2008 LA Film Festival Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the 2008 LA Film Festival!

- Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature: The Prince of Broadway, directed by Sean Baker, written by Baker and Darren Dean (above)

- The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: The Wackness, written and directed by Jonathan Levine

- Jury Prize for Best Performance went to Jennifer Lawrence who starred in Lori Petty's autobiographical The Poker House

- Best Narrative Short Film: Magic Paris, written and directed by Alice Winocour

- Best Animated or Experimental Short Film: I Have Seen the Future, directed by Cam Christiansen, written by Kris Demeanor, animated by Christiansen and Scott Underhill

- The Audience Award for Best Short Film: Frankie, written and directed by Darren Thornton

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- Target Documentary Award for Best Documentary Feature: Loot, written and directed by Darius Marder

- The Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: Anvil! The Story of Anvil, directed by Sasha Gervasi

- A Special Documentary Jury Commendation was awarded to Pressure Cooker, directed by Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker (below)

- The Audience Award for Best International Feature: Man on Wire, directed by James Marsh

- Best Documentary Short Film: City of Cranes, directed by Eva Weber

- The Audience Award for Best Music Video: "Run,” directed by Melanie Mandl, music by Air

LA Film Festival Press & Filmmaker Party - June 20, 2008

As the LA Film Festival got rolling, filmmakers enjoyed the Filmmaker and Press Cocktail Party on Friday, June 20, 2008.

Kathryn Aselton, Mark Duplass, Jen Tracy-Duplass & Jay Duplass (left to right) Writer-director-brothers Mark and Jay Duplass (The Puffy Chair) celebrated with their wives. Their latest film Baghead is having summer previews at LAFF, and will screen again on Friday at The Landmark at 4:45pm.

Pressure Cooker directors Mark Becker and Jennifer Grausman. The film, about Philadelphia's Frankford High School culinary arts teacher Wilma Stephenson, who helps inner city students prepare for a citywide cooking competition for scholarships to some of the country's top culinary arts institutions, is in the Festival's Documentary Competition. This inspirational journey of self-discovery and cooking will screen again on Tuesday, June 24, and Wednesday, June 25.




The Garden producer-director Scott Hamilton Kennedy stopped by the party before catching a screening of a documentary in competition. The Garden, about struggles facing the South Central LA Community Garden, had its World Premiere on Saturday, June 21, 2008.

Writer-director-producer Olaf De Fleur Johannesson's film The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela is in the LAFF International Showcase. The film, which screens on Thursday, June 26, and Sunday, June 29, originally started out as a documentary, yet Olaf decided to go the narrative route instead. A Filipina transsexual dreams of love and Paris in this so-surreal-it-must-be-true "visiomentary," a documentary/re-staged re-creation/fantasy that won the Teddy Award for Best Gay & Lesbian Feature at the recent Berlin Film Festival.

The Prince of Broadway co-writers Darren Dean (left) and Sean Baker. Their film is in narrative competition at the Festival.

Check www.LAFilmFest.com for more information, including times and locations, about these and other films screening at the festival.