L.A. Film Fest Celebrates Women and Directors of Color

By Beau Behan, Film Critic

With 42 world premieres across five competition sections (U.S. Fiction, Documentary, World Fiction, LA Muse, and Nightfall), 2016 LA Film Festival, opened its 22nd edition on Wednesday, June 1, 2016, with a diverse slate of 56 feature films, 58 short films, and 13 short episodic works representing 28 countries.

According to the organizers, 43 percent of the films are directed by women and 38 percent of the films are directed by people of color.

“Our programming team, led by Roya Rastegar and Jennifer Cochis, killed it,” festival director Stephanie Allain said. “The competition lineup of 42 world premieres echoes Film Independent’s mission to celebrate diversity and showcases a multitude of innovative, fresh voices.”

Produced by Film Independent, The Festival, a nine-day event, celebrated its opening night with Ricardo De Montreuil’s “Lowriders,” starring Eva Longoria and Demian Bichir. The film is a depiction of the re-emerging low-riding culture in Southern California’s Latino communities.

“I think that LA Film Festival is the only and probably the perfect place to promote this film because it’s an LA story,” Eva Longoria said on the red-carpet premiere.

“Lowriders embodies our mission of shining the light on unique voices,” Allain said.

Other star-studded red carpet events include the world premieres of “The Hollars” and “Opening Night.”

Starring John Krasinski, Margo Martindale, Anna Kendrick, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, “The Hollars” is a story of a man returning home to his dysfunctional family after learning that his mother has a brain tumor.

“Opening Night” is a musical comedy centered on a failed Broadway singer turned production manager who must save the show on opening night by wrangling his eccentric cast and crew before they wreak havoc. The film stars Topher Grace and Anne Heche.

The 2016 LA Film Festival wrapped up on Wednesday, June 9, with the U.S. premiere of Jonas Cuaron’s “Desierto” – an immigration thriller starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and produced by Cuaron’s father, Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuaron.

In a statement, Film Independent President Josh Welsh said, “Jonas Cuaron’s ‘Desierto’ is a gripping thriller and a perfect way to close the LA Film Festival.

The 2016 LA Film Festival ran from June 1 to 9 at the Arclight Cinemas. For more information, go to lafilmfestival.com.

— Photos by Jonathan Scott Shensa Photography