2016 LA Femme International Film Festival Announces Key Sponsors

The 12th Annual LA Femme International Film Festival (LAFIFF) announces that CBS Entertainment Diversity, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), and Comcast NBC Universal are leading the key sponsors for this year's festival. The festival will take place from October 20- 23 at the Laemmle Theatres in Beverly Hills.

CBS Entertainment has returned for 2016 after a successful first year sponsorship with LAFIFF. CBS Entertainment Diversity selected and interviewed one-on-one the winner of the Best TV Pilot ("Vigilante Theorem" by Meghan Fitzmartin), the runner up in the TV Pilot category ("Enlisted" by Carol Garlick) and the winner of Best Short ("Bound" by Lexi St. John). Following the success of the initial program, CBS has now secured the naming rights for the TV Pilot category winner this year. The award will be called the CBS Entertainment Diversity TV Pilot Award. Once again, CBS Entertainment Diversity will read the winning TV Pilot scripts and meet with some of the selected winners.

SPE will screen Sony Pictures Television's pilot for its new series Good Girls Revolt, followed by a Q&A session with the series creative team. The panel will be followed by an After PARTY ON Friday, October 21 at 7PM.

SPE's Diversity and Inclusion program seeks to create a working environment where differences are celebrated and each employee can feel valued and respected. In so doing, SPE is aligned with LAFIFF's mission to change the industry's corporate culture for women in film and television in order to provide them with more opportunities in which to utilize their creative talents and interests.

First time sponsor Comcast NBCUniversal will host a filmmakers table to showcase the NBCUniversal Talent Infusion Programs (NBCU TIPS) that promote and encourage people of diverse backgrounds to become the next generation of storytellers. Attendees will have the opportunity to learns about the 21 NBCU TIPS programs that include the Writers on the Verge Program, StandUp NBC and the Emerging Director Program, whose alumni are celebrated producers, writers, directors and actors in the entertainment industry. The NBCU TIPS filmmakers table will take place at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, October 23, at 7PM, at the Los Angeles Theater Center.

Columbia College Hollywood will sponsor the panel "Point of Entry to Industry: Short Films or Web Series" which will be held at the college, 18618 Oxnard St, Tarzana, California, on Saturday October 15th at 1 P.M. A second presentation of this panel will be held on October 22nd at 11 A.M. in the LA Femme Festival screening room at the London Hotel. The panel is composed of experts who have succeeded and will provide a tangible path for attendees to do the same.

LAFIFF has dramatically helped change the culture of women creating content in media. As the leading boutique women's festival in the country, LAFIFF has been a forerunner in enhancing the opportunities for those women breaking into entertainment.

TV writing is experiencing a resurgence as narrative TV shows are winning audiences with compelling storylines. Companies as CBS, NBC/Universal, Sony, ABC and new media companies such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon are some of the leaders in this new TV age drama/comedy surge. Demand for qualified and talented TV writers is at an all-time high.

LAFIFF is a four-day festival that screens more than 100 films and hosts special screenings, seminars, and networking mixers. The 2016 festival is the 12th season launching October 20-23, 2016 at the Laemmle Theatres in Beverly Hills on Wilshire Blvd. with amazing seminars sponsored by SAG-AFTRA, WGA West, The Governor's Office of Film and Entertainment State of Florida, and Columbia College Hollywood. Go to www.lafemme.org to purchase Early Bird Tickets. The festival culminates Sunday night with an Awards Show honoring and celebrating Female Hollywood Entertainment Professionals and Celebrities on October 23, 2016.

LAFIFF has celebrated the careers of such notable talented executives and performers such as: Patty Jenkins (Monster), Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda 2), Angela Bassett (What's Love Got to Do With It), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Diablo Cody (Juno), Vivica FOX (Kill Bill), Rosanna Arquette (After Hours), Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City), Katherine Fugate (Army Wives), and Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids).

Other sponsors include SAG-AFTRA National Women's Committee, Writers Guild America (WGA) West Women's Committee, The Governor's Office of Film and Entertainment State of Florida, Cinema Collaboratorium, Holland's Sun Cat Productions, Dollhouse Makeup and many more.

Visit the website at www.lafemme.org.

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