Story and visual style aren’t the only things that set Dude Bro Party Massacre 3 apart from the other films at the 2015 LA Film Festival. In fact, the film—a pastiche of Reagan-era horror films presented as if it was the last surviving VHS copy in existence (wobbly tracking lines and all)—found itself in a unique position, premiering in the festival’s inaugural “Nightfall” genre category. Dude Bro is the first feature creation out of the wildly popular internet comedy troupe/production company/viral phenomenon 5 Second Films....

MUST-HAVES Layers! Outside it’s freezing. Inside it’s warm. A typical outfit might consist of: long johns, jeans, wool socks, waterproof shoes/hiking boots, long-sleeve thermal shirt, t-shirt/button-down, cardigan, parka, scarf, beanie, gloves. Unless you grew up in Michigan and can wear shorts comfortably in 50-degree weather, we’re serious. Long johns “Someone told me to bring long johns and I either disregarded them or forgot because I didn’t do it and as soon as the first frigid blast of wind hit the thighs of my skinny jeans, I knew I had made a big mistake....

The irony of directing as a career is that, despite the inherent collaborative nature of the job, directing is one of the loneliest professions. With the pressure of constant decision-making and the struggle to communicate with an entire crew—along with budget and time restraints—indie filmmakers seldom have someone else to commiserate with. And it’s this feeling of isolation that often leads us to believe we are imposters. Personally speaking, I never felt that the social demands of directing came natural to me at all....

The 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival is officially underway! Last night, we kicked off with the LA premiere of writer-director Paul Weitz’s Sundance hit Grandma. Lily Tomlin stars as Elle Reid, a septuagenarian lesbian poet whose partner recently passed away, and whose rebound relationship even more recently fell to pieces. When Elle’s teenage granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner) seeks her help in a moment of crisis, the two of them take off on an LA odyssey of sorts, searching every corner of the city and contacting every friend they have to get Sage out of trouble—unearthing more than a few of each other’s secrets along the way....

One of the best things about being invited into the Film Independent family through our artist development programs is having the chance to learn from the cream of the crop. Some of the most successful directors, producers and screenwriters in the business come in to our offices to talk with the Fellows in our Labs about what it’s really like out there. They share the stories of their own ups, downs—and way, way downs—in the business, as well as offering advice on everything from how to win over your crew on set to how to cure writers’ block....

In the wake of international protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin of the Minneapolis Police Department on May 25, 2020, practically every big-name streaming service quickly assembled, from their selection of available titles, their own specially curated collection of Black cinema. These collections have provided an invaluable resource for film fans of all racial demographics eager to learn more about the troubled history of American racial inequality....

One such pioneering creative force is VR leaders Emblematic Group, a production company focused on creating “high impact” immersive experiences spanning virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR), with a specific focus on “volumetric content”—experiences that place users within an immersive 360-degree video environment while also giving them the agency to freely move within the space, which Emblematic Group has used for a wide variety of socially-conscious projects....

A quasi-reboot of the heist series launched by Steven Soderbergh’s hit 2001 Rat Pack remake Ocean’s Eleven, the new film, directed by Gary Ross, jettisons the franchise’s signature overabundance of testosterone for an all-new team of larcenous ladies, led by partners-in-crime Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna and Helena Bonham Carter, among others. The film opens this week, distributed by Warner Bros....

But Austin isn’t just home to SXSW and the titular City Limits. The amber-colored capitol of America’s largest contiguous state has also been home base for a vibrant community of indie auteurs. What’s more, Austin itself has served as both muse and backdrop for more films than perhaps any other berg of less than one million—so sorry Portland; tell Kelly Reichardt to speed it up! Here are a few of our favorite films (and one TV show) to enjoy Austin vicariously while sitting at home this week....

Director-Writer/Director: Jeff Malmberg Producers: Jeff Malmberg, Chris Shellen, Tom Putnam, Matt Radecki, Kevin W. Walsh Budget: Under $100,000 Financing: Filmmaker Production: Every three months for four years Shooting Format: DV Cam and Super 8 Screening Format: HD Cam World Premiere: 2010 SXSW Film Festival Awards: SXSW – Grand Jury Prize; Cleveland International Film Festival – Grand Jury Prize; IFFBoston – Special Jury; Hot Docs – HBO Emerging Artist Award; Seattle International Film Festival – Grand Jury Award, Best Documentary; Silverdocs – Cinematic Vision Award; Comic-Con – Best Documentary; Comic-Con – Judges’ Choice Award (Best Overall Film); Fantasia International Film Festival – Best Documentary; Woodstock Film Festival – Maverick Award, Best Documentary Development and Financing An established editor, Jeff Malmberg wanted to try his hand at directing....

This year’s programming collects a unique pallet of young voices and highlights their originality; voices we feel are indicative of the next generation of filmmakers. The screening takes place at ArcLight Culver City Saturday, June 17 and will consist of 15 films. These shorts push boundaries and are refreshingly honest in their global outlook, ranging from documentaries that transport the viewer into the platforms boots of a teenage drag queen living in Orange County to a futuristic narrative about virtual reality’s effect on dating and human interaction—just a taste of the diverse and thoughtful storytelling these young filmmakers have in store....

Barbato and Bailey’s latest feature is Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures, which seeks to reclaim the life and career of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe from the 1989 congressional controversy surrounding government arts funding during which Mapplethorpe’s explicit, homoerotic fine art portraits took center stage. But despite this complicated legacy, Mapplethorpe—who died of complications from AIDS just prior to the Capitol Hill brouhaha—has endured as an icon of modern art. In fact, 30 years on Mapplethorpe and his work seem to be crawling their way back into the popular cultural imagination....

After more than a decade in the studio world, Karyn Kusama makes her return to independent film with her latest, The Invitation. Her 2000 debut, Girlfight, a boxing drama starring a then-unknown Michelle Rodriquez, won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and was nominated for two Film Independent Spirit Awards (Best Debut Performance and Best First Feature). The film catapulted Kusama into the studio realm where she directed her next two pictures: Aeon Flux and Jennifer’s Body....

In 1994, a new kind of comedy changed our idea of lowbrow humor. Peter and Bobby Farrelly’s Dumb and Dumber essentially began with the simple idea of making a movie about two dumb guys and the obstacles they face. Nothing terribly groundbreaking. However, it was done in such a charming (and dare I say, clever) way, audiences were hooked. The film is essentially a road movie, but replace the road movie’s usual angst-filled-leads-on-a-journey-to-find-themselves with two outrageous morons on a mission to find a pretty woman (to return a briefcase full of ransom money intended for her husband’s kidnappers)—and the typical rundown road-movie convertible with a giant, furry van made up to look like a dog....

But agents exist for below-the-line crew as well, and can be just as involved in the placement, packaging and career advancement of on-set laborers and tradespeople as their higher-profile coworkers. A strong network of personal and professional contacts is still the best tool for crew members just beginning their career, but a good agent can be instrumental in moving more established below-the-line crew members into more prestigious and lucrative department head roles....

For many attendees, Elvis Presley was the first thing they noticed as they passed through the ornate entry doors of The Theater at Ace Hotel DTLA en route to Film Independent’s December 16 Live Read of Quentin Tarantino’s classic cocaine-caper screenplay, True Romance directed by Jason Reitman. But the Elvis impersonator in the lobby entertaining the crowd before the show was only the first of many surprises. Over the past few years, Live Reads have become one of LA’s premiere events, with Reitman assembling diverse—and often brilliantly nontraditional—casts to perform cold reads of scripts ranging from American Pie to American Beauty....

Today is Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving observed on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving since 2012. It’s an opportunity to support the organizations and causes closest to your heart. This year, consider championing the art of independent film by supporting Film Independent. Here are 15 reasons why you should: So how can you support the work Film Independent is doing? If you’re an Industry Leader, you can volunteer to mentor Project Involve filmmakers or participate in Film Education Events....

Among Project Involve’s key components each year is the production of a slate of exciting, innovative short films created by Project Involve Fellows in collaboration with one another. And once again, the production of these films culminated in a special showcase screening at the ArcLight Cinemas in Culver City during the 2017 LA Film Festival. This year, a total of seven films were made by this an amazingly talented group (which, if you want to learn more, click here)....

Seriously—CNN will still be there 15 minutes from now. In the meantime, it might interest you to know that the unveiling of the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations is just around the corner! That’s right, this year’s nominees will be revealed Friday, November 16 at the W Hotel, presented by very special guests Gemma Chan and Molly Shannon. So just think: you could be painfully over-thinking your Spirit Awards ballot as early as next Friday....

Never mind that your events calendar for June 1-9 has already been blocked out and scribbled through into ball-point oblivion thanks to our overstuffed menu full of film premieres, parties and special events. The LA Film Festival has announced four more special event screenings (joining the Festival’s already-robust programming slate)—plus three filmmaker panels and one additional Festival honoree. “In L.A. we have access to the best talent in the world,” said LA Film Festival Director Stephanie Allain, adding: “I’m grateful that [we have] exceptional artists to share their knowledge with our audiences....