The Los Angeles Film Festival kicks off this week in revitalized downtown LA with a diverse slate of counterculture or alternative fare. Run by Film Independent, the LAFF has a more relaxed, familial air than the buzzy Sundance — and unlike Sundance, you can usually get tickets. This year’s must see film is Beasts of the Southern Wild, which arrives after winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and playing in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. If you haven’t seen its firework-filled, Malik-miming feel-good trailer showcasing the world’s most adorable orphan careening around a post-flood city (read: New Orleans) the word is that Beasts is so magically real, you’ll need to read three Edith Wharton novels just to recover your sense of cynicism. Other Sundance second-chances include The Queen of Versailles, a housing-bust-era documentary that made waves in Park City for its tale of lives lost in the real estate bubble; Celeste and Jesse Forever with Rashida Jones; and Robot and Frank, an off-beat buddy comedy with Frank Langella and, well, a robot.
The Iran Job is another must-see film. It follows an almost-made-it basketball player who picks up a contract to play in Iran’s Super League. The film satisfied both my inner geopolitics geek with its inside look at Iran in the lead-up to the Green Revolution, as well scratched my Hoop Dreams itch with its inspiring sports story. Also of note and worth checking out, according to friends, are Vampira and Me, about the local late-night horror host legend who inspired Elvira and plenty of lonely-midnight nerd fantasies.
A Band Called Death is another film not to miss. Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early ’70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them. Equal parts electrifying rockumentary and epic family chronicle, the story of Death is one of brotherly love and fierce, divinely inspired expression.
Call Me Kuchu is a timely documentary of the struggles LGBT Ugandans face. To be openly gay in Uganda is to risk imprisonment and death. The stirring and heartbreaking Call Me Kuchu exposes the horrors of a homophobic government — its hatred fueled by right wing American evangelicals — that terrorizes the LGBT community. Yet brave men and women like David Kato, the country’s first openly gay activist, have fought back at great risk. This intimate and impassioned documentary takes us inside this life and death struggle for human rights. Whether you are familiar with Katos’s story or hearing it for the first time, you will find this a shattering and inspiring testament.
You might have a hard time scoring a ticket to the gala Seeking a Friend For the End of The World, or the closer Magic Mike now that Channing Tatum has proven his comedy chops in the funniest movie of the year so far, 21 Jump Street, but those are getting their wide-release soon enough, and LAFF has plenty of other events: after parties, panels, discussions, Q&As and yes, free screenings.