The Los Angeles Film Festival unveiled its 2009 slate this AM at an early morning press conference hosted by AMBULANTE! founders Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. Seven films are in this year's competition, including new work from acclaimed international filmmakers Juan Carlos Rulfo (whose work incudes Sundance jury winner IN THE PIT) Hilla Medalia (TO DIE IN JERUSALEM) and Fredrik Gertten (AN ORDINARY FAMILY). The fest will also feature the official world premiere of Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher's OCTOBER COUNTRY (it had a sneak preview at True/False) and the West Coast premiere of our own CONVENTION.
After the break - this year's LAFF competition lineup with film descriptions provided by the festival:
AFTER THE STORM
Directed by Hilla Medalia
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.
BANANAS!*
Directed by Fredrik Gertten
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.
BRANSON
Directed by Brent Meeske
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.
CONVENTION
Directed by AJ Schnack
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
Directed by Jeremy Simmons
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
Directed by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher
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.
THOSE WHO REMAIN
Directed by Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Hagerman
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.
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