Los Angeles Film Festival: programa (del 18 al 28 de junio)

"Música nocturna", de Rafael Filipelli (Argentina)

CENTERPIECE:

• Public Enemies (DIRECTOR Michael Mann WRITERS Roman Bennett and Michael Mann & Ann Biderman PRODUCERS Kevin Misher, Michael Mann CAST Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Channing Tatum, Billy Crudup, Emilie de Ravin, Giovanni Ribisi) - In the action-thriller Public Enemies, acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard in the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger (Depp) -- the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover's fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Bale), and a folk hero to much of the public.

NARRATIVE COMPETITION:

• Dear Lemon Lima, (DIRECTOR/WRITER Suzi YoonessI PRODUCERS Melissa Lee, Jonako Donley CAST Savanah Wiltfong, Shayne Topp, Melissa Leo, Beth Grant, Elaine Hendrix, Meaghan Jette Martin, Vanessa Marano, Zane Huett, Eleonor Hutchins) - As sweet and colorful as a snow cone, this delightful happy-sad confection follows an awkward Alaskan teen as she discovers her Yupik heritage while rallying her fellow misfits to compete in her schools Snowstorm Survivor competition. World Premiere

• Harmony & Me (DIRECTOR/WRITER Bob Byington PRODUCER Kristen Tucker CAST Justin Rice, Kevin Corrigan, Pat Healy, Kristen Tucker) - Break-ups are never easy, but as twenty-something Harmony learns in this offbeat, eloquent film, theres nothing like weird family, odd friends, and great music to help you hang on to your pain.

• Hollywood, je t'aime (DIRECTOR/WRITER Jason Bushman PRODUCER Charles Herman-Wurmfeld CAST Eric Debets, Chad Allen) - After a spat with his boyfriend, Jerome escapes a wintery Paris in search of his California dreams, finding romance and friendship with the pot dealers, drag queens, and locals of the "real" Hollywood. World Premiere

• Passenger Side - Canada (DIRECTOR/WRITER Matt Bissonnette PRODUCER Corey Marr CAST Adam Scott, Joel Bissonnette, Robin Tunney) - Tobey needs a ride from his brother, except he wont say where to or what for. Family bonds bend but dont quite break on this comedic trail of lost loves and old grievances. World Premiere

• Turistas - Chile (DIRECTOR/WRITER Alicia Scherson PRODUCER Macarena Lopez CAST Aline Kuppenheim, Diego Noguera, Marcelo Alonso) - Abandoned by her husband while on holiday, Carla unexpectedly finds herself vacationing in a national park, alongside a Norwegian backpacker and a former pop star-turned-ranger, in this tale of self-discovery and the laws of nature. U.S. Premiere

• Wah Do Dem (What They Do) (DIRECTORS/WRITERS Sam Fleischner, Ben Chace PRODUCERS Sam Fleischner, Katina Hubbard, Ben Chace, Martha Lapham, Henry Kasdon; CAST Sean Bones, Norah Jones, Kevin Bewersdorf, Carl Bradshaw) - Maxs dream Caribbean cruise becomes a solitary odyssey after his girlfriend dumps him days before their departure. Now, hell have to go with the Jamaican flow in this disarming and incisive debut feature. World Premiere

• Zero Bridge (DIRECTOR/WRITER Tariq Tapa PRODUCERS Hilal Ahmed Langoo, Josee Lajoie, Tariq Tapa CAST Mohamad Emran Tapa, Ali Luhammed Dar, Taniya Khan) - Teen pickpocket Dilawar wants to escape his dreary life, but a chance encounter with one of his victims upends his plans in this gritty, moving story about life in occupied Kashmir. U.S. Premiere

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION:

• After the Storm (DIRECTOR Hilla Medalia WRITER Bob Eisenhardt, Hilla Medalia PRODUCERS Hilla Medalia, James Lecesne FEATURING Gerry McIntyre, James Lecesne, Randy Redd) - A celebration of perseverance and rebirth through the arts, this inspiring documentary follows a group of New Orleans teens as they stage a revival of the hurricane-themed musical Once on this Island. World Premiere

• Bananas!* - Sweden (DIRECTOR Fredrik Gertten PRODUCER Margarete Jangård FEATURING Juan Dominguez) - The human cost of banana cultivation is revealed in this documentary chronicling the historic case of Nicaraguan laborers, represented by L.A. attorney Juan Dominguez, against the companies who poisoned them with pesticides. World Premiere

• Branson (DIRECTOR/WRITER Brent Meeske PRODUCERS Brent Meeske, Jack Black, Ben Cooley, Justin Moore-Lewy, Charlie Mason FEATURING Jackson Cash, Amber Campbell, Geoffrey Hastings Haberer) - Personal demons and backstage battles cannot deter the performers captured in this hearfelt documentary from living out their dreams of stardom on the strip-mall stages of Branson, Missouri. World Premiere

• Convention (DIRECTOR AJ Schnack PRODUCERS Jennifer Chikes, Britta Erickson, Shirley Moyers, AJ Schnack, Nathan Truesdell) - Capturing what the mainstream media missed, this fast-paced verité documentary follows the efforts of Denver city officials and reporters to deal with the impact of hosting the historic 2008 Democratic National Convention.

• The Last Beekeeper (DIRECTOR Jeremy Simmons PRODUCERS Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato) - An intimate look at the struggles of three American beekeepers becomes a painful meditation on the devastating effects of economic and ecological change when a mysterious illness among the bees threatens both insects and businesses.

• October Country (DIRECTORS Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher PRODUCERS Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher FEATURING The Mosher Family) - A beautifully crafted, atmospheric portrait of a family in upstate New York haunted by the past, yet bound together by their struggles to break a cycle of hard luck and bad choices. World Premiere

• Those Who Remain - Mexico (DIRECTORS Juan Carlos Rulfo, Carlos Hagerman PRODUCERS Juan Carlos Rulfo, Carlos Hagerman, Martha Sosa Elizondo, Nicolas Vale) - From this intimate and discerning depiction of the impact of migration on families and villages left behind by loved ones who have traveled North for work emerges a nuanced portrait of "the other side" of the immigration story. U.S. Premiere

INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE:

• Adhen - France/Algeria (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche WRITERS Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche, Louise Thermes CAST Salim Ameur-Zaïmeche, Abel Jafri, Sylvain Roume, Christian Milia-Darmezin) - Talk of living wages and religious observances upsets the delicate accord between the boss of a run-down truck yard and his workers in this visually arresting take on the French-Algerian immigrant experience.

• Autumn – Turkey/Germany (DIRECTOR/WRITER Özcan Alper PRODUCER F. Serkan Acar CAST Yusuf Onur Saylak, Gülefer Raife Yenigül, Eka Megi Kobol) - Özcan Alpers gorgeous debut follows a former students return home after serving 10 years in prison for socialist activity. Weakened in body and soul, he struggles to find purpose in a life that has passed him by.

• Birdwatchers - Italy/Brazil (DIRECTOR Marco Bechis WRITERS Marco Bechis, Luiz Bolognesi PRODUCERS Marco Bechis, Caio Gullane, Fabiano Gullane, Amedeo Pagani CAST Claudio Santamaria, Chiara Caselli, Matheus Nachtergaele, Leonardo Medeiros, Alicélia Batista Cabreira, Taiane Arce) - Tensions escalate when a tribe of indigenous Guarani Indians attempts to re-inhabit their ancestral land—which lies on the border of a wealthy landowners fields—in this powerful critique of contemporary life in the Amazon.

• Bronson - England (DIRECTOR Nicolas Winding Refn WRITERS Nicolas Winding Refn, Brock Norman Brock PRODUCERS Daniel Hansford, Rupert Preston CAST Tom Hardy, Matt King, James Lance, Amanda Burton) - A portrait of the artist as a bare-knuckled brawler, this take on "Britains most dangerous prisoner" is a biopic like no other, providing eye-popping visuals and broken teeth in equal measure.

• Calimucho - Netherlands (DIRECTOR Eugenie Jansen WRITERS Natasha Gerson, Rogier Blok PRODUCER Stienette Bosklopper CAST Dicky Kilian, Willy Soeurt, Peter Verberk, Ellie Teeuw, Tarek Hannoudi, Freddy Kenton, Evelyne Bouglione, Timo Soeurt) - Taking a documentary approach to a fictional story with disarming results, Calimucho follows a woman growing weary of life with a small traveling circus and a man who can imagine nothing else.

• Call If You Need Me - Malaysia (DIRECTOR/WRITER James Lee PRODUCER Stienette Bosklopper CAST Sunny Pang, Pete Teo, Chua Thien See) - A newcomer rises through the ranks of Kuala Lumpurs criminal underworld, while his cousin makes plans to leave the life behind in this flawlessly shot heartbreaker, equal parts gangster epic and elegy to lost innocence. North American Premiere

• Carmen Meets Borat - Netherlands (DIRECTOR/WRITER Mercedes Stalenhoef PRODUCER Pieter van Huystee) - Truth is stranger—and far more compelling—than fiction in this darkly comic documentary about the aftermath of a Hollywood film shoot on a small Roma village and a 17-year-old girl with dreams of a better life.

• City of Borders - Israel (DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Yun Suh FEATURING Saar Netanel, Boody, Samira Saraya, Ravit Geva, Adam Russo) - Borders and barbed wire are not enough to keep Israelis and Palestinians from mingling in the sole gay bar in Jerusalem, a city determined to deny the thriving gay community within its own walls.

• Elementary Training for Actors - Argentina (DIRECTORS/WRITERS Martín Rejtman, Federico León PRODUCERS Canal T Argentina, Ruda Films CAST Fabían Arenillas, Carlos Portaluppi, Matías Delgado) - Stanislavski has nothing on Sergio, who leads experimental acting workshops for the grade-school set. Equal parts droll and outlandish, this comedy will forever change the way you look at child actors. International Premiere

• Extraordinary Stories - Argentina (DIRECTORS/WRITERS Mariano Llinás PRODUCER Laura Citarella CAST Mariano Llinás, Agustin Mendilaharzu, Walter Jakob) - In this adventurous experiment in storytelling, secret identities, missing persons, lost treasures, exotic beasts and desperate criminals are only a few of the elements woven into a grand tapestry of mysteries.

• High-Rise - Brazil (DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Gabriel Mascaro) - What does it mean to have a penthouse in poverty-filled Brazil? Interweaving resident interviews and vistas from above, this is a hypnotic and revealing examination of the real view from the top. North American Premiere

• Los Bastardos - Mexico (DIRECTOR Amat Escalante WRITERS Amat Escalante, Martín Escalante PRODUCERS Miguel Bonilla, Marcos Cline-Márquez, Amat Escalante, Carlos Reygadas, Jaime Romandia CAST Jesús Moisés Rodríguez, Rubén Sosa, Nina Zavarin, Kenny Johnston) - Pulp crime and cinematic formalism collide in this hauntingly visceral portrait of two Mexican day laborers moved to desperate deeds in a hellish contemporary Los Angeles.

• Mid-August Lunch - Italy (DIRECTOR/WRITER Gianni di Gregorio PRODUCER Matteo Garrone CAST Gianni di Gregorio, Valeria de Franciscis, Marina Cacciotti, Maria Calí, Grazia Cesarini Sforza, Alfonso Santagata) - In this delightful comedy, an obliging middle-aged son finds himself waiting, hand and foot, on a spry but temperamental geriatric foursome—including his own mother—during the traditional August holiday.

• My Dear Enemy - South Korea (DIRECTOR Lee Yoon-ki WRITERS Lee Yoon-ki, Park Eun-young PRODUCERS David Cho, Cho Kwang-hee, Oh Jung-wan CAST Jeon Do-youn, Ha Jung-woo) - When a stern young woman demands her charming but feckless ex repay a long-standing loan, the two embark on an all-day road trip around Seoul in this comedy of relationships and restitution.

• Our Beloved Month of August - Portugal/France (DIRECTOR Miguel Gomes WRITERS Miguel Gomes, Mariana Ricardo, Telmo Churro PRODUCERS Luís Urbano, Sandro Aguilar; CAST Miguel Gomes, Mariana Ricardo, Telmo Churro) - In this playfully inspired mix of documentary and fiction—steeped in the atmosphere of summer in a poor, mountainous region of Portugal—tensions mount between a father, daughter and cousin in a traveling pop band.

• The Queen and I - Sweden (DIRECTOR Nahid Persson Sarvestani WRITERS Nahid Persson Sarvestani, Zinat S. Lloyd) - Two Iranian exiles—a left-wing filmmaker and the deposed Shahs widow, Queen Farah—form an unlikely bond in this illuminating and compassionate documentary about life after the Islamic revolution.

• Sacred Places - France/Cameroon (DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Jean-Marie Téno FEATURING Nanema Boubakar, Jules Cesar Bamouni, Abbo Idrissa Ouedraogo) - Tracing a lineage from the West African traditional djembe drum to makeshift cine-clubs in Ouagadougou where patrons pay a dime to watch Jackie Chan DVDs, this film celebrates community and cinema in equal measure.

• Stella - France (DIRECTOR/WRITER Sylvie Verheyde PRODUCER Bruno Berthemy CAST Léora Barbara, Karole Rocher, Benjamin Biolay, Guillaume Depardieu) - Paris, 1977. 11-year-old Stella knows poker better than grammar when she starts the year at a prestigious new school. There, she discovers the possibilities of a whole new world outside her parents bar.

• Unmade Beds – England (DIRECTOR/WRITER Alexis dos Santos PRODUCERS Soledad Gatti-Pascual, Peter Ettedgui CAST Deborah Francois, Fernando Tielve, Michiel Huisman, Iddo Goldberg, Richard Lintern)- Intimate and immediate, this look at the lives of two twenty-somethings adrift in London's East Side pulsates with a youthful energy that is bolstered by a great soundtrack and winning performances.

• A Week Alone - Argentina (DIRECTOR Celina Murga WRITERS Celina Murga, Juan Villegas PRODUCER Juan Villegas CAST Magdalenta Capobianco, Eleonora Capobianco, Ignacio Giménez) - Left to their own devices for a week in their gated community, a group of privileged kids occupy themselves with swimming, vandalism, and chocolate milk in this keenly observed portrait of teenage yearnings and summertime revelries.

• West of Pluto - Canada (DIRECTORS/WRITERS/PRODUCERS Henry Bernadet, Myriam Verreault CAST Alexis Drolet, David Bouchard, Anne-Sophie Lamontagne, Yoann Linteau, Sandra Jacques, Denis Marchand, Thomas Gionet-Lavigne) - With humor, style and an unerring ear for the language of youth, this mosaic look at a day in the lives of 12 Quebec high schoolers strikingly captures the unique nature of the teenage years.

INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT – Documenting Mexico: Selections from the Ambulante Film Festival:

• Born Without - Mexico (DIRECTOR/WRITER Eva Norvind PRODUCERS Eva Norvind, Nailea Norvind, Donald K. Ranvaud FEATURING José Flores, Graciela Flores, Alejandro Jodorowsky) - A remarkably frank portrait of the lives and loves of José Flores—a street musician, actor, father of six, and Romeo who was born without arms and stands only 3 tall.

• El General - Mexico/USA (DIRECTOR Natalia Almada PRODUCERS Daniela Alatorre, Natalia Almada) - This poetic film essay by his great-granddaughter on the imposing and controversial General Calles—President of Mexico from 1924-28—is a rich reflection on memory, family biography and national history.

• Rehje - Mexico (DIRECTORS Anaís Huerta, Raúl Cuesta WRITER Anaís Huerta PRODUCERS Raúl Cuesta, Anaís Huerta) - Longing to escape the pressure and turmoil of Mexico City, a native Mazahua woman returns to her hometown only to find that things are not as idyllic as she remembered. International Premiere

SUMMER SHOWCASE:

• 35 Shots of Rum - France (DIRECTOR Claire Denis WRITERS Claire Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau PRODUCER Bruno Pésery CAST Alex Descas, Mati Diop, Nicole Dogue, Grégoire Colin, Jean-Christophe Folly) - A father and daughter's love for one another is at the heart of this intimate drama of friends and family dealing with the gentle passage of time and the ever-shifting bonds that hold them all together.

• Big River Man (DIRECTOR John Maringouin PRODUCERS Maria Florio, Molly Lynch, John Maringouin, Kevin Ragsdale; FEATURING Martin Strel, Borut Strel, Matthew Mohlke) - This hallucinatory epic follows a middle-aged, pot-bellied, hard-drinking Slovenian—the endurance swimmer Martin Strel—stroke by stroke into the heart of darkness as he attempts to swim the long and perilous Amazon River.

• Cold Souls (DIRECTOR/WRITER Sophie Barthes PRODUCERS Dan Carey, Elizabeth Giamatti, Paul Mezey, Andrij Parekh, Jeremy Kipp Walker CAST Paul Giamatti, David Strathairn, Dina Korzun, Emily Watson) - Paul Giamatti plays Paul Giamatti in this idiosyncratic comedy in which soul extraction is a unique form of stress relief. He soon finds out that the side effects of "soul storage" can get absurdly complicated.

• Facing Ali (DIRECTOR Pete McCormack PRODUCER Derik Murray FEATURING Muhammad Ali, George Chuvalo, Sir Henry Cooper, George Foreman, Joe Frazier) - A gorgeous documentary portrait of the men who braved the boxing ring to face the greatest: Muhammad Ali. These heavyweights provide an intimate and moving study of the sport and the man.

• Humpday (DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER Lynn Shelton CAST Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, Alycia Delmore, Steven Schardt) - One drunken evening, two old buddies dare each other to have sex together for an "art" porn film in the most hilarious, awkward, and surprisingly authentic bromance of them all.

• In the Loop - England (DIRECTOR Armando Iannucci WRITERS Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche PRODUCERS Adam Tandy, Kevin Loader CAST Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, James Gandolfini) - In this hilarious, multi-character political satire, Brits and Americans engage in backroom manipulation, back-stabbing, seduction, and other dirty dealings in the build up to an international military engagement.

• It Might Get Loud (DIRECTOR Davis Guggenheim PRODUCERS Peter Afterman, Lesley Chilcott, Davis Guggenheim, Carson Hood, Thomas Tull FEATURING Jimmy Page, The Edge, Jack White) - Witness the stuff legends are made of when Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page come together to talk—and play—guitars in this exhilarating jam session of distinct philosophies and atomic sounds.

• No Impact Man (DIRECTORS Laura Gabbert, Justin Schein PRODUCERS Laura Gabbert, Eden Wurmfeld CAST Colin Beavan, Michelle Conlin) - Environmentalist Colin Beavan embarks on an extreme experiment in green living—forgoing take-out, electricity, and even toilet paper—and drags his retail and caffeine-loving wife along with him in this smart and entertaining documentary.

• Paper Heart (DIRECTOR Nicholas Jasenovec WRITERS Nicholas Jasenovec, Charlyne Yi PRODUCERS Sandra Murillo, Elise Salomon CAST Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera, Jake Johnson) - Despite professing a belief that shes incapable of love, comedian and actress Charlyne Yi finds herself falling for Michael Cera in this utterly charming and intoxicating mix of documentary, improvisation, and romance.

• Still Walking - Japan (DIRECTOR/WRITER Hirokazu Kore-eda PRODUCERS Yoshihiro Kato, Hijiri Taguchi CAST Hiroshi Abe, Yui Natsukawa, You, Kazuya Takahashi, Shohei Tanaka, Kirin Kiki, Yoshio Harada) - In this bittersweet, quietly poetic film, old resentments and new tensions bubble to the surface when a family reunites for the fifteenth anniversary of its eldest sons premature death.

• We Live In Public (DIRECTOR Ondi Timoner PRODUCERS Ondi Timoner, Keirda Bahruth) - Now forgotten, Josh Harris was once dubbed the internets Andy Warhol -- only instead of 15 minutes, he streamed his entire life for voyeurs. This disturbing documentary is a cautionary tale about technology, privacy, and fame.

DARK WAVE:

• Embodiment of Evil - Brazil (DIRECTOR José Mojica Marins WRITERS José Mojica Marins, Dennison Ramalho PRODUCERS Paulo Sacramento, Debora Ivanov, Caio Gullane, Fabiano Gullane CAST José Mojica Marins, Helena Ignez, Luis Melo, Jece Valadao) - Brazilian horror icon Coffin Joe returns in this delightfully demonic cavalcade of bloody bodies and bared breasts, slaying his way through a small town as he searches for a worthy mate.

• I Sell the Dead (DIRECTOR/WRITER Glenn McQuaid PRODUCERS Peter Phok, Larry Fessenden CAST Dominic Monaghan, Larry Fessenden, Angus Scrimm, Ron Perlman) - Two wily grave robbers in 18th century England get more than they bargained for when their corpses start biting back in this ghoulishly delightful comedy horror romp.

GUILTY PLEASURES:

• Weather Girl (DIRECTOR/WRITER Blayne Weaver PRODUCERS Tricia OKelley, Steak House CAST Tricia OKelley, Patrick J. Adams, Ryan Devlin, Mark Harmon, Kaitlin Olson, Mark Harmon) - After she melts down on live television, a Seattle weather girl finds herself with no job, no boyfriend, and no apartment. It could be the best thing thats ever happened to her.

• ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction (DIRECTOR Kevin Hamedani WRITERS Kevin Hamedani, Ramon Isao PRODUCER John Sinno CAST Janette Armand, Ali Hamedani, Doug Fahl, Cooper Hopkins, Ryan Barret, James Mesher, Bill Johns, Cornelia D. Moore) - Life in a conservative small town is complicated enough for a young Iranian-American woman and a not-completely-out gay couple, but now they also have to deal with zombie hordes in this splatter-filled comedy.

OUTDOOR SCREENINGS AT THE FORD AMPHITHEATER:

• 13 Most Beautiful… Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests (DIRECTOR Andy Warhol FEATURING Richard Rheem, Ann Buchanan, Paul America, Edie Sedgwick, Billy Name, Susan Bottomly, Dennis Hopper, Mary Woronov, Freddy Herko, Nico, Ingrid Superstar, Lou Reed, Jane Holzer) - Acclaimed musical group Dean & Britta provide live accompaniment to Andy Warhol's starkly beautiful black & white 16mm portraits of Factory luminaries like Nico, Lou Reed, and Edie Sedgwick.

• All Tomorrow's Parties - England (DIRECTOR Jonathan Caouette, All Tomorrows People PRODUCER Luke Morris FEATURING Sonic Youth, Belle and Sebastian, Daniel Johnston, Nick Cave, Mogwai) - This vibrant kaleidoscope of sounds and images from the history of the legendary British music festival features performances by Belle and Sebastian, Mogwai, Animal Collective, Sonic Youth, and more.

• Black Dynamite (DIRECTOR Scott Sanders WRITERS Michael Jai White, Byron Minns, Scott Sanders PRODUCERS Jon Steingart, Jenny Weiner Steingart CAST Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, Arsenio Hall CAST Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, Arsenio Hall) - Decked out with afros, polyester and nunchucks, this badass ‘70s-style blaxploitation comedy stars Michael Jai White as a former CIA operative who uncovers a nefarious plot while avenging his brother's death.

• Soul Power (DIRECTOR Jeff Levy-Hinte PRODUCERS Leon Gast, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, David Sonenberg CAST James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B. King, The Spinners, Celia Cruz and the Fania All-Stars, Muhammad Ali, Don King, Stewart Levine) - This blazing concert film documents Zaire 74, the sister event to the famed Ali/Foreman "Rumble in the Jungle," featuring previously unseen performances by James Brown, B.B. King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz and others.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS:

• Crude Oil - China (DIRECTOR Wang Bing PRODUCERS Kong Lihong, Wang Bing) - An audacious undertaking for both filmmaker and audience, this film installation documents a workday at a remote Chinese oil field, from a stolen nap in a break room to the massive drills plunging into the earth. North American Premiere

• Panda Diary - Japan (DIRECTOR Tadashi Môri PRODUCERS Shigeaki Yoshida, Hiromi Fuji, Keiko Hashimoto, Zhang Yun Hui) - In this family-friendly documentary, Shu Hin, a four-year-old panda, narrates her and her twin brother's story as they move from a Japanese zoo to a panda reserve in China and make new panda friends. North American Premiere

BEHIND THE SCENES – Films with Extended Conversations:

• Billy Jack (1971) (DIRECTOR T.C. Frank WRITERS Frank Christina, Teresa Christina PRODUCER Mary Rose Solti CAST Tom Laughlin, Delores Taylor, Clark Howat, Victor Izay, Julie Webb, Debbie Schock, Teresa Kelly, Lynn Baker, Stan Rice, David Roya, John McClure, Susan Foster, Susan Sosa) - Join writer/director Tom Laughlin for a special screening of this cult classic, in which he stars as a part Native American ex-Green Beret who defends a counterculture-friendly Freedom School against the ultra-conservative local townsfolk.

• Midnight Cowboy (1969) (DIRECTOR John Schlesinger WRITER Waldo Salt PRODUCER Jerome Hellman CAST Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Milis, Brenda Vaccaro) - Forty years after its release, Midnight Cowboy has lost none of its audaciousness. Prior to the screening, Jon Voight will take the stage for an extended conversation about this landmark film.

L.A. FILM CRITICS: The Film That Got Away:

• Música Nocturna - Argentina (DIRECTOR Rafael Filipelli WRITERS Rafael Filipelli, David Oubiña PRODUCER Nathalie Cabiron CAST Horacio Acosta, Silvia Arazi, Enrique Piñeyro) - Rafael Filipellis lovely film, drenched in the atmosphere of Buenos Aires deep in the wee hours of the morning, observes the quietly building fissures in a marriage between a writer and a playwright.

• The Silence Before Bach - Spain (DIRECTOR Pere Portabella WRITERS Pere Portabella, Xavier Albertí, Carles Santos PRODUCER Pere Portabella) - A blind piano tuner, a harmonica-playing truck driver and a tap-dancing horse are just three of the unlikely bedfellows in this dazzlingly original meditation on the great German composer and his influence across the centuries.

• United Red Army - Japan (DIRECTOR Koji Wakamatsu WRITERS Koji Wakamatsu, Masayuki Kakegawa PRODUCER Muneko Ozaki CAST Maki Sakai, Arata, Akie Namiki, Go Jibiki) - A Japanese Che, this electrifying docudrama depicts the violent 1972 standoff between police and members of the eponymous student radical group detail by harrowing detail. Set to an original psychedelic rock score by Sonic Youths Jim ORourke.

HELL ON WHEELS: Hot Rods and Fast Times:

• Hi-Riders (1978) (DIRECTOR/WRITER Greydon Clark PRODUCER Mike MacFarland CAST Mel Ferrer, Stephen McNally, Darby Hinton, Neville Brand, Ralph Meeker, Diane Peterson, Karen Fredrik, Roger Hampton, Brad Rearden) - New in town and sporting a sweet, souped-up ride, a sexy young couple races with the hard-partying local hot-rod gang, leading to a high-octane face-off with explosive consequences.

• Hot Rod Girl (1956) (DIRECTOR Leslie H. Martinson WRITER John McGreevey PRODUCER Norman T. Herman CAST Lori Nelson, Chuck Connors, John Smith, Mark Andrews, Roxanne Arlen, Frank Gorshin, Fred Essler, Eddie Ryder, Carolyn Kearney, Del Erickson, Russell Thorson, Dabbs Greer) - Thrill-seeking teens in hot rods terrorize the quiet streets of 50s suburbia. Will a city-sponsored racetrack restore order to the streets, or simply push the pedal to the metal?

• Hot Rods to Hell (1967) (DIRECTOR John Brahm WRITER Robert E. Kent PRODUCER Sam Katzman CAST Dana Andrews, Jeanne Crain, Mimsy Farmer, Laurie Mock, Paul Bertoya) - A middle-class American family moving across the country is terrorized by a band of teenaged hot-rod hellions on the desert highway. Its total war in overdrive.

FILM FOUNDATION & AMERICAN EXPRESS PRESERVATION SCREENING PROGRAM:

• Night Tide (1961) (DIRECTOR/WRITER Curtis Harrington PRODUCER Aram Kantarian CAST Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson, Gavin Muir, Luana Anders, Marjorie Eaton, Marjorie Cameron, H.E. West, Tom Dillon, Ben Roseman) - A young Dennis Hopper stars in Curtis Harringtons haunting feature debut about a sailor who falls in love with a mysterious woman who believes she is a descendant of mythical Sirens.

FREE SCREENINGS:

• Amreeka (DIRECTOR/WRITER Cherien Dabis PRODUCERS Christina Piovesan, Paul Barkin; CAST Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muallem, Hiam Abbas, Alia Shawkat) - Funny and poignant, Cherien Dabis debut follows a plucky Palestinian single mom who emigrates from the West Bank to America for the sake of her teenage son, learning along the way that home transcends borders.

• Crude Oil – See Special Screenings

• Election (1999) (DIRECTOR Alexander Payne WRITERS Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor PRODUCERS Albert Berger, David Gale, Keith Samples, Ron Yerxa CAST Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein) - This wicked satire of high school politics pits an over-achieving student running for class president against a frustrated civics teacher determined to stop her rise to power.

• Ghostbusters (1984) (DIRECTOR Ivan Reitman WRITERS Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis PRODUCER Ivan Reitman CAST Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, William Atherton, Ernie Hudson) - “Who you gonna call?” If you're looking for one of the funniest comedies of the Eighties featuring a classic Bill Murray performance, the answer is obvious.

• Hot Rod Girl – See Hell On Wheels

• How I See It: Youth Filmmaking From Streets to Streams - Young filmmakers offer three unique takes on life in California, from Oaklands Cambodian-American community to the interaction between native and non-native youth in rural Siskiyou County to hard life choices in San Franciscos Bayview-Hunters Point.

• The Muppet Movie (1979) (DIRECTOR James Frawley WRITERS Jack Burns, Jerry Juhl PRODUCER Jim Henson CAST Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Charles Durning, Austin Pendleton) - Hit the road with Kermit, Fozzie, Ms. Piggy and all their friends in this beloved classic for all ages, bursting with cameos, comedy and fantastic songs like “The Rainbow Connection.”

Those Who Remain – See Documentary Competition