LA Film Festival Moves Date and Announces 2018 Lineup

Events, Film Festivals, Past Events

Matt Warren | LA Film Festival

The 2018 LA Film Festival’s diverse slate also include 41 short films and 10 short episodic works representing 26 countries. Across the competition categories, 42% of the films are directed by women and 39% by people of color. More special screenings and programs will be announced in the coming weeks in addition to opening and closing nights and Galas.

Here is the complete list of today’s competition announcement:

U.S. Fiction Competition (7)

No two tales are the same in this wide-ranging and imaginative crop of homegrown original stories. From gritty dispatches inspired by IRL events to fantastical tall tales, there’s no shortage of emotion and empathy on display.

  • Banana Split, dir. Benjamin Francis Kasulke, USA, World Premiere
  • In Reality, dir. Ann Lupo, co-dirs. Esteban Pedraza & Aaron Pryka, USA, California Premiere
  • Olympia, dir. Gregory Dixon, USA, World Premiere
  • Simple Wedding, dir. Sara Zandieh, USA, World Premiere
  • Softness of Bodies, dir. Jordan Blady, USA/Germany, World Premiere
  • This Teacher, dir. Mark Jackson, USA, World Premiere
  • The Wrong Todd, dir. Rob Schulbaum, USA, World Premiere

Documentary Competition (10)

It’s been said that we’re living through a new golden age of nonfiction film. A pretty lofty claim, but a hard one to dispute looking at the titles in this very “truth = stranger than fiction” selection of courageous and outrageous docs.

  • Behind the Curve, dir. Daniel J. Clark, USA, US Premiere
  • Facing the Dragon, dir. Sedika Mojadidi, USA/Afghanistan, World Premiere
  • False Confessions, dir. Katrine Philp, Denmark, North American Premiere
  • hillbilly, dirs. Sally Rubin, Ashley York, USA, LA Premiere
  • Mamacita, dir. José Pablo Estrada Torrescano, Mexico/Germany, US Premiere
  • Moroni for President, dir. Saila Huusko, Jasper Rischen, USA, LA Premiere
  • Same God, dir. Linda Midgett, USA, World Premiere
  • The Silence of Others, dirs. Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar, Spain, West Coast Premiere
  • Stammering Ballad, dir. Nan Zhang, China, North American Premiere
  • Wrestling Ghosts, dir. Ana Joanes, USA, World Premiere

World Fiction Competition (7)

Time to renew your passport. Or, maybe not, seeing as so many great titles from around the globe have decided to come to us instead, right here in LA. So start popping the Visine and get ready to (happily) read some subtitles. Ciao!

  • Border, dir. Ali Abbasi, Sweden, California Premiere
  • The Cotton Wool War, dirs. Cláudio Marques, Marilia Hughes, Brazil, US Premiere
  • The Day I Lost My Shadow, dir. Soudade Kaadan, France/Lebanon/Qatar/Syrian Arab Republic, US Premiere
  • Heaven Without People, dir. Lucien Bourjeily, Lebanon, LA Premiere
  • Microhabitat, dir. Jeon Go-Woon, South Korea, West Coast Premiere
  • Socrates, dir. Alex Moratto, Brazil, World Premiere
  • Tower. A Bright Day., dir. Jagoda Szelc, Poland/Czech Republic, LA Premiere

LA Muse (10)

Do you remember the part the introduction where we talked about how LA is just chockablock full of stories? Well, to prove our point: we once again have a whole entire category dedicated to stories from and inspired by Los Angeles. 

  • The Advocates, dir. Rémi Kessler, USA, World Premiere
  • El Chicano, dir. Ben Hernandez Bray, USA, World Premiere
  • Fire on the Hill, dir. Brett Fallentine, USA, World Premiere
  • Funke, dir. Gabriel Taraboulsy, USA, World Premiere
  • Making Montgomery Clift, dir. Robert A. Clift, Hillary Demmon, USA, World Premiere
  • Saint Judy, dir. Sean Hanish, USA, World Premiere
  • Solace, dir. Tchaiko Omawale, USA, California Premiere
  • Staycation, dir. Tanuj Chopra, USA, World Premiere
  • Stuntman, dir. Kurt Mattila, USA, World Premiere
  • We the Coyotes, dirs. Hanna Ladoul, Marco La Via, USA, North American Premiere

Nightfall (6)

Recommended for the adventurous watcher, this terrifying selection of genre films seeks to explore a mixture of psychological thrillers, comedic horror and absurdist dark fantasy, all intermixed with some genuine scares.

  • The Dead Center, dir. Billy Senese, USA, World Premiere
  • Deep Murder, dir. Nick Corirossi, USA, World Premiere
  • Ghost Light, dir. John Stimpson, USA, World Premiere
  • Head Count, dir. Elizabeth Callahan, USA, World Premiere
  • Spell, dir. Brendan Walter, USA, World Premiere
  • Thriller, dir. Dallas Jackson, USA, World Premiere

Short Films (41): Also announced are the 41 short films to be playing at the Festival, culled from 3,100 submissions and representing 14 countries—53% of which are directed by women and 66% by people of color. Shorts will play before select features and as part of six different short film programs, competing for juried prizes for fiction and documentary as well as an Audience Award for Best Short Film

Episodes: Indie Series from the Web (10)

This showcase of independently crafted web series celebrates rising creators whose work and subjects are innovative and unfiltered.

  • Avant-Guardians, dir. Clarence Williams II, USA
  • Flatbush Misdemeanors, dirs. Dan Perlman, Kevin Iso, USA
  • Fresh, dir. Grant Scicluna, Australia
  • Kiki and Kitty, dir. Catriona Mackenzie, Australia
  • Otis, dir. Alexander Etseyatse, USA
  • Petal & Paint, dir. Bradley Smith, USA
  • Psusy, dirs. Duckworth, Jaya Beach-Robertson, New Zealand
  • Revenge Tour, dir. Andrew Carter, USA
  • Robits, dir. Christopher Parks, USA
  • Tracy Buckles, dir. Robin Nystrom, USA

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