Now in its 17th year, the Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF) shines a bright light on some of the most talented filmmakers of the year. This year’s pageant celebrates the diversity of viewpoints within African and African-American cinema, with films ranging from gritty documentaries about a Black rock band to dramas touching on themes as disparate as sci-fi romance and gang violence. LAFF features movies for every temperament. Here is a list of African/African-American films to see during LAFF’s 10-day run (screening times are viewable here):
All is Well
Por Aqui Tudo Bem
Narrative Competition
(Portugal, 2011, 96 mins)
In Portuguese with English subtitles
North American Premiere
Directed By: Pocas Pascoal
Producer: Luis Correia
Screenwriters: Pocas Pascoal, Marc Pernet
Cinematographer: Octavio Espirito Santo
Editor: Pascale Chavance
Music: Lulendo, Marc Pernet
Cast: Ciomara Morais, Cheila Lima, Wiliam Brandao, Vera Cruz
Screenwriters: Pocas Pascoal, Marc Pernet
Cinematographer: Octavio Espirito Santo
Editor: Pascale Chavance
Music: Lulendo, Marc Pernet
Cast: Ciomara Morais, Cheila Lima, Wiliam Brandao, Vera Cruz
This deeply personal tale from director Pocas Pascoal follows two beautiful Angolan sisters who, fleeing a civil war in their homeland, arrive in Lisbon. Strangers in a strange land, they wait for their mother to join them, living in abandoned buildings and struggling to survive on the underbelly of society. Their money running out, their precarious lives under constant threat from the men around them, they’re offered help by fellow exiles, some of whom have ulterior motives of their own. Anchored by the vibrant performances of the two leads, All is Well is told with eloquent restraint – which makes it all the more heartbreaking.
Sponsored by Hoy
Asad
plays in Shorts Program 1
Short Film Competition
(South Africa , USA, 2011, 17 mins)
In Somalian with English subtitles
Directed By: Bryan Buckley
Executive Producer: Kevin Byrne
Producers: Bryan Buckley, Mino Jarjoura, Rafiq Samsodien, Matt Lefebvre, Kevin Byrne, Hank Perlman
Screenwriter: Bryan Buckley
Cinematographer: Scott Henriksen
Editor: Chris Franklin
Cast: Harun Mohammed, Ibrahim Moallim Hussein, Ali Mohammed, Abdiwale Mohmed Mohamed, Mariya Abdulle, Najah Abdi Abdullahi, Mustafa Olad Dirie, Mohamed Abdullahi Abdikher, Abdi, Sidow Farah, Sahied Nuur Mahamed, Ahmed Dhadane Jimale, Hussein Abdi Mohamed, Isa, Mohamed Abdul, Ikram Hassan, Yasmin Abdi Mohamed, Maymum Abdi Mohamed, Sadia Hassan, Meade Nichol
Producers: Bryan Buckley, Mino Jarjoura, Rafiq Samsodien, Matt Lefebvre, Kevin Byrne, Hank Perlman
Screenwriter: Bryan Buckley
Cinematographer: Scott Henriksen
Editor: Chris Franklin
Cast: Harun Mohammed, Ibrahim Moallim Hussein, Ali Mohammed, Abdiwale Mohmed Mohamed, Mariya Abdulle, Najah Abdi Abdullahi, Mustafa Olad Dirie, Mohamed Abdullahi Abdikher, Abdi, Sidow Farah, Sahied Nuur Mahamed, Ahmed Dhadane Jimale, Hussein Abdi Mohamed, Isa, Mohamed Abdul, Ikram Hassan, Yasmin Abdi Mohamed, Maymum Abdi Mohamed, Sadia Hassan, Meade Nichol
A young boy in a war-torn Somalian village faces a moral dilemma.
A Band Called Death
Documentary Competition
(USA, 2012, 98 mins)
World Premiere
Directed By: Jeff Howlett,
Mark Covino
Producers: Matthew Perniciaro, Scott Mosier, Kevin Mann, Jerry Ferrara
Cinematographer: Mark Covino
Editor: Rich Fox
Music: Sam Retzer, Tim Boland
Featuring: David Hackney, Bobby Hackney, Sr., Dannis Hackney
Cinematographer: Mark Covino
Editor: Rich Fox
Music: Sam Retzer, Tim Boland
Featuring: David Hackney, Bobby Hackney, Sr., Dannis Hackney
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.
Big Man
plays in Shorts Program 3
Short Film Competition
(Nigeria, 2010, 14 mins)
World Premiere
Directed By: Julius Onah
Executive Producers: Chukuka Chukuma, Emeka Obinna
Producers: Ogheneochuko Esiri, Ryan Silbert, Rob Profusek
Screenwriter: Julius Onah
Cinematographer: Pedro Gomez Millan
Editor: Julius Onah
Cast: Michael Asuelime, Adekunle Adeleke, Kaptaintony Ofili-Akpom, Tubi Aiyedehin, Wale Ojo
Producers: Ogheneochuko Esiri, Ryan Silbert, Rob Profusek
Screenwriter: Julius Onah
Cinematographer: Pedro Gomez Millan
Editor: Julius Onah
Cast: Michael Asuelime, Adekunle Adeleke, Kaptaintony Ofili-Akpom, Tubi Aiyedehin, Wale Ojo
Uzoma loves playing games with his little brother, in spite of his father’s warnings.
Call Me Kuchu
Documentary Competition
(USA, 2012, 87 mins)
In English, Luganda with English subtitles
US Premiere
Directed By: Katherine Fairfax Wright,
Malika Zouhali-Worrall
Executive Producer: Jeff Blitz
Producer: Malika Zouhali-Worrall
Cinematographer: Katherine Fairfax Wright
Music: Jonathan Mandabach
Editor: Katherine Fairfax Wright
Producer: Malika Zouhali-Worrall
Cinematographer: Katherine Fairfax Wright
Music: Jonathan Mandabach
Editor: Katherine Fairfax Wright
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.
Four
Narrative Competition
(USA, 2012, 76 mins)
World Premiere
Directed By: Joshua Sanchez
Executive Producer: Neil LaBute
Producer: Christine Giorgio
Screenwriter: Joshua Sanchez
Cinematographer: Gregg Conde
Editor: David Gutnik
Music: Bryan Senti
Cast: Wendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, Aja Naomi King, EJ Bonilla
Producer: Christine Giorgio
Screenwriter: Joshua Sanchez
Cinematographer: Gregg Conde
Editor: David Gutnik
Music: Bryan Senti
Cast: Wendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, Aja Naomi King, EJ Bonilla
Over the course of a steamy 4th of July night, four people discover the difficulties of making an honest connection with someone else when they are trapped by the lies they tell themselves.In Joshua Sanchez’s psychologically and ethnically complex adaptation of an acclaimed Christopher Shinn play, a father and daughter, each enshrouded in loneliness, reach out for sexual intimacy: he with a nervous, self-hating teenage boy, she with a smooth-talking wannabe homeboy. Wendell Pierce, Aja Naomi King, EJ Bonilla and Emory Cohen shine in this touching, sometimes raw depiction of the evasions, power games and isolation of everyday American life.
Cine Latino sponsored by 
G-DOG
Free Screenings
(USA, 2012, 92 mins)
(In English)
US Premiere
Directed By: Freida Mock
Producer: Freida Mock
Screenwriter: Freida Mock
Cinematographers: Erik Daarstad, Hiroki Miyano, Huy Moeller, Andrea Hsiesh
Editor: Greg Byers
Music: Pedro Bromfman
Featuring: Father Greg Boyle, S.J., Shayna Welcher, Louis Perez, Hector Verdugo, Kyle Shoaf, Brian Moon
Screenwriter: Freida Mock
Cinematographers: Erik Daarstad, Hiroki Miyano, Huy Moeller, Andrea Hsiesh
Editor: Greg Byers
Music: Pedro Bromfman
Featuring: Father Greg Boyle, S.J., Shayna Welcher, Louis Perez, Hector Verdugo, Kyle Shoaf, Brian Moon
Nicknamed “G-Dog” by the residents of the Boyle Heights neighborhood in which his original parish was located, the remarkable Jesuit priest Father Gregory Boyle first founded Homeboy Industries, the groundbreaking intervention program for at-risk youth and former gang members, in 1992. Since then, Father Greg and his devoted staff have built Homeboy up from a single bakery to several businesses, all revolving around the motto “Jobs not Jails.” When hard economic times threaten his good work, the heroic Father Greg must fight to keep his programs afloat in this moving and inspiring film from Oscar-winning filmmaker Freida Mock.Cine Latino sponsored by
Gimme the Loot
Summer Showcase
(USA, 2012, 81 mins)
Directed By: Adam Leon
Producers: Natalie Difford, Dominic Buchanan, Jamund Washington
Screenwriter: Adam Leon
Cinematographer: Jonathan Miller
Editor: Morgan Faust
Music: Nicholas Britell
Cast: Tashiana Washington, Ty Hickson, Meeko, Zoe Lescaze
Screenwriter: Adam Leon
Cinematographer: Jonathan Miller
Editor: Morgan Faust
Music: Nicholas Britell
Cast: Tashiana Washington, Ty Hickson, Meeko, Zoe Lescaze
The game of graffiti art comes with few rules and a lot of bravado, as young Sofia and Malcolm discover when they try to defend their name after their latest spraypaint masterpiece is defaced by a rival gang. Over the next 48 hours, the two roam the sun-drenched streets of New York, hatching schemes to get enough cash for their master plan — “bombing” the famous apple in the Mets’ stadium — all the while figuring out their role in the underground scene and with each other.With irresistible performances from its two leads, Gimme the Loot is a warm, spirited look at two kids just trying to get by, one tag at a time.
The House I Live In
Summer Showcase
(USA, 2012, 107 mins)
Directed By: Eugene Jarecki
Executive Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Nick Fraser, Danny Glover
Producers: Melinda Shopsin , Christopher St. John , Sam Cullman
Cinematographers: Sam Cullman, Derek Hallquist
Editor: Paul Frost
Music: Robert Miller
Producers: Melinda Shopsin , Christopher St. John , Sam Cullman
Cinematographers: Sam Cullman, Derek Hallquist
Editor: Paul Frost
Music: Robert Miller
Eugene Jarecki’s powerful, award-winning documentary exposes the monumental failure of our 40-year, trillion dollar war on drugs, which has torn apart communities, consciously targeted minorities, damaged our police forces and turned incarceration into big time American business. Featuring eye-opening interviews with prison guards, judges, cops, The Wire producer David Simon and historian Richard Lawrence Miller, who shows how the persecution of specific drugs goes hand in hand with the persecution of specific racial groups, Jarecki’s vast, moving and revelatory film suggests that our governmental solutions may be the real crime.
I Am John Wayne
plays in Shorts Program 1
Short Film Competition
(USA, 2011, 18 mins)
World Premiere
Directed By: Christina Choe
Producers: Esra Saydam
Screenwriter: Christina Choe
Cinematographer: Andres Karu
Editor: David Gutnik
Cast: Jamir Daaliya, Violetta Shimanova, Basil Scrivens, Althea Alexis, Kwazeek Fisher, Sadiq King, James Beca, Andrew Hinkle, Katya Savina
Screenwriter: Christina Choe
Cinematographer: Andres Karu
Editor: David Gutnik
Cast: Jamir Daaliya, Violetta Shimanova, Basil Scrivens, Althea Alexis, Kwazeek Fisher, Sadiq King, James Beca, Andrew Hinkle, Katya Savina
On the day of his best friend’s funeral, Taco breaks the rules.
The Iran Job
Documentary Competition
(Germany , Iran , USA, 2012, 93 mins)
In English, Farsi with English subtitles
World Premiere
Directed By: Till Schauder
Executive Producer: Abigail Disney
Producers: Sara Nodjoumi, Till Schauder
Cinematographer: Till Schauder
Editor: David Teague
Music: Shahin Nadjafi, Jadugaran, ZedBazi, A2, Kareem Roustum
Featuring: Kevin Sheppard, Leah Sheppard, Hilda, Laleh , Elaheh, Abdullah, Zoran “Z” Milicic, Center, Kami Jamshidvand, Forward, Ali Doraghi, Center, Mehdi Shirjang, Forward, Gholamreza Khajeh, Team Owner, Asadollah Kabir, Coach, Fereidoon Reisi, Manager, Mohammad Ahmadi, Analysis Coach, Ehsan, Driver
Producers: Sara Nodjoumi, Till Schauder
Cinematographer: Till Schauder
Editor: David Teague
Music: Shahin Nadjafi, Jadugaran, ZedBazi, A2, Kareem Roustum
Featuring: Kevin Sheppard, Leah Sheppard, Hilda, Laleh , Elaheh, Abdullah, Zoran “Z” Milicic, Center, Kami Jamshidvand, Forward, Ali Doraghi, Center, Mehdi Shirjang, Forward, Gholamreza Khajeh, Team Owner, Asadollah Kabir, Coach, Fereidoon Reisi, Manager, Mohammad Ahmadi, Analysis Coach, Ehsan, Driver
Director Till Schauder spent a year in Iran with journeyman American pro basketball player Kevin Sheppard, who signed on to play for the upstart Iranian Super League team A.S. Shiraz as one of two non-Iranian players (his roommate is a giant Serb). This lively, well-told tale is not simply a standard “fish out of water” sports doc: it’s also a snapshot of the radical fissures in Iranian society. Sheppard, a gregarious charmer, makes friends wherever he goes and forms a fascinating relationship with three strong, independent Iranian women who bristle at the restrictions of an oppressive theocracy. Their touching, unlikely bond makes for an illuminating study in cross cultural understanding.
Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke
plays in Shorts Program 2
Short Film Competition
(USA, 2011, 12 mins)
Directed By: Jillian Mayer,
Lucas Leyva
Executive Producer: Evan Rosenfeld
Producers: Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva
Screenwriter: Lucas Leyva
Editor: Lucas Leyva
Cast: Luther Campbell, Rob Maya, Mabel Gonzalez, Shira Abergel, Taryn Lombardi, Lana Melisso, Kiki Mora, Ana Trevino, Jillian Mayer, Carlos Rigau, Eric Cade Shoenborn, Elizabeth Sky, Sterling Rook, Rob Maya, Sasha Vaziri, Nick Ducassi, Orlando Estrada, Maurice Pierre, Richard Freedberg, Jennifer Lopez, Julian Rodriguez, Ella Pia, Lucas Leyva, Sylvester The Kat Man, Judy Freedberg, Jessica Gross, Nancy Trevino, Candy Molina
Producers: Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva
Screenwriter: Lucas Leyva
Editor: Lucas Leyva
Cast: Luther Campbell, Rob Maya, Mabel Gonzalez, Shira Abergel, Taryn Lombardi, Lana Melisso, Kiki Mora, Ana Trevino, Jillian Mayer, Carlos Rigau, Eric Cade Shoenborn, Elizabeth Sky, Sterling Rook, Rob Maya, Sasha Vaziri, Nick Ducassi, Orlando Estrada, Maurice Pierre, Richard Freedberg, Jennifer Lopez, Julian Rodriguez, Ella Pia, Lucas Leyva, Sylvester The Kat Man, Judy Freedberg, Jessica Gross, Nancy Trevino, Candy Molina
Uncle Luke of 2 Live Crew travels back in time to revisit his memories in this revamp of La Jeteé.
LUV
Free Screenings
(USA, 2012, 96 mins)
Directed By: Sheldon Candis
Executive Producer: Thomas B. Fore
Producers: Jason Michael Berman, W. Michael Jenson, Gordon Bijelonic, Datari Turner, Joel Newton, James Rosenthal, Common, Derek Dudley
Screenwriters: Sheldon Candis, Justin Wilson
Cinematographer: Gavin Kelly
Editor: Jeff Wishengrad
Music: Nuno Malo, Blaqstarr
Cast: Common, Michael Rainey Jr., Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Michael Kenneth Williams, Meagan Good
Producers: Jason Michael Berman, W. Michael Jenson, Gordon Bijelonic, Datari Turner, Joel Newton, James Rosenthal, Common, Derek Dudley
Screenwriters: Sheldon Candis, Justin Wilson
Cinematographer: Gavin Kelly
Editor: Jeff Wishengrad
Music: Nuno Malo, Blaqstarr
Cast: Common, Michael Rainey Jr., Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Michael Kenneth Williams, Meagan Good
Eleven-year-old Woody is a bright, softspoken boy who lives with his grandmother and uncle Vincent. One day, Vincent, who is trying to launch a legit business venture after a stretch in prison, decides to teach the boy how to be a man. Despite his best efforts, however, Vincent finds it difficult to shed his former life, and soon Woody is learning far more — about his uncle and himself — than he ever expected.Boasting two remarkable performances by Common and young Michael Rainey, Jr., LUV is a compelling look at two people, one struggling to escape his past and the other looking ahead to an uncertain future.
Film Independent’s Project Involve is supported by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, HBO, Sony Pictures, Time Warner Foundation, and Wild Fire Post Production.
Middle Of Nowhere
Galas
(USA, 2012, 99 mins)
Directed By: Ava DuVernay
Producers: Howard Barish, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes
Screenwriter: Ava DuVernay
Cinematographer: Bradford Young
Editor: Spencer Averick
Music: Kathryn Bostic
Cast: Emayatzy Corinealdi, Omari Hardwick, David Oyelowo, Lorraine Toussaint, Sharon Lawrence, Edwina Findley
Screenwriter: Ava DuVernay
Cinematographer: Bradford Young
Editor: Spencer Averick
Music: Kathryn Bostic
Cast: Emayatzy Corinealdi, Omari Hardwick, David Oyelowo, Lorraine Toussaint, Sharon Lawrence, Edwina Findley
How do you maintain a marriage — and your own identity — when your husband has been sentenced to prison for eight years? That is the dilemma facing Ruby, the protagonist of Ava DuVernay’s elegant and powerful new movie. Ruby makes big sacrifices, giving up medical school to focus on her efforts to free her man and maintain her marriage. But is her husband the man she thinks he is? A powerful portrait of a strong woman contending with conflicting feelings of love, guilt and inconvenient desire, Middle of Nowhere marks the arrival of a bold new voice in independent cinema.
An Oversimplification of her Beauty
Summer Showcase
(France , USA, 2011, 90 mins)
Directed By: Terence Nance
Producers: Terence Nance, James Bartlett, Andrew Corkin
Screenwriter: Terence Nance
Cinematographers: Matthew E. Bray, Shawn Peters
Editor: Terence Nance
Cast: Terence Nance, Namik Minter, Chanelle Pearson
Screenwriter: Terence Nance
Cinematographers: Matthew E. Bray, Shawn Peters
Editor: Terence Nance
Cast: Terence Nance, Namik Minter, Chanelle Pearson
“You seem to have captured the attention of an intriguing young lady… you see that you’ve missed a call. There’s a voice mail; she tells you that she won’t be seeing you tonight.” Thus begins a simple love story, but before there was this film, there was a short. This is the meta-textual story of that short and the story of showing the girl in question the short.Popping off the screen with explosive style and energy, director and star Terence Nance adapts and expands his previous film like a musician remixing and improving a classic song. His film playfully pushes the cinematic envelope while plumbing the depths of heartbreak.
Question Bridge: Black Males
Free Screenings
(USA, 2012, 75 mins)
Directed By: Chris Johnson,
Hank Willis Thomas
Producers: Bayeté Ross Smith, Kamal Sinclair, Deborah Willis, Delroy Lindo, Jesse Williams
Cinematographer: Chris Johnson
Editors: Will Sylvester, Rosa White
Cinematographer: Chris Johnson
Editors: Will Sylvester, Rosa White
It’s easy to engage individuals in conversation, but how does one engage a broad community? This multimedia project from artists Chris Johnson and Hank Willis Thomas, along with Bayeté Ross Smith and Kamal Sinclair, provides a unique opportunity for dialogue between black men nationwide. For the past four years, Johnson and company have traveled to eleven cities, recording African-American men asking candid questions on camera, which were then answered by other men, who might live next door or thousands of miles away. Stretching across more than just geographic boundaries, but also generational and class divides, Question Bridge is redefining the black male experience in 21st century America.
Record / Play
plays in Shorts Program 4
Short Film Competition
(USA, 2012, 11 mins)
In English, Bosnian with English subtitles
World Premiere
Directed By: Jesse Atlas
Executive Producer: Thom Fennessey
Producers: Chris Bryant, Thom Fennessey
Screenwriter: Aaron Wolfe
Cinematographer: Blake McClure
Editor: Aaron Wolfe
Music: Jesse Atlas
Cast: Mustafa Shakir, Deepti Gupta, Seth Dimarco, Daniyar
Producers: Chris Bryant, Thom Fennessey
Screenwriter: Aaron Wolfe
Cinematographer: Blake McClure
Editor: Aaron Wolfe
Music: Jesse Atlas
Cast: Mustafa Shakir, Deepti Gupta, Seth Dimarco, Daniyar
War, fate and a broken Walkman transcend time in this sci-fi love story.
Sunday
Future Filmmaker Showcase
(USA, 2011, 6 mins)
Directed By: Mallory McDaniel
Producers: Erin Cole, Mallory McDaniel
Screenwriter: Mallory McDaniel
Cinematographers: Erin Cole, Mallory McDaniel
Editors: Erin Cole, Mallory McDaniel
Screenwriter: Mallory McDaniel
Cinematographers: Erin Cole, Mallory McDaniel
Editors: Erin Cole, Mallory McDaniel
Sunday follows a young refugee from Africa who came to the United States with his family after fleeing war-torn Sudan.
Support provided by: 