News

Ben Dickey

For an event that’s only in its 6th edition, the Louisiana International Film Festival (April 18–22) already seems to have dramatically changed the film landscape of the city of Baton Rouge and nearby towns. Fostering the development of a cinephile community and supporting local creators through its mentorship program, this regional outfit thrives thanks to its carefully selected slate and engaged audiences.

Program Director Ian Birnie, who was has been involved with Liff since its inception in 2013, has consistently assembled a selection of films comprised of accessible crowd-pleasers (this year with Streaker), unexpected foreign language gems (Double Lover), well-crafted American indies (American Animals), and Louisiana-made productions highlighting homegrown talent (Cut Off). Well-attended screenings, even for the more obscure titles, confirmed the notion that people are interested in watching what the fest has to offer beyond the galas and parties.

Choosing Ethan Hawke’s Blaze as the Opening Night...

Despite the lottery-esque sounding odds, the U.S Dramatic Competition section which produces the finest American indie specimens such as Frozen River, Winter’s Bone, Blue Valentine, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station and Whiplash is fairly consistent in terms of quality. Last year’s crop of sixteen have almost all had their theatrical releases with Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter being the last one out of the gates (pegged with an early 2015 release). Last week we individually looked at our top 80 Sundance Film Fest Predictions (you’ll find 30 other titles worth considering in our intro) and below, we’ve split the list into narrative and non-fiction film items and have both identified and color-coded our picks in an AtoZ cheat sheet. You’ll find 2015′s answer to Whiplash located somewhere in the stack below. Click on the individual titles below, for the film’s profile.