelson Madison Films & Indie Rights. Attendees will learn how to sell and market their films through social media platforms, custom marketing strategy based on the film’s current production phase, analysis and recommendations relating to niche markets for the film, recommendations about what to sell and where.
Using Facebook Timeline Movie Page as a platform to develop strategies for building a strong audience for their films, topics include using graphics and custom apps, how to use Insights to track progress, different ways on how to engage your audience, advertising and more!
SHORTS PROGRAM 1
Program Running Time: 111 min.
Act 1, Scene 1 (2012/Sweden/Dir. Hans Montelius) (12.5 Min.)
A director and playwright battles his inner demons of jealousy as he tries to write a play for his girlfriend and his brother, but as the writing and rehearsals progress the demons take over.
Past Due (2011/USA/Dir. Denise Plumb) (20 Min.)
In this dark comedy, introvert Evelyn Lester's mundane life is turned upside down by the relentless pursuits of spiteful collection agent Scott Burgess.
Paying For It (2011/USA/Dir. Lauren Lillie) (22 Min.)
While on a weekend getaway with her boyfriend, lonely Deidre discovers an injured call girl and bonds with her, opening up to this woman in a way that she isn't capable of confiding in anyone else.
Pepper (2011/USA/Dir. Kim Noonan) (13 Min.)
In this comedy, Nate hits a dog with his car and must decide whether or not he should tell its lonely owner about the accident.
Ray Bradbury’s Kaleidoscope (2012/USA/Dir. Eric Tozzi) (17 Min.)
Hollis (Brett Stimely) pulls together the surviving crew of an exploded spaceship cargo carrier. The deeper he digs in the moments before his almost certain death, the greater his risk of discovering what matters. Are memories really worth more than dreams?
Rites Of Passage (2012/USA/Dir. Jeff Roy) (21 Min.)
Filmed in Bangkok, this documentary follows Maya (Mohammed) Jafer, a 42-year old Indo-Muslim transsexual female, through the weeks leading to her gender reassignment surgery.
Stick It To The Pattern (2012/USA/Dir. Siobhan Cavanagh) (5 Min.)
This animated short about creating something new while not forgetting the beauty of the old utilizes the notion of reuse through re-purposing of found objects and sounds.
*Exact screening order of short films in this program will be random. Please plan to view all the films in this program.
SHORTS PROGRAM 2
Program Running Time: 115 min.
All That She Surveys (2011/USA/Dir. Gary Mairs) (16 Min.)
She Looks and listens.
And (2011/USA/Dir. Aimee Jennings) (30 Min.)
This deeply personal yet universal film is the second installment in a three part experimental travel essay series exploring the human condition at different stages in one woman's life.
Astrid (2012 /USA/Dir. Jason Jensen) (9 Min.)
Astrid is a lonely young girl, longing for human contact, but those that get close to her discover a girl with a disturbed mind, while rejecting her may mean having to suffer terrible consequences.
Milwaukee (2011/USA/Dir. John Psathas) (28 Min.)
On Chicago’s Milwaukee Avenue, gang violence forces three Latino teenagers to grow up too fast and too soon.
The Glitter Emergency (2010/USA/Dir. Paul Festa) (21 Min.)
In this silent screwball comedy set to Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, Peggy the Peg-Leg Ballerina languishes at home with her evil stepsisters, dreaming of a life on the stage.
This Is Kelly (2010/USA/Dir. Andrew Loos) (11 Min.)
At just over 400lbs, gentle giant Kelly Gneiting rarely dodges anything, especially a challenge, and he is about to show the world what a person of ponderous proportion can accomplish when heart, mind and focus are all of the same mass.
*Exact screening order of short films in this program will be random. Please plan to view all the films in this program.
A group of theater-junkie misfits band together to put on a show - a comedic musical version of Chekov's "The Seagull," no less - with disastrously funny results.
Talk about life imitating art! In “Carlos Spills The Beans,” the festival’s Centerpiece Film presentation, our protagonist finds his hands more than full when he inherits the family diner. Too bad he didn’t have Executive Chef Chris Hora of Engine Co. 28 to advise him on how to serve up classic American dishes with a fresh new twist. For our Centerpiece Gala, the Chef is throwing us a barbeque complete with sliders, wings, ribs and a micro brew to wash it all down. Your advanced purchased ticket to the film, your Fest Pass or Fest Badge, will get you in.
Capacity is limited to this exclusive engagement – all guests must RSVP in advance.
SHORTS PROGRAM 3
Program Running Time: 110 min.
[ahr-tuh-zen] (2010/USA/Dir. Ric Serena) (12 Min.)
Native born Los Angeles artist Dave Lefner chooses the rarely used medium of reduction lino-cuts to express his love for the city of angels and it's ever changing urban landscape.
Niche: Art groups, documentary groups, graffiti groups, lino-cuts groups, any fan pages of the artist
Awkward Goodnight (2012/Canada/Dir. Mike Fly) (2 Min.)
Sometimes that perfect Hollywood kiss just doesn’t happen.
Niche: Comedy groups, short film festivals
Dissent (2012/France/Italy/Mexico/USA/Dir. Helmut Dosantos) (35 Min.)
An old father, still a tyrant despite his age, his son, devoured by his Oedipus complex, and the son’s betrothed who dreams about her future husband's attempt to break free from the yoke of his father and assert his own will populate this multi-national short.
Niche: Shorts festivals, international film festivals
Gasp (2011/USA/Dir. Thomai Hatsios) (17 Min.)
GASP is a film about the death of a dream and the price one pays for not fulfilling it.
Niche: Shorts festivals
Impounded (2012/USA/Dir. Adam Watson) (19 Min.)
Desperate to retrieve their stolen car, a father and son embark on an urban odyssey, finding compassion, cruelty and poetry along the way.
Niche: Hispanic groups, fans of Bicycle Thieves (very similar plots at times), Los Angeles city groups
Slapstick Porno (2011/USA/Dir. Field Garthwaite) (7.5 Min)
Slapstick Porno, a silent slapstick comedy, tells the story of a man who finds himself caught in the middle of a porno film; but every time the action is about to start, he misses his cue.
Niche: Silent film fans, comedy groups, porn fans?
Tracer Gun (2012/USA/Dir. Paul Grellong) (17 Min.)
A little mistake turns into a living nightmare when Abby apologizes for a drunken kiss by giving the right gift to the wrong man.
Niche: Shorts festivals, Always Sunny In Philadelphia fans (the two leads here are both recurring characters on the show as the waitress and one of the McPoyle brothers respectively)
*Exact screening order of short films in this program will be random. Please plan to view all the films in this program.
What happens when you grow up in a dysfunctional, white trash family that runs a restaurant that your deceased father built with his blood and sweat? When Steve inherits the diner only his best friend and co-worker Carlos can be sure if he'll get his just desserts.
Also Screening
Substance Ovuse (2009/USA/Dir. Burke Roberts) (5 Min.)
New information continues to be uncovered on the unthinkable torture techniques implemented by the Nazis - one American P.O.W. found out the hard way that they truly had ways of making you talk.
This Is A Story About Ted and Alice (2008/USA/Dir. Teressa Tunney) (16 Min.)
Some first dates seem like they're going to last forever.
SHORTS PROGRAM 4
Program Running Time: 107 min.
The 82 Peddler (2012/USA/Dir. Derek Presley) (11 Min.)
In a world where the act of dreaming is illegal, one lowly street performer attempts to peddle dreams under the watchful eye of a strict and unforgiving Government.
Niche: Sci-fi groups, short film fests
Appntmnt (2011/USA/Dir. Kays Alatrakchi) (11 Min.)
A short film about the inevitability of destiny set against a bustling urban backdrop which reminds us of how interconnected the lives of strangers really are.
Niche: Sci-fi groups, short film fests
Cans At Dawn (Also not on W.A.B.) (20 Min.)
A young boy has to grow up fast when he learns the value of a dollar.
Niche: Latino groups, short film fests
Road Angel (2012/Israel/Dir. Steve Lainer) (15 Min.)
When two strangers encounter an abandoned baby in the middle of the road, their lives are
changed forever.
Niche: Israeli groups, Palestinian groups, human rights groups
Shoot The Moon (2011/USA/Dir. Alexander Gaeta) (27 Min.)
A woman faced with piling debts, the remnants of a failed marriage, and now an imminent home foreclosure places all of her hope into a national game show that promises a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win it all.
Niche: Short film fests
Stay Still (2011/USA/Dir. David James Kelly) (16.5 Min.)
Two impoverished teenage brothers are bullied into make a drug run by their mother's unstable boyfriend, and over the course of a dangerous journey, their relationship is tested in ways that neither of them could expect.
Niche: African-American groups, short film fests
Sweet Mary & Jane (2012/USA/Marisa Quintanilla) (10.5 Minutes)
Hilarity ensues as three dynamic young women set their sights on breaking into LA's hottest new market: Gourmet Pot Edibles.
Niche: Marijuana advocacy groups and dispensaries, comedy groups
*Exact screening order of short films in this program will be random. Please plan to view all the films in this program.
Come meet the creators of our official narrative and documentary feature film selections at the festival’s Cinema Lounge in LACDA’s cool downtown gallery space and enjoy complimentary cocktails. Your Fest Pass, Fest Badge or ticket to a past or upcoming DFFLA 2012 screening will get you in to this private event.
Sponsored by DAMA Tequila
Celebrate the Feature Filmmakers of the 2012 Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles. Join us and experience an exclusive tasting of DAMA Tequila. DAMA Models will sample the finest Eco-sensitive, 100% organic blue agave formula, tastefully crafted by the delicate palate of a woman but pleasingly strong for men, with a select charity built into every bottle. A tequila created for both women and men who recognize and celebrate excellence.
"DAMA Tequila the World's First Luxury Tequila Created By Women For Women."
Lulu, Rocio, and Illusion are struggling with the sexuality and gender roles in 1990s San Francisco. It is said that there is someone for everyone, and the heroines in this story put that theory - but will they respect themselves in the morning?
A down-and-out private dick is hired by a sultry woman (is there any other kind in a detective story?) from his past to find her missing son. But he soon finds himself embroiled in a mystery of betrayal, music and murder surrounding an obscure 1970s rock record in this comic neo-noir thriller fueled by an eclectic retro-rock soundtrack. (Brother, can you dig it?)
We celebrate the next wave of filmmakers with this event dedicated to our official short film selections at the festival’s Cinema Lounge in LACDA’s cool downtown gallery space. Meet the Short Format Filmmakers! Complimentary cocktails. Your Fest Pass, Fest Badge or ticket to a past or upcoming DFFLA 2012 screening will get you in. Complimentary cocktails.
The BP oil spill, brought to the TV viewing public in real time, was the worst man-made environmental disaster in America's history. Traveling thousands of miles across the most severely impacted areas of the Gulf, the filmmakers capture the stories and struggles of those who were left to cope amidst the aftermath and reveals what really happened, why and who benefited.
This is a new take on the classic romantic comedy genre where a hotel – in this case a posh resort filled with industry types – serves as the vehicle for multiple interrelated subplots, (Think “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” but set domestically and with a sparkling veneer of Hollywood.) Along the way, guests and staff serve up huge helpings of twists and turns, heartaches and romance, and triangles and intrigues. As the plot thickens, blackmail schemes go awry, rumors surface and disappear like some many starlets, all converging headlong to a happy ending.
Isn’t it grand being in Southern California in the summer where the days are hot and the nights are cool? We’re making this evening even cooler with a party in the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art. Your first cocktail is on the house, Cash bar, thereafter. Live dj set. Art video light show. Your Fest Pass, Fest Badge or ticket to a past or upcoming DFFLA 2012 screening will get you in.
One of the more insanely improvised narratives films you'll ever see, four friends in the LA counterculture made a film about their lives but not really, about the struggle of love and ego, of magic and reality, and the joy of tripping the light fantastic, dreaming the biggest dreams.
From experimental art videos to techno-eye-candy, catch a glimpse the future of moving images at this special theatrical screening of the winners of the LACDA's NEW MEDIA LOS ANGELES WINNERS' SCREENING 2012 presented in conjunction with Los Angeles Center for Digital Art (LACDA).
The founding of Greenpeace forever changed environmentalism. Not only can it claim credit for the concept of ecology, its in your face tactics shook up what-had-been the polite world of environmental advocacy and set an entirely new radical tone for saving the earth and its living things. In short, Greenpeace understood the power of media and used a variety of shocking images and direct action tactics to capture the media's, and public's, attention. Through never-before-seen archive footage and interviews with the organization's top leaders, the documentary takes you behind the scenes to the heretofore untold story of Greenpeace.
Community Partner.....Activist Post
Welcome to the main streets of Skid Row, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. Your host for our documentary is Johnny Popp, a Vietnam Veteran from Michigan and a crack addict. After his wife was killed in a car accident, Johnny turned to crack to soothe his pain. He survives day to day off the kindness of others until he is beaten and left for dead. But even in the valley of death, hope survives as Johnny finds Lorraine, a formerly homeless woman. Together, the two lost souls nurture each other back to health, and turn their backs forever on the streets they called home.
Join us for a Q&A following the screening with moderator General Jeff.
General Jeff is a community activist whose successful efforts in Skid Row have garnered him the nickname "Mayor of Skid Row" and has appeared on various major media outlets including CNN, ESPN, Radio Disney and many more. In 2007, Jeff founded his own community-based activist organization "Issues and Solutions", whose numerous successes include convincing NIKE to donate a brand-new full-court basketball court to the neglected Gladys Park in Skid Row as part of Jeff's overall park improvement project and also working diligently over the years to successfully abolish the excessive overnight guest fees that were charged to Skid Row residents each time they had an overnight visitor. General Jeff is also a two-term, city-elected official on the Board of Directors for the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council where he represents the Skid Row residents and also serves on the Board's executive committee as the Vice-President of Outreach and Communications. General Jeff is also the Co-Chair on the Skid Row Advisory Board for the Department of Mental Health where he again represents the Skid Row residents.
Also Screening
Legend of the Widower Colby Wallace (2012/USA/Dir. Burke Roberts) (16 Min.)
In 1826 French trapper Francois Le Fey descended the Rocky Mountains en route to trade beaver pelts at the first annual Rendezvous of Mountain Men. When he came upon Colby Wallace and his Native American bride, Francois had not seen another living man in over a year. He had not seen a living woman in far longer.
Think a traditional heist film but set against the larger theme of the social-political impact of Chinese immigration. When two drifters hear rumors that a Chinese railroad worker has absconded with stolen gold and now owns a remote ranch in the wilds of Northern California, the desperately seeking fortune hunters put their plan into motion. Throw into the mix the rancher's beautiful Chinese wife, the moral ambiguity of the hero in the face of evil, and an atmosphere with betrayal as thick as a summer day in San Francisco, and this dark, gritty and sexually-charged movie is unlike any western you've likely seen.
To celebrate the Los Angeles premiere of “Heathens & Thieves,” a suspense-thriller set against the Chinese-American experience in the Old West, we’re taking the party to downtown’s historic Chinatown. Join us at Kleverdog, a unique work-space loft right off the main plaza. Complimentary cocktails. Your Fest Pass, Fest Badge or a ticket to any DFFLA 2012 screening that evening will get you in.
Soon after the first reports about the occupation of Tahrir Square, filmmaker Stefano Savona grabbed his camera and headed for Cairo. He stayed for weeks, amid the growing masses in what was soon renamed Liberation Square. His film introduces us to three young Egyptians who, together with thousands of others, withstood brutal repression by police authorities to win their nation's liberty. Yes, this is a real-life chronicle of the events at Tahrir "Liberation" Square, but it's also the story of how to overthrow a despot in two weeks.
Community Partner.....Activist Post
Isaac, a young hood turned bounty hunter, finds himself caught in a hidden web of corruption as the shady organization of his bail bondsman employer unravels. With a child on the way, he must use his street cred to survive.
Join us at Art Walk for LACDA's NEW MEDIA LOS ANGELES RECEPTION. The best of 100s of entries of cutting-edge digital shorts from around the world will be on display in the historic gallery space. From experimental art videos to techno-eye-candy, catch a glimpse the future of moving images. Come one, come all. No Tickets or RSVP required.
Let us honor the winners of this year's festival awards in the categories of Best Director, Best Editor, Best Cinematographer, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture - Narrative, Best Picture - Documentary, and Best Picture - Shorts. Complimentary cocktails.
Did you happen to notice it was Friday The 13th? (We did.) Join us for a gripping presentation of George Romero's film-that-started-the-whole-Zombie-thang-in-the-first-place "Night Of the Living Dead." But wait, zombie freaks! There's more. The film will be presented with "Hecklevision," a new app that allows smart-phone users to post their comments on the screen as the film plays. Get your snarky mojo on. Prizes for best audience members' tweets. Complimentary cocktails for those who appear in Zombie guise. Oh heck… free drinks for everyone who has lasted through the weeks with us.
Alexander Gaeta
Nikki Roberts
Mark Foster
Kim Noonan
John Douglas Sinclair, Megan Peterson
Jason Jensen
Peggy Ellithorpe
arias
Gabriel Askew
Catherine Prendergast
ashleigh johnson
Marcos
