Arclight Cinemas & Slamdance Announce Inaugural EMERGENCE LOS ANGELES Film Festival Lineup

ArcLight Cinemas and Slamdance today announced THE LINEUP for their inaugural Emergence Film Festival, taking place March 26th - 29th at ArcLight Cinemas' Hollywood location. THE LINEUP includes both premieres and Slamdance Park City festival favorites and will showcase Features, Shorts, and Episodics along with Slamdance's signature categories Anarchy and DIG. This new partnership is an extension of the two organizations' successful Slamdance Cinema Club screening series. Tickets and passes are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased online and at the theater. Passes can be purchased in advance through the Slamdance website here.

The lineup is comprised overwhelmingly of local filmmakers, with a Los Angeles connection for 90% of the features, further supporting the local independent film community. There will be eight features with a mix between documentaries and narratives, nineteen shorts and episodes, 11 Anarchy shorts and four DIG experiences. All feature films are directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1 million USD and without US distribution. Films were selected by a team of Slamdance alumni and are programmed democratically. Feature Films and Shorts will be eligible for an audience award and ArcLight Cinemas will award the Shorts winner with distribution across its chain. Photos of selected films available here.

"With the launch of Emergence, we're proud to unveil a robust program comprised of exciting fresh voices in filmmaking, many with ties to Los Angeles," said Kevin Holloway, Vice President, Film Marketing & Operations, ArcLight Cinemas. "Alongside Slamdance, we look forward to uniting our respective audiences to discover and celebrate this creative community."

Slamdance Co-founder and President Peter Baxter said, "In collaboration with ArcLight Cinemas our new Emergence program shows the art of filmmaking is brilliantly alive with a next generation of artists. It's not just their diverse characters that are taking us on a journey, it's our gutsy filmmakers too. Get to know them and join us at the beginning of their ride."

18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story opens the festival with its World Premiere. Directed by first-time filmmaker Stephen DeBro, the feature documentary brings to life the rich history of Los Angeles' Olympic Auditorium which was LA's answer to Madison Square Garden. For eighty years the Olympic Auditorium was the most viscerally entertaining show in town, but as the auditorium fell to shady promoters and bad business, the building owner took a chance on a single mother who had never seen a pro fight. Taking over in the midst of World War II, Aileen Eaton built a sports empire that lasted nearly four decades, launching stars and becoming the most powerful boxing promoter in America. Jungle Fire, who scored 18th and Grand, will play a live musical performance following its world premiere.

Additional features include the World Premiere of director Lyle Kash's narrative Death and Bowling, which follows two transgender men who meet at the funeral of the esteemed captain of a lesbian bowling league in Los Angeles, as well as the Slamdance Park City favorite Residue, a debut feature directed by Merawi Gerima in which a young filmmaker returns home after many years away to write a script about his childhood, only to find his neighborhood rendered unrecognizable by gentrification and his childhood friends scattered to the wind.

Short film Piggy, a horror story about teenage bullying written and directed by Carlota Pereda, will also play the festival. Pereda was awarded the AGBO Fellowship at Slamdance Park City last month. Presented by Slamdance alumni Joe and Anthony Russo, along with their colleagues at their AGBO production company, the $25,000 prize is designed to enable a deserving filmmaker the opportunity to continue their journey with mentorship from Joe and Anthony as well as development support from their studio.

Piggy is part of the signature Anarchy section, which comprises ten short films that defy easy definition and embrace all manner of aesthetics.

Slamdance will also showcase its (D)igital, (I)nteractive and (G)aming program with a special presentation of four works including Sloppy Forgeries by developer Jonah Warren. Sloppy Forgeries is a fast-paced, two-player local multiplayer painting game. Each player is given a mouse, a blank canvas, and a few simple paint tools. In each round, a famous painting from art history is revealed. Players race to copy the painting as quickly and accurately as possible. Additional works include Vertigo AI by Chris Peters, Bluster Blunder by Justin Ankenbauer, Clay Brooks and David Fraile, Art In Motion by Matevosyan and Chain Tripping by Yacht. DIG is free to all ticket and passholders.

Feature film Wasteland and DIG entry Chain Tripping will both bring a musical component to the festival. Wasteland will have a live musical score

Emergence will also present Slamdance's Polytechnic education program sponsored by Sigma Corporation of America with early afternoon workshops on screenwriting, music composition and exhibition involving alumni and industry professionals. Slamdance's Polytechnic originated from the very simple goal: to teach others what we wish we knew before picking up a camera. Firmly rooted in reality, each seminar focuses on empowering emerging artists working with limited budgets.

2020 Full Line-up Below:

FEATURES
18th and Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story - (USA) World Premiere - OPENING NIGHT
Director: Stephen DeBro
The story of a faded fight arena and the remarkable woman who ran it reveals the violent and colorful history of Los Angeles.
Featuring: John Doe, Mamie Van Doren, Dick Enberg, Jimmy Lennon, Julio César Chávez, James Ellroy, Carlos Palomino, Gene LeBell

Beware of Dog - (USA, Russia, Germany)
Director/ Screenwriter: Nadia Bedzhanova
Three young adults experience parallel struggles with mental health and identity. In Moscow a woman struggles with severe OCD, while her cousin in Berlin tries to build a romantic relationship ignoring her own mental condition. Meanwhile in New York City, a heartbroken boxer faces addiction and lack of self worth in the aftermath of a break-up.
Cast: Marina Vasileva, Buddy Duress, Paula Knüpling, Marina Prados, Kevin Iso, Pavel Tabakov

The Bloodhound - (USA) - World Premiere
Director/ Screenwriter: Patrick Picard
A visit to a wealthy and reclusive friend lands a young man in a world of fear and despair.
Cast: Liam Aiken, Joe Adler, Annalise Basso

Death and Bowling - (USA) World Premiere
Director/ Screenwriter: Lyle Kash
Two transgender men meet at the funeral of the esteemed captain of a lesbian bowling league in Los Angeles.
Cast: Will Krisanda, Tracy Kowalski, Denise Turkan, Leontine White Foster, D'Lo

Residue - (USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Merawi Gerima
A young filmmaker returns home after many years away to write a script about his childhood, only to find his neighborhood unrecognizable and his childhood friends scattered to the wind.
Cast: Obinna Nwachukwu, Dennis Lindsey, Taline Stewart

Sanzaru - (USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Xia Magnus
When a mild Filipina nurse is hired by an elderly woman declining into dementia, the walls between this world and the next crumble as she uncovers her employer's shocking family secret.
Cast: Aina Dumlao, Justin Arnold, Jayne Taini, Jon Viktor Corpuz

Thunderbolt in Mine Eye - (USA)
Director: Sarah Sherman, Zachary Ray Sherman Screenwriters: Sarah Sherman
A brainy fourteen-year-old embarks on an awkward but heartfelt first love relationship with her brother's best friend while exploring her budding feminism and a gender double standard at their high school.
Cast: Anjini Taneja Azhar, Quinn Liebling

Wasteland - (USA)
Director: Jonni Phillips Screenwriters: Jonni Phillips, Jenna Caravello, Haein Michelle Heo
An anthological animated film following several different characters living in a chaotic and overwhelming Wasteland. This feature program will be accompanied by a live musical score.
Cast: Jenna Caravello, Haein Michelle Heo, Charlotte Pryce, Gary Mairs, Aster Pang, Victoria Vincent, Rob Gilliam, Isabel Higgins

SHORTS AND EPISODES

Apricot "Popcorn" - (USA)
Creators/ Directors/ Screenwriters: Sam Icklow, Jake Thompson
Marrying the verve of social media with sketch comedy absurdism, besties Sam and Jake equally celebrate and lampoon our kaleidoscopic consumer world with wit and whimsy. In 'Popcorn', our fashionable jokesters get a hankering for everyone's favorite movie-time snack.
Cast: Jake Thompson, Sam Icklow

Ava's Dating a Senior! - (USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Frederic Da
Silas is a freshman in high school. He's in love with Ava, a girl in his grade- but rumor has it she is dating a senior.
Cast: Silas Mitchell, Ava Cooper, Archie Thorpe, Loulou Baltz

Don't Buy Milk - (UK, Costa Rica)
Director/ Screenwriter: Julian Gallese
A whimsical portrait of a small dairy town.

Eat When You're Hungry - (USA)
Directors/ Screenwriters: Malcolm Rizzuto & Spencer Garrison
A family learns to eat.
Cast: Malcolm Rizzuto, Nollee Pagaduan, Spencer Garrison

For All Audiences - (USA)
Director: Josh Weissbach
A trailer of an experiment searches for meaning in a moldy montage.

Greetings, from the Planet Krog! - (Canada, USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Yani Gellman
A young mother is stolen away to the furthest corners of the galaxy and must escape an alien prison to return home and free her own child.
Cast: Kendall Wright, Oliver Orlovski, Julia Hune - Brown

Hot and Tasty - (UK)
Director: Laura Jayne Hodkin Screenwriter: Laura Jayne Hodkin, Simona Mehandzhieva
Two drunk friends accidentally walk into a crime scene.
Cast: Anna Chloe Moorey, Emmy Rose

It's Been Too Long - (USA)
Director: Amber Schaefer Screenwriters: David Ebert, Krista Jensen
When two ex-lovers meet at a rarely-used Aspen lodge to reignite their passions, they must first confess their past sins.
Cast: David Ebert, Krista Jensen

Mate - (USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Chaerin Im
A mating ritual on print, plate, and reflection. An experimental film combining animation, printmaking, and photography.

Molly's Single - (USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Ariel Gardner
After a devastating break-up, a guilt-ridden amateur singer seeks solace through a series of encounters with prospective suitors.
Cast: Magi Calcagne, Aaron Alberstein, Robby Massey, Brodie Reed

My Favorite Food is Indian Tacos, my Favorite Drink is Iced Tea and my Favorite Thing is Drumming - (Canada)
Director: Derius Matchewan
A film about courage, and the passion for drumming and traditional singing that young Derius shares with his friends.

Now 2 - (USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Kevin Eskew
Who's grooming whom? A glossy glimpse into a meticulously manicured suburbia.

Old Young - (USA)
Director: Emma Baiada
Following 92 year old Ruth Young and 53 year old David Maitz, OLD YOUNG is a film about companionship, coins, life, and death.

One Nation Under - (USA)
Director: Justin McHugh
One Nation Under is an investigation into what it means to be an American, questioning idyllic notions of freedom and power by observing the structures around us and hearing from the people overshadowed by them.

The Real Thing - (USA)
Director: Julianna Villarosa
Using physical media (16mm, VHS) destroyed by Coca-Cola, "The Real Thing" contrasts the famous ad "I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke" with The Coca-Cola Company's most recent scandal: unconscionable water privatization in Chiapas, Mexico.

Spontaneous - (USA)
Director: Lori Felker
You never know when someone is miscarrying; it could be happening right next to you.

Take One Thing Off "All the Pretty Bottles" - (USA)
Creator/ Screenwriter: Scout Durwood Director: Bruce Allen
An evolving personal odyssey based on original music from cabaret star Scout Durwood's debut album, this short form series fuses sketch comedy with music videos as fans follow Scout's transition from a NYC dive bar star to becoming an LA-based internet legend.
Cast: Scout Durwood, Graham Beckett, Dre Swain, Nikkilette Wright

There Were Four of Us - (USA, China)
Director/ Screenwriter: Cassie Shao
In a room, there are four people. A dreamstate mystery evoked by obscure characters and a mind-melting blend of digital and analog materials.
Cast: Joseph O'Malley, Cassie Shao

Two Words - (USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Jordan Michael Blake
A recently engaged couple deals with the stress of competing for $10,000 on a public access gameshow.
Cast: Anu Valia, Jordan Michael Blake & Brendan O'Brien

Department of Anarchy

The History of Nipples - (UK) US Premiere
Director/ Screenwriter: Bailey Tom Bailey
Ron asks 'What are my nipples for?' and falls into a personal crisis for which he can find only one drastic solution.
Cast: Joseph Macnab, Lily Wood, Ronan Cullen, Ville Loikkanen, Travis Booth Millard

The Incredibly Short Life of Peter Panties - (USA) World Premiere
Director/ Screenwriter: Daniel Abril
Young Peter is born into a world at the mercy of his drunken mother's many lovers, and one night, he wakes up to find one of those men in bed with him, reshaping his life forever.
Cast: Mauricio Bermudez

The Loop - (USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Rich Ragsdale
An homage to campy 1980s VHS horror and the weird kids that stayed up on Friday night to watch it.
Cast: Kevin Ragsdale, Shane Almagor, Mosh, Will Abbott, Grace Westlin

Moneybag Head - (USA) World Premiere
Director/ Screenwriter: Patrick O'Brien
Dennis is searching for human connection despite having a head that looks like a literal bag of money.
Cast: Chris Grace, Cathryn Mudon, Henry Rollins, Rachel Winfree, Mike O'Gorman, Saladin Florence

Nevermore - (USA) - LOCAL
Director/ Screenwriter: Joshua Franco
A paranoid raven writer trying to overcome writer's block.

The Onion House - (USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Corey Householder
A Pretentious Student Art Film about Capitalism... and it's all fake.

Over/Under - (USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Dia Jenet
A game for two.
Cast: Dia Jenet

Piggy - (Spain)
Director/ Screenwriter: Carlota Pereda
For Sara, being a teen can be a real horror story.
Cast: Laura Galán, Paco Hidalgo, Elizabet Casanovas, Mireia Vilapuig

The Procedure Part 2 - (USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Calvin Lee Reeder
A man is forced to endure another strange experiment.
Cast: Christian Palmer, Terry Sequel

Reminiscences of the Green Revolution - (Philippines, USA)
Director/ Screenwriter: Dean Colin Marcial
A ghost story about love and eco-terrorism in the Philippines.
Cast: Annicka Dolonius, Sid Lucero, Madeleine Humphries, Alex Vincent Medina, and Abner Delina Jr.

Risen - (Australia) World Premiere
Director/ Screenwriter: Tony Radevski
A stray teen must quickly learn the rules of survival in a strange floating drug world.
Cast: Zen McGrath, Bernie van Tiel

DIG projects

Art In Motion by Matevosyan
6 classic painted masterpieces are recreated using real actors, set design, lighting, costumes and slow motion cameras.

Bluster Blunder by Justin Ankenbauer, Clay Brooks and David Fraile
Bluster Blunder is an absurdist racing game in which players blow into modified Nintendo Entertainment System cartridges to advance their character.

Chain Tripping by Yacht
Chain Tripping is an album by the band YACHT that was created using a range of different machine learning techniques in both its musical and lyrical composition, employing latent space interpolation, character-recurrent neural networks, and neural audio generation in combination with a DIY cut-up writing method to create very human music.

Sloppy Forgeries by Jonah Warren
A minimalist take on "competitive painting," where the goal of the game is to quickly and accurately recreate famous artworks from history. Sloppy Forgeries playfully engages with issues of artistic merit, creation, authenticity, ownership, and skill.

Vertigo AI by Chris Peters
An artificial intelligence watched Hitchcock's Vertigo 20 times in a row and then made its own disturbing movie.

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