Downtown Film Festival

Take a Bow, Downtown Film Fest

By Ed Fuentes and Eric Richardson — August 18, 2008 — 3 Comments

Ed Fuentes

|Photo Gallery| It’s appropriate that the 1st Downtown Film Festival wrapped under the stars on Sunday night, screening Irena Salina’s documentary “Flow” on Grand Avenue beneath the skyline. The Colburn School and Disney Concert Hall provided grand backdrops for a festival designed to show off the city.

Over its five day run, the Downtown Film Festival exhibited some serious smarts in the way that it made use of Downtown’s varied landscape. It exhibited films in seven different venues, and successfully partnered with a number of Downtown organizations. Likely more importantly for festival organizers, though, was the impressive number of people who made their way Downtown to check out all the events had to offer. — Continued Inside...

Film Fest Opens With "In Search of a Midnight Kiss," Starring Downtown

By Eric Richardson — August 11, 2008

"In Search of a Midnight Kiss"

Downtown stars as itself in IFC Films’ “In Search of a Midnight Kiss.” Leads Wilson and Vivian, played by Scoot McNairy and Sara Simmonds, get off the subway at Pershing Square and spend twenty-five of the film’s ninety-nine minutes wandering the streets of Downtown and admiring its faded grandeur.

Standing on the balcony of the Million Dollar Theatre, Vivian asks Wilson, “Can you imagine what this place looked like when it opened? Look at this ceiling! I can’t believe this theater’s just sitting here.”

It’s no wonder organizers chose the film to headline the Downtown Film Festival’s Wednesday opening, in a night benefiting the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation. That the film itself is quite good makes for an added bonus. — Continued Inside...

Downtown Film Festival Announces August Lineup

By Eric Richardson — July 22, 2008
2 Comments

The Downtown Film Festival, coming to Broadway and the Arts District in August, has announced its programming lineup. The festival claims to feature more than 200 films over its five days. It opens at the Orpheum on August 13th with IFC’s “In Search of a Midnight Kiss,” by director Alex Holdridge. It closes with the documentary “Flow,” from director...

Downtown Film Festival Gets a Home Base

By Jeannine Denholm — April 12, 2008

Downtown Film Festival

The Barker Block lofts will soon become the official home of the Downtown Film Festival. According to founder Greg Ptacek, a 2-story loft is being transformed into festival offices. Warehouses around the development will house a mini cinema village complete with swanky screening room, a lounge featuring local musicians and space for panel discussions.

The Downtown Film Festival runs August 13-17 and features all different types of film. That’s exactly what Ptacek wanted, “There are many genre specific film festivals, but we wanted to include everyone.” — Continued Inside...