Sundance Next Fest to head for Ace Hotel in downtown L.A.

Sundance Institute will present the Sundance Next Fest on Aug. 7-10 headquartered at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The event will include feature and short film screenings, some paired with live musical performances.

The festival will kick off with a screening of a classic cult film at Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Last year’s Next Weekend festival started in a similar fashion, with an outdoor double-feature of “American Movie” and “Coven.”

The program looks to get the most out of the recently renovated space, which is capable of handling film showings and live concerts. The first event held in the venue since it became part of the boutique Ace Hotel was a performance by the group Spiritualized, and the first movie shown there was the L.A. premiere of the Scarlett Johansson space alien picture “Under the Skin.”

“At its core, Next Fest is about celebrating artists who push creative boundaries,” John Cooper, director of the Sundance Film Festival, said in a statement. “This unique program presents an opportunity for audiences in Los Angeles to explore the outer edges and intersections of film and music.”

Since its launch in 2010 at the annual Sundance Film Festival, the Next section has become a hotbed of discovery, with notable launches for such films as “Compliance,” “Bellflower” and “sound of my voice.”

Last year’s Next Weekend, held in West Hollywood, featured films from Sundance’s 2013 Next section such as “A Teacher,” “This Is Martin Bonner,” “Blue Caprice,” “It Felt Like Love” and “Newlyweeds.” The program also featured the documentary “Cutie and the Boxer,” which would go on to an Oscar nomination, alongside the world premieres of “The Foxy Merkins” and “How To Be a Man.”

The Next section at the 2014 edition of Sundance featured two of the biggest breakout titles from the festival overall, “Land Ho!” and “Obvious Child.” Other films in the section this year that garnered much attention and discussion included “Listen Up Philip,” “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” “Appropriate Behavior,” “Memphis” and “Ping Pong Summer.”

Programming for Next Fest is expected to be announced in June.

Robert Redford, president and founder of Sundance Institute, said in a statement: “Independent artists working in film and music have a profound impact on our culture, but there are few opportunities to enjoy them side by side. Next Fest will break down those barriers and explore what these artists and audiences have in common -- an appreciation for exceptional creative vision.”

For more information about Next Fest visit sundance.org/next.