Lilla Films is proud to announce the DVD/VOD release of the new feature documentary film Ballroom Confidential, directed by award-winning filmmaker Brian Lilla (Patagonia Rising, Tale Of Two Bondage Models), on Tuesday, February 11, 2014. Ballroom Confidential is an emotional ride that follows a group of vivacious senior women and their younger dance instructors, as they find a new life through ballroom dance. The film paints a portrait of a vibrant community that refuses to let aging and loss interfere with having a good time. Read the rest of this entry »

Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, the performance space at Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles, is pleased to present Résolument Animés, a trip into the world of French animation on Thursday, January 16, 2014.  Résolument Animés (Resolutely Animated) showcases a collection of animated shorts that highlight the unbridled creativity of France’s new generation of animation directors.  The program is intended for an adult audience, though appropriate for ages 15 and up.  Cheese and wine will be served during the intermission between the two parts of the program (roughly 45 minutes each).  Résolument Animés will start at 7:30pm at Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, which is located at 10361 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90064 (310-286-0553).  Read the rest of this entry »

Hybrid Cinema is pleased to announce the DVD release of global graffiti documentary Bomb It 2, by award-winning filmmaker-author Jon Reiss on Tuesday, November 5, 2013 via MVD Entertainment Group.  Going where no graffiti doc has gone before, in this follow-up to his explosive street art documentary Bomb It, Reiss travels to Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and beyond, exploring local graffiti scenes and speaking to local artists.  Graffiti and street artists featured include Ash Keating, Bon, Great Bates, Husk Mit Navn, Klone, Know Hope, Phibs, Stormie Mills, Vexta, Victor Ash, Xeme, and many others.  In keeping with the international approach to the film, Bomb It 2 had premieres on five continents – North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.  August 6th saw Bomb It 2’s VOD (Video On Demand) release on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Xbox, Google/YouTube and the Bomb It 2 website.  VOD via Hulu and Netflix are also scheduled for this fall.

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The Republic of South Africa’s Department of Arts and Culture will bring its South African Arts Festival 2013 (SAAF), a weekend of South African film and music, to Downtown Los Angeles for the first time, with events on Friday, October 4 through Sunday October 6, 2013. The inaugural SAAF 2013 will showcase seven South African films and seven musical artists representing the diversity of the South African experience at free events over two days.  Highlights include Saturday’s outdoor “South African Music Festival” at Grand Performances and a day of South African films screening on Sunday at Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 and Grand Performances.  Friday’s private preview and the Sunday closing night event both combine the screening of a South African feature film with an invitation-only reception.  Screenings will include animation, narrative, and documentary works.  Read the rest of this entry »

Theatre Raymond Kabbaz (TRK) presents A Journey Through Advertising, the second installment of TRK’s short film series, a presentation of thought-provoking, stylish and humorous ads from France and beyond, on Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 7:30pm.  The presentation features a selection of advertisements, in French, English, and Spanish (with subtitles in English as needed), including shockvertisements, prevention ads, advertisements related to the environment, spots on junk consumption, as well as ads which fuel the obsession for a perfect body.  Complimentary wine and cheese will be served at intermission.  The program is not suitable for children under the age of 12.  This event is made possible by La Maison de la Pub and the Film and TV Office of the Consulate General of France in Los Angeles.  Read the rest of this entry »

American Masters Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, premiering nationally Friday, December 28, 2012 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings), tells the story of the first quintessentially American dance company, the Joffrey Ballet. Founders Robert Joffrey (12/24/1930 – 3/25/1988) and Gerald Arpino (1/14/1923 – 10/29/2008) revolutionized American dance by combining modern with traditional ballet to create a new and daring art form. Narrated by Tony® and Emmy® Award-winner Mandy Patinkin (Homeland), the 90-minute documentary is the first to chronicle the Joffrey Ballet’s pioneering dance philosophy. Award-winning filmmaker Bob Hercules traces the company’s struggles and triumphs: from its humble beginnings in 1956, touring the United States in a borrowed station wagon, to becoming one of the world’s most exciting and prominent ballet companies.  Read the rest of this entry »

Creative Differences is pleased to announce the Tuesday, November 6, 2012 release of Dinotasia, an animated feature film narrated by Werner Herzog, on DVD/Blu-ray and digital platforms in the U.S. and Canada through Flatiron Film Company, a label of Cinedigm Entertainment Group (NASDAQ: CIDM).  A marriage between classic visual storytelling and CGI dinosaurs, the film is an anthology of humorous prehistoric stories created in the cartoon-style of the Golden Age of animation.  The film is co-directed by long-time Herzog collaborator Erik Nelson and Disney character designer David Krentz.  The DVD/Blue-ray includes the 83-minute feature film plus an extended scene, a mating rites extra story, and a stunning hand-drawn version of the final story.

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Dance Camera West (DCW), recognized internationally for its annual presentation and celebration of dance on screen, announces its 11th annual Dance Camera West Dance Media Film Festival.  This year’s festival takes place at high profile Los Angeles venues including LACMA and The Hammer Museum, from Thursday, June 28 to Saturday, June 30, 2012.  The festival will feature 20 films in four screenings over three days representing work from Italy, France, the UK, Canada, Sweden, France and the US.  Please visit DCW’s website for continuous updates at www.dancecamerawest.org.

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Dance Camera West, in association with Grand Performances and the Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF), presents the Dirty Dancing Dance-A-Long at California Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles on Friday, June 22, 2012 at 7:45pm.  In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Dirty Dancing, this free event will feature a pre-show salsa lesson led by members of the Los Angeles urban Latin dance troupe CONTRA-TIEMPO, followed by a screening of the classic coming of age tale, widely considered one of the best dance films of all time.  Simultaneously onstage, CONTRA-TIEMPO will also act as a “shadow cast” during the film’s key dance sequences.  This pre-festival event ushers in the 11th annual Dance Camera West Dance Media Film Festival, which takes place from Thursday, June 28 to Saturday, June 30, 2012 in Los Angeles at LACMA and the Hammer Museum.

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Docurama Films is pleased to announce that Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, a feature-length documentary, directed by Bob Hercules (Bill T. Jones: A Good Man), will debut on DVD and standard digital platforms on June 12, 2012, following a festival premiere and nationwide theatrical release. The 2012 film chronicles the legendary Joffrey Ballet from its humble beginnings touring the country in a borrowed station wagon to becoming one of the world’s most exciting and prominent ballet companies.  Narrated by Tony® and Emmy® Award winner Mandy Patinkin, the documentary takes a look at this groundbreaking cultural treasure, known as the first truly American dance company.  Included on the single DVD is the 82-minute documentary film; a 12-page collectible booklet; full dress rehearsal of The Green Table ballet; “making of” featurette; deleted scenes (including one on the making of Robert Altman’s film The Company); French, Spanish and German subtitles.

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