FESTIVALCHATTER

“Wanted,” an R-rated, blood-spattered tale about a secret society of assassins, starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy, has all the hallmarks of a big summer movie -- fast cars, cool gadgets and plenty of action. But it might seem like an unusual choice to open the Los Angeles Film Festival tonight. Not so, according to the organizers of the 10-day event (which is co-sponsored by The Times). “We’ve never been opposed to screening big studio movies as long as we had the right context for them,” said LAFF director Richard Raddon. “We’re open to thinking outside the box.”

For his part, “Wanted” director Timur Bekmambetov, whose Russian-made vampire movie, “Nochnoi Dozor” (Night Watch), screened at the festival in 2005, is thrilled that he was able to execute his vision for the film, adapted from Mark Millar’s graphic novels, with full support from Universal.

“I don’t understand and can’t explain why the studio supported our creative ambitions,” Bekmambetov said. “It was very surprising that I had the chance to do whatever I wanted. I think we witchcrafted them.”

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To read more about the Los Angeles Film Festival, go to latimes.com/entertainment or visit www.lafilmfest.com.