The 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival takes place from June 17-27. One of the things which makes this festival unique is that it’s sponsored by Film Independent, the same organization responsible for the “Oscars” for indies — the Spirit Awards.
As someone whose life revolves around independent films, it’s been truly exciting to attend a festival every year which is run by the same folks who put on the Spirit Awards, as it always has a schedule second-to-none for fans of indies — or simply great cinema. Plus there are always celebrity guests galore as the event is within a stone’s throw of Hollywood.
As I first reported on this blog a month ago, the LAFF has moved from Westwood to downtown Los Angeles. I’ll be reporting live, as always, and have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of this year’s lineup.
Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions I’ve been receiving since I first posted this press release:
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Q: How do I get tickets to the festival?
A: Passes to attend the festival are available NOW for Film Independent members (details below), and beginning May 10 for the general public. In addition to screenings and events, festival passes provide access to a series of networking receptions and entry to the ZonePerfect live.create. lounge, where pass holders can interact with filmmakers and professionals in the film community. General admission tickets to individual films go on sale beginning June 1. Contact the Festival Ticketing Center for passes, tickets, and eventinformation by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866.345-6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com. Festival Passes and tickets can also be purchased in person beginning on Monday, June 14 at the Festival Ticketing Center located at L.A. LIVE (800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015).
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Q: What about admission to the World Premiere of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse?
A: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse premiere IS the official World Premiere. Festival passes are available NOW to Film Independent members (see below) and to the general public on May 10th. The Industry and Fast Pass levels will include tickets to Eclipse in those packages, while supplies last.
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Q: What are these “Industry” and “Fast” Passes? Do I have to be a member of the industry to get an Industry Pass?
A: No. ANYONE who is NOT in the industry can get an Industry Pass as long as you’re a member of Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization putting on the festival. Anyone can join. Membership is only $60 for students or $95 for non-students. As soon as you join you’re entitled to buy an Industry Pass. Benefits of membership include:
* Priority selection and discounts for the Los Angeles Film Festival
* 2-4 free preview screenings of the latest indie releases each month for you and a guest (usually in LA).
* Monthly FIND Magazine with up-to-date news, events, and discounts.
* PLUS you get to vote for the Spirit Awards, see member-only screenings of the nominated films, and receive screeners (DVDs) of some of the nominated films in January.
To join, just go HERE. Once you’ve joined you can then get the Industry Pass. The cost of the Industry Pass is $500 for members. FYI the “Fast Pass” costs about twice as much but has many more perks and includes two Eclipse tickets.
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Q: So you’re saying I’m going to buy an Industry Pass and only get to see Eclipse?
A: No, This is an all-access pass for the entire 11-day festival. Over 200 features, shorts, and music videos from more than 30 countries make up the main body of the festival. The pass entitles you to:
* General admission for one (1) to any gala screening, regular screening, conversation, poolside chat, coffee talk.
* One (1) ticket to Opening Night Film and Party on June 17.*
* One (1) ticket to the Closing Film and Party on June 27.*
* Access for one (1) to ZonePerfect live.create. lounge
* Access for one (1) to Festival Mixers.**
* Five (5) additional one-day passes to the ZonePerfect live. create lounge. **
* PLUS (1) admission to the by-invitation-only premiere of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on June 24. Absolutely non-transferable. A very limited number of these bonus invitations are available, while supplies last. Even though you will have the pass, in order to get into the screening you will have to stop at the will-call desk and show proof of ID.
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Q: Is that the only way I can see Eclipse? Will there be any individual tickets put on sale at any point in the future? Will there be another screening for the public or will Summit have a free fan screening like they did with Remember Me?
A: At THIS moment the only way to get into the premiere is posted above. Nothing else has been announced. I don’t want to speculate as to what will or won’t happen. Whether or not you choose to follow the steps above or wait to see if something else happens is your decision! Hopefully you are now armed with all the facts available at this time.
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Q: Will there be a red carpet for fans who just want to see the stars arriving?
A: Those details have not been announced yet. It has been standard procedure for LAFF screenings to have red carpets. They had them for similar events in the past. For example, the premieres of Journey to the Center of the Earth in 2008 and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in 2009 were big, high-profile events with red carpets that fans could observe. In fact, those screenings were held at the same locations as the Twilight and New Moon premieres and the same blocks were roped off. But that’s because LAFF was in Westwood before. Now it’s centered around the L.A. Live complex downtown. So while nothing has been officially announced regarding red carpet logistics (location, possibility of camping out, etc.) I think it’s safe to assume there WILL be some form of a red carpet somewhere. But this is a new location, and those are decisions which will be made by staff. I WILL be posting more details as I get them.
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Q: What is L.A. LIVE? How is this location different from Grauman’s on Hollywood Blvd.?
A: Developed by AEG, L.A. LIVE is a 5.9 million square foot, $2.5 billion downtown Los Angeles sports, residential, and entertainment complex. It is adjacent to Staples Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center. L.A. LIVE features the recently opened Club Nokia, a 2,300 capacity live music venue, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, a 7,100-seat live theatre, a 54-story, 1001-room convention “headquarters” destination (featuring The Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott hotels and 224 luxury condominiums – TheRitz Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE – all in a single tower) , the state-of-the-art Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 theatres, “broadcast” facilities for ESPN, a 100,000 square foot special events deck, the one-of-a-kind GRAMMY Museum®, saluting the history of music and the genre’s best know awards show, all centered around Nokia Plaza L.A. LIVE, a 40,000 square foot outdoor event space with twelve signature restaurants along with entertainment, residential, and office space.
Most other questions about travel, locations, lodging, etc. are answered at the festivals’ website LAFilmFest.com.
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