Los Angeles Times Joins Film Independent to Present 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival

LOS ANGELES, March 23, 2006 – The Los Angeles Times has created a major alliance with Film Independent to present the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival, it was announced today by Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent, the non-profit organization that produces the event. The Los Angeles Times will now serve as the title Presenter of the Los Angeles Film Festival along with Premier Sponsors In Style, Target, Pop Secret and Intel.

The 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival will be held from Thursday, June 22, to Sunday, July 2, at the event’s new home in Westwood Village.

Through this alliance, The Times will provide a broad range of communication resources and marketing leadership that will significantly augment Film Independent’s efforts to expand the festival. This includes making the festival more interactive – onsite and online – and more accessible to film-lovers of all ages. For example, The Times will be responsible for branding the event and all creative design for the festival in addition to publishing a special Film Festival Program Guide on Sunday, June 18.

“One of our goals at Film Independent is to provide the film community and general audiences access to each other in an environment that encourages interaction and opportunities for discovery,” said Hudson. “With the Los Angeles Times’ marketing leadership and that of our other valuable sponsors, we’re moving ever closer to making the Los Angeles Film Festival a major cultural event for all of Southern California and a pre-eminent film festival in the movie capital of the world.”

“In creating this alliance with Film Independent, The Times will help Film Independent present a world-class entertainment event for all of Southern California to enjoy,” said Los Angeles Times Publisher Jeff Johnson. “Just as the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books has become one of the most popular events of its kind in the country, we envision the Los Angeles Film Festival earning a similar reputation as one of the top film festivals in the world.”

The festival runs from Thursday, June 22, through Sunday, July 2. This year, the festival moves to its new home in Westwood Village. With over 170 feature films and shorts, Westwood Village will showcase these films at 11 theaters within walking distance of each other, with ample, convenient parking, and easy access to shopping and dining, setting the stage for the biggest festival yet. Screenings will be held at Royce Hall, James Bridges Theater and Melnitz Hall on the UCLA campus; and at the Geffen Playhouse, Mann Village Theatre, Landmark Regent Theatre, Italian Cultural Institute, Mann Festival Theater, Mann National Theater, Hammer Museum and the Majestic Crest Theater.

In addition to film screenings, there will be Coffee Talks, Poolside Chats and other special events. Festival screening schedules and programming information will be announced Thursday, June 1. For more information about the Los Angeles Film Festival, please visit www.lafilmfest.com. www.lafilmfest.com

About The Los Angeles Times

The Times, a Tribune Publishing company, is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country and the winner of 37 Pulitzer Prizes. Celebrating this year its 125th anniversary covering Southern California, The Times maintains the largest newsgathering operation in California and publishes five daily regional editions: Los Angeles metropolitan area, Orange County, Ventura County, the San Fernando Valley and the Inland Empire of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The Times’ website, www.latimes.com, features 50,000 content pages and is updated continuously with more than 3,000 stories posted daily. Latimes.com’s award-winning arts and entertainment section, calendarlive.com, offers an extensive range of entertainment news reviews and Southern California’s most comprehensive event listing. The Times also produces The Envelope, www.TheEnvelope.com, the entertainment industry’s most comprehensive, year-round awards show website.

Additional information about The Times is available at www.latimes.com/mediacenter.

About Film Independent

Film Independent, the largest non-profit membership organization for independent filmmakers, cultivates the careers of independent filmmakers, builds the audience for independent films, and increases diversity in the film industry. Film Independent provides its members with more than 250 annual events and screenings, along with professional advice, educational programs, affordable camera and equipment rentals, and discounts to hundreds of industry-related businesses.

Film Independent also offers Filmmaker Labs, giving filmmakers the opportunity to develop their projects, and Project:Involve, a mentorship and job placement program that pairs filmmakers from culturally diverse communities with film industry professionals. Film Independent produces the Independent Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international independent cinema. For more information, visit www.FilmIndependent.org. www.FilmIndependent.org

Contact
David Garcia
213-237-4715
david.garcia@latimes.com

Film Independent:
Michele Robertson or Clay Dollarhide
MRC
310-652-6123