Special Event: 2009 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL: A Guide

Okay folks! I’ve been waiting all year for it and so have many of you. It’s time for the Los Angeles Film Festival!! Now in its 15th year, LAFF 2009 promises to be one of the best festivals ever. Running from June 18th to 28th, with screening venues located in Westwood as well as the Ford Amphitheatre, LAFF is world renowned for its level of excellence and the quality of its festival programming and films, and promises to show us once again why LAFF is one of the leaders among film festivals. I, for one, am always amazed at the consistency and quality of films at LAFF and this year is no different. The slate of films is as diverse as it gets, showcasing some old friends as well as the new wave of insightful, visionary and entertaining filmmakers. Always with its pulse on the beat of the world, this year you can expect controversy, political commentary, humor, drama and as always, entertainment.

Important to note is that not only does LAFF shine a light on new and emerging filmmakers while providing the audience with top flight entertainment, but it awards the filmmakers with Jury and Audience Prizes in four categories, as well as a $50,000 Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature AND a $50,000 unrestricted cash prize provided by Target, both of which are the largest cash prizes bestowed by a U.S. Film Festival, which we hope these talented filmmakers will use for their next project or, to pay off their debts from funding the winning films.

Over the years, LAFF has debuted or showcased some rather notable films - 2005 brought us the Oscar winning “March of the Penguins”, 2006 gave us “Little Miss Sunshine” and the world premiere of “The Devil Wears Prada” starring Anne Hathaway who skyrocketed to stardom with this film. LAFF 2007 made us jump for joy with 2007 Jury Award Winner “Young @ Heart” by the wonderful Stephen Walker, Helen Hood Scheer’s jumpin’ look at the world of competition jump-roping with “JUMP!”, Stephane Gauger’s exquisite 2007 Audience Award Winner and Spirit Award nominee “The Owl and the Sparrow” which hits theatres this Spring and 2007 Jury Award Winner and Spirit Award Winner “August Evening” by Chris Eska, plus the world of “Transformers” and that quiet little Oscar winning film “An Inconvenient Truth”. And last year, 2008 left us all wanting more after seeing Angelina Jolie kick ass in Timur Bekmambetov’s “Wanted” while “Hellboy” stopped a Golden Army, not to mention, a foray into the world of renowned artist Chuck Connelly with Jeff Stimmel’s “The Art of Failure: Chuck Connelly Not for Sale” (now on DVD), a turn in the kitchen with “Pressure Cooker” (in theatres now), Darius Mardur’s 2008 Jury Award Winner “Loot”, 2008 Audience Award Winner “The Wackness”, a look into the high pressure world (not to mention instructional course for a new career) of grocery bagging with Justine Jacob’s and Alex de Silva’s, “Paper or Plastic?” and, what is one of my favorite films of 2009 and in theatres now, LAFF 2008 Audience Award Winner “Anvil! The Story of Anvil.” How do you top all of that? Well, let’s take a look.

This year LAFF brings us over 70 feature films, 70 shorts and 50 music videos representing over 30 countries, not to mention the always well-received Coffee Talks, Festival Conversations with Artists in Residence, Poolside Chats, FREE SCREENINGS, anniversary special screenings and for all you filmmakers out there, an indispensable seminar on film financing.

Kicking off LAFF 2009, is the world premiere of what looks to become an audience favorite right out of the box, PAPER MAN. With an all star cast that includes Jeff Daniels, the always handsome and ever funny Ryan Reynolds, and the even funnier (and festival favorite) Lisa Kudrow, writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney make their directorial debut with this little charmer about a writer caught between a rock and a hard place (deadlines, a wife, a superhero who lives inside his head and the desire to never grow up). Adding to the mix is a teenage girl who turns his world inside out. Now with a combo like that going on , it’s a good thing that legendary outlaw John Dillinger makes an appearance at the fest with PUBLIC ENEMIES. The true story of J. Edgar Hoover’s Public Enemy #1 and the rise of the FBI and its top agent Melvin Purvis, Johnny Depp and Christian Bale take control of LAFF’s Centerpiece Premiere with guns blazing and charm and good looks flowing. And take note, this duo is so lethal, the film needs two showings! One of the most anticipated releases of the summer, catch this sure fire winner at LAFF before it hits theatres!

And as if that’s not enough for headliners, how about TRANSFORMERS 2: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN? Taking the world by storm with its world premiere at LAFF in 2007, TRANSFORMERS, became a blockbuster of global proportion, launching the career of Shia LaBeouf as an action hero and Megan Fox as, well, as the dream girl for every guy out there. They’re both back at LAFF along with Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson joining forces with everyone’s favorite Opticon, Optimus Prime, as they battle to save the world from the Decepticons and the always evil, Megatron. Closing out all the fun and excitement this year on June 28th will be PONYO, Hayao Miyazaki’s animated magical tale of Ponyo, inspired by the legendary Hans Christian Anderson tale, “The Little Mermaid.” A beauteous and enchanting film, PONYO will be the perfect end to a perfect festival.

So, I’ve told you about the beginning, a few special parts in the middle, and a beautiful happily ever after end, but what happens the rest of the time? Well, it’s filled with film, fun and more film and to help you decide what to see, here it is, what you always ask for and look for, my annual picks of LAFF 2009 MUST SEE FESTIVAL FILMS.

Click here for Debbie’s picks of LAFF 2009 MUST SEE FESTIVAL FILMS