The 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival gets a new neighborhood after four years in Westwood. Following the parent company's Film Independent's moving the Independent Spirit Awards from Santa Monica to Downtown LA this year (June 17-27), the high-profile festival will showcase its screenings in several venues there, with LA Live, the sprawling entertainment campus whose tenants include the Staples Center, Regal Cinemas and the Grammy Museum, among others, serving as the designated hub. The festival will also present its screenings and events at the REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater), the Downtown Independent, the Orpheum Theatre and California Plaza. And LAFF will continue its tradition of nighttime screenings at the outdoor John Anson Ford Amphitheater in Hollywood.
"The festival's move to downtown Los Angeles allows us a unique opportunity to celebrate the history and future of our City," said Festival Director Rebecca Yeldham in a statement. "Our new location will continue to pave the way for LAFF to realize its potential as an international destination event, and unites our filmmakers and audiences with the diverse arts community that exists downtown.
LAFF is currently working on the fine details of the move, including tackling the high-price of parking downtown. Elise Freimuth, publicity manager at Film Independent, the parent company of the Los Angeles Film Festival, says "We've actually negotiated a parking rate for Festival patrons at LA Live: It will be $5 for the first 4 hours and $8 for the whole day...Plus, we're arranging free shuttles on the weekend to go between the venues."
More updates to come as they are announced. Get more information at the Los Angeles Film Festival website.