World Premieres Dominate LA Film Festival Competitions

Film Independent has announced 12 World Premieres to fill 19 narrative and documentary competition slots for the upcoming 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival, running June 21-July 1 in the city's Westwood district.

Among the narrative premieres by emerging U.S. filmmakers are Jess Manafort's "The Beautiful Ordinary," "How to Rob a Bank" by Andrews Jenkins, Scott Prendergast's "Kabluey," Ilya Chaiken's "Liberty Kid" and "What We Do Is Secret" from Rodger Grossman. Stephane Gauger's charming Saigon-set drama "Owl and the Sparrow", winner of the Best Narrative Feature jury award at the 2007 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, premiered in January at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

"Dig!" director Ondi Timoner returns with doc selection "Join Us," while other documentary competitors include Jennifer Venditti's "Billy the Kid, "Cat Dancers" from Harris Fishman, Morgan Neville's "The Cool School," and "Saint Death" by Eva Aridjis.

Jury awards funded by Target offer a $50,000 prize in both categories.

LAFF opens with "Talk to Me," directed by Kasi Lemmons and starring Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson and Martin Sheen in a drama based on the exploits of 1960s Washington, DC radio DJ Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene (Cheadle), a black ex-con who mixed period soul and protest music on the airwaves with socially conscious messages. Focus Features will distribute "Talk to Me" this summer.

The festival closes with Danny Boyle's widely anticipated "Sunshine," a well-received sci-fi thriller already released in Europe and Asia about a spaceship crew on a last-ditch mission to revive earth's dying sun, starring an international cast that includes Rose Byrne, Cillian Murphy, Hiroyuki Sanada and Michelle Yeoh. Fox Searchlight Pictures plans a fall season US release.

In the International Showcase, 21 films from Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East are eligible for the best international, narrative and documentary Audience Awards.

Festival organizers, lead by director of programming Rachel Rosen, selected in excess of 230 feature-length and short titles from more than 4,500 submissions worldwide.