Dances With Films Sets Festival Lineup, Speakers For First Films Series – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: Los Angeles’ Dances with Films has announced the lineup for its 2021 film festival, setting Oscar nominees Paul Greengrass and Michael London as the speakers for its inaugural First Films series.

The Dances With Films festival, which had to go virtual in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, is returning for an in-person 24th edition at the TCL Chinese Theatre, between August 26 and September 12. It kicks off on the 26th with an opening night carpet celebration at the Roosevelt Hotel.

This year’s festival will showcase 40 Narrative Features, 100 Narrative Shorts, 31 Documentaries, 30 Midnight films, 26 Downbeat titles, 27 pilots, and 23 titles in the category of Dances with Kids.

Features on the lineup include Matthew Ya-Hsiung Balzer’s The Catch, starring Kyle Gallner, James McMenamin, Katia Winter and Thomas Kee; Generation Wrecks starring Heather Matarazzo and Emily Bergl; Ryan McDonough and Sean Gannet’s Last Night in Rozzie starring Jeremy Sisto and Neil Brown Jr.; Dan Lantz’s Alpha Rift starring Lance Henriksen; Talia Lugacy’s This is Not a War Story, produced by Rosario Dawson and starring Frances Fisher and Sam Adegoke; and Jon Sherman’s They/Them/Us, starring Amy Hargreaves and Joey Slotnick.

Others to look out for include Voodoo Macbeth, Alek Lev’s What?, Gina M. Garica’s Untold: This is My Story, Lane Michael Stanley’s Addict Named Hal, Josh Hope’s Alex/October, Charlotte Louise Spencer and Alejandro Lopez’s Evan Wood, and Paula Rhodes’ Delicate State, among others.

Shorts that will screen at the festival include Robbie Bryan and Stephen Dexter’s American Morning, starring Emmy winner Richard Schiff; Class, executive produced by Hank Azaria, Enzo Cellucci and Ash McNair and starring David Krumholtz; Oscar nominee Melisa Wallack and Scott Ashby’s Raymond; Nora Mariana Salim and Rami Kodeih’s Alina, starring Alia Shawkat and Sean Harmon; Party Hog, starring Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes, and more.

The First Films speaker series will kick off on September 1st, as producer Michael London (Sideways) joins writer-producer John McNamara for a conversation surrounding his incredible rise in the film industry. Their chat will be followed by a screening of London’s award-winning film, Trumbo, starring Bryan Cranston.

Director Paul Greengrass (News of the World) will be joining DWF:LA live via satellite, on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, for a conversation with producer Lloyd Levin, to be followed by a screening of his Oscar nominated film United 93.

As previously announced, this year’s festival will open with the world premiere of the documentary The Art of Protest, which was financed by rocker Dave Navarro of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and features interviews with Navarro, Tom Morello, Moby, Shepard Fairey, Pussy Riot and more. Closing the festival on September 12 is writer-director Mars Roberge’s Mister Sister.

DWF:LA is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the United States and remains dedicated to creating opportunities and launching careers of exceptionally talented artists based on their talent alone.

You can buy tickets to the 2021 festival by clicking here.