LA Film Festival Unveils 2016 Competition Lineup; 42 World Premieres Chosen Across All Categories

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Category: Entertainment News

Published on Friday, 29 April 2016 11:43

Shorts

1985 – USA (DIRECTOR Yen Tan) As a dying man prepares to move in with his estranged mother, he makes an appointment with a beauty consultant to hide his symptoms.

Afuera – USA (DIRECTOR Steven Liang) When an undocumented transgender woman is forced to resort to the sex trade to support herself, her boyfriend gives her an ultimatum with unintended consequences.

And Nothing Happened – USA (DIRECTOR Naima Ramos-Chapman) This combination documentary, personal essay and magical realism format film, captures a young woman's struggle with self, family and love in the aftermath of sexual assault.

Another Kind Of Girl – Syria (DIRECTOR Khaldiya Jibawi) A 17-year-old meditates on how life at the refugee camp has opened up new horizons and given her a sense of courage that she lacked in Syria.

At Least You Are Here – USA (DIRECTOR Kristen Swanbeck) A lonely Ukranian woman living in Brooklyn experiences the war going on in her home country through her computer, then wanders the streets looking for human connection.

The Beast – Croatia, Finland (DIRECTOR Mirta Puhlovski) A complicated relationship between an elderly mother and daughter is forever altered when a bat flies into their lives.

Beneath The Embers – Mexico (DIRECTORS Verónica Jessamyn López Sainz, Andrea Fuentes Charles) A young woman from the Sierra Mountains of Guanajuato has learned that to achieve her dreams she must sacrifice her present.

Bisonhead – USA (DIRECTOR Elizabeth Lo) A family of Ponderai hunters travels to Yellowstone to exercise their treaty rights in this glimpse into the marginalization of both indigenous cultures and wildlife in the American West.

The Black Belt – USA (DIRECTOR Margaret Brown) In 2015 Alabama closed 31 DMVs, which largely impacted the Black Belt, and created a mobile unit that travels across the state to issue ID cards.

The Boardwalk – USA (DIRECTOR Ougie Pak) An eight-year-old Korean-American boy goes on a road trip with his father to Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Chekhov – USA (DIRECTOR Jack Dunphy) A secret recording of the filmmaker's sister reading a love letter from his ex-girlfriend goes from funny to unbearably sad.

Chulyen – France (DIRECTORS Cerise Lopez, Agnes Patron) Chulyen is strong; Chulyen is handsome. Chulyen is weak; Chulyen is ugly. Chulyen is the crow's spirit and three shamans are chasing after him.

Deer Flower – South Korea, USA (DIRECTOR Kangmin Kim) In the summer of 1992, an ill elementary school student goes to a farm in the suburbs with his parents, who believe the expensive and rare specialty from the farm will strengthen his body.

Dirt – USA (DIRECTOR Darius Clark Monroe) Some things must die to live.

Dogwalker – USA (DIRECTOR Kim Sherman) A reclusive woman lives out her worst nightmare: While in her care, a favorite client's beloved pet passes away while the family is on vacation.

Dolfun – USA (DIRECTOR Sebastian Silva) What begins as a love story becomes an existential crisis when filmmaker Sebastian Silva flies to Miami to fulfill his lifelong dream of swimming with dolphins.

Dollhouse – USA (DIRECTOR Teri Timely) This documentary follows an artist who strives for maximum realism in her creation of newborn-baby dolls.

The Emily & Ariel Show – USA (DIRECTORS Emily Hoffman, Ariel Noltimier Strauss) Juxtaposing animated video footage with stop-motion puppetry, a group of friends in their twenties bring you into their lives on an average Friday night.

Filip – Sweden (DIRECTOR Nathalie Alvarez) When seven-year-old Filip witnesses something unexpected, he is forced to confront his feelings of admiration for his older brother.

Flaws – USA (DIRECTOR Josh Shaffner) A hand-drawn, surreal rant about years spent in the service industry as a waiter.

Flower of a Thousand Colors – Belgium/Bolivia (DIRECTOR Karen Vázquez Guadarrama) An intimate look into the life of a loving mother who struggles every day with her rough environment: a Bolivian mining camp.

The Gatekeeper – Japan/Canada (DIRECTOR Yung Chang) A retired police detective patrols Tojinbo Cliffs, a notorious destination for suicides in Japan.

Gloria – Mexico (DIRECTOR Luis Hernández De la Peña) In Mexico City, a public transport bus driver spends his nights in a peculiar nightclub downtown.

Glove – USA (DIRECTORS Alexa Haas, Bernardo Britto) The true story of a glove that has been floating in space since 1965.

Into Darkness – Belgium (DIRECTOR Rachida El Garani) This documentary gives insight into a deeply religious Moroccan family as they struggle with blindness and extreme poverty.

James Turrell: You Who Look – USA (DIRECTOR Jessica Yu) James Turrell, an artist who has been creating art that tests our notions of seeing, takes us on a journey through his immersive works.

Jungle – Ghana/USA (DIRECTOR Asantewaa Prempeh) Two Senegalese immigrants try to make a living selling fake designer purses on the bustling streets of New York City's Chinatown.

Lancaster, CA – USA (DIRECTOR Mike Ott) A portrait of love, lust and heartbreak set in the California desert.

Little Hero – USA (DIRECTORS Marcus A. McDougald, Jennifer Medvin) A six-year-old explains her unique relationship with her twin brother, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The Lingerie Show – USA (DIRECTOR Laura Harrison) A drug addict throws a lingerie show to seduce her boyfriend away from his sugar daddy, which devolves into mayhem.

Like – Bangladesh/USA (DIRECTOR Garrett Bradley) A behind-the-scenes examination of Bangladeshi "click-farms," an industry that grows social media followings for celebrities and brands alike.

Love – Hungary/France (DIRECTOR Reka Bucsi) Affection is described in three different chapters, through an impact on a distant solar system.

Maman(s) – France (DIRECTOR Maïmouna Doucouré) An eight-year-old girl decides to take action when her father returns home to his family from Senegal with a second wife.

My Aleppo – USA (DIRECTOR Melissa Langer) After fleeing the Syrian civil war, a family communicates with the home front via Skype, watching Aleppo disintegrate and their loved ones change.

A Night In Tokoriki – Romania (DIRECTOR Roxana Stroe) The whole village celebrates Geanina's eighteenth birthday in an improvised nightclub, where she receives a most surprising gift—one that nobody will ever forget.

Night Stalker – USA (DIRECTORS Abigail Horton, Ryan Dickie, Mike Anderson) The night stalker gives you a poisoned to-go container of food that turns you to clay and sends you to another dimension!

Noni & Elizabeth – Sweden (DIRECTOR Nanna Blondell) Ten-year-old Noni lives with her mother during the week and her father on weekends. With her step sister during one weekend, Noni sees the world for what it is—upside down.

Omnia – United Arab Emirates (DIRECTOR Amena Al Nowais) Omnia retells a horrifying childhood experience that left her with no sense of what it means to be a female, a girl or loved.

Partners – USA (DIRECTOR Joey Ally) When a slump in Kate and Leigh's sex life forces them to reconsider their work/life relationship, they must confront how intertwined their lives have become.

The Preparation – Georgia (DIRECTOR Giorgi Tsilosani) For death you should prepare; but grandmother refuses to die.

The Procedure – USA (DIRECTOR Calvin Reader) A man is captured and forced to endure a strange experiment.

Red Lake – USA (DIRECTOR Billy Luther) In 2005 the Red Lake Indian Reservation was at the center of national media attention after a devastating mass school shooting. Ten years later, survivors continue to heal long after the national spotlight has faded.

Reluctantly Queer – Ghana/USA (DIRECTOR Akosua Adoma Owusu) A story that both disrobes and questions what it means to be a queer man in this time and space.

Samedi – France (DIRECTOR Hannibal Mahé) After a boy runs away from juvenile detention, nobody pays attention to him.

Semele – Cyprus (DIRECTOR Myrsini Aristidou) Semele will do anything to spend some time with her long-absent father. A school note becomes the excuse she needs to visit him at his workplace, where her presence highlights the fragility of their relationship.

The Send-Off – USA (DIRECTORS Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan) Prom day serves as the backdrop to this immersion into the rural industrial sugar town of Pahokee, Florida.

Speaking Is Difficult – USA (DIRECTOR AJ Schnack) This film always begins in the present day, retracing our memories and retelling a cumulative history that is both unbearable and inevitable.

Thunder Road – USA (DIRECTOR Jim Cummings) Officer Arnaud loved his mom.

Tisure – Venezuela (DIRECTOR Adrian Geyer) Watching from the distance, the camera returns human race to nature. Their lives and deaths like a flowing stream, the time and space become one.

Too Legit – USA (DIRECTOR Frankie Shaw) After becoming pregnant from sexual assault on campus, a young woman goes on a journey to find out if the rape was "legitimate" under Senate Candidate Todd Akin's definition of that term.

TPJ – USA (DIRECTOR Grace Mi) Based on the myth of a doppelgänger as an omen of death, a character experiences mortality salience when he meets his double.

Univitellin – USA (DIRECTOR Terence Nance) A love story about how we are conditioned to live out love stories in ways deriving from folklore.

Use Of Force – USA (DIRECTOR Rita Baghdadi) An examination of the LAPD's efforts to reconcile a series of officer-involved shootings.

Vessels – USA (DIRECTOR Arkasha Stevenson) A young transgender woman considers a dangerous operation that may be her only option for gaining a more feminine body.

Virgin Territory – USA (DIRECTOR Emily Robinson) A sex-positive, queer coming-of-age story about a teenage girl who loses her virginity and begins her journey of sexual exploration.

Visions of an Island – USA (DIRECTOR Sky Hopinka) This glimpse of an island in the center of the Bering Sea is presented by an Unangax elder, a group of Unangam Tunuu language students and a wandering visitor.

Visiting Day – USA (DIRECTOR Jennifer Maytorena Taylor) Three times a month, a young woman and her daughter make a long journey for a family day at a federal prison.

Wellington Jr. – France (DIRECTOR Cecile Paysant) A tentative young hunter sets out into the wilderness under the tutelage of his seasoned father, but the rite of passage leads to increasingly surreal and grisly developments.

Western Women – USA (DIRECTOR Alexander Yan) A young man orders an unusual sex toy.

Woman In Deep – USA (DIRECTOR Janicza Bravo) A woman calls a suicide prevention hotline and is put on hold.