Los Angeles Festival of Movies Unveils 2025 Lineup, Including Chloë Sevigny’s ‘Magic Farm’ as Opening Night Screening

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The Los Angeles Movie Festival, known for showcasing independent films, is gearing up for its second installment. It has announced the initial lineup of movies to be screened from April 3rd to 6th. Co-hosted by Mubi and Mezzanine, the festival will begin with a screening of “Magic Farm,” a satire directed by Amalia Ulman, during its opening night. This film features Chloë Sevigny, Simon Rex, and Alex Wolff as an incompetent documentary team who end up in the wrong country while trying to profile an Argentinian musician. The movie made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January; its screening at LAFM will mark its premiere on the West Coast.

Highlighted premieres in this event are: “Room Temperature,” a chilling tale by Dennis Cooper and Zac Farley about a family-run haunted house that escalates the fear factor; the U.S. debut of Alexandra Simpson’s “No Sleep Till,” a gripping hurricane drama from ROC Films and Omnes Films, known for “Eephus” and “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point”; and Grace Glowicki’s “Dead Lover,” a horror-comedy that has been screened at Sundance and SXSW. Additionally, a fresh program titled “Animation Today” is set to debut. Further selections, such as the closing night screening, are yet to be announced.

Following a challenging beginning to the year for Los Angeles, we are more motivated than ever to unite our community by showcasing, discussing, and applauding exceptional films, stated LAFM founders Micah Gottlieb and Sarah Winshall in their announcement of the schedule. “We’re excited to welcome a diverse array of emotionally powerful and innovative films from promising up-and-coming international filmmakers, artists from various fields, and established stars. It’s our delight to offer a comprehensive perspective on today’s independent cinema,” they added.

Similar to last year’s event, screenings will take place at Vidiots, 2220 Arts + Archives, and Now Instant Image Hall again this time around. A discussion series is planned, featuring a talk between Dennis Cooper and Tony Tulathimutte, and this will be held at the Philosophical Research Society, which serves as a fresh venue for the festival. At present, passes can be purchased, with individual tickets becoming available starting March 10.

The initial showing of LAFM kicked off featuring the West Coast debut of “I Saw the TV Glow” by A24, along with independent films like “Good One” and “Gasoline Rainbow,” plus the premiere episode of HBO’s documentary series “Ren Faire.”

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The first LAFM event began by presenting the West Coast premier of A24’s “I Saw the TV Glow” and showcased indie films like “Good One” and “Gasoline Rainbow,” as well as the initial episode of HBO’s docuseries “Ren Faire.”

or

LAFM’s opening event screened the West Coast premiere of A24’s “I Saw the TV Glow,” along with indie titles such as “Good One” and “Gasoline Rainbow,” while also presenting the first episode of HBO’s documentary series “Ren Faire.”

or

At its inception, LAFM unveiled the West Coast debut of A24’s film “I Saw the TV Glow” alongside independent films like “Good One” and “Gasoline Rainbow,” as well as an episode from HBO’s docuseries “Ren Faire.”

or

LAFM’s first event showcased the West Coast premiere of A24’s movie “I Saw the TV Glow,” along with indie flicks such as “Good One” and “Gasoline Rainbow,” in addition to the initial episode of HBO’s docuseries “Ren Faire.”

or

LAFM launched its debut with the West Coast premiere of A24’s movie, “I Saw the TV Glow,” and indie titles like “Good One” and “Gasoline Rainbow,” as well as episode one of HBO’s docuseries “Ren Faire.”

or

LAFM started off with the West Coast debut of A24’s film, “I Saw the TV Glow,” and a lineup that included indie films like “Good One” and “Gasoline Rainbow,” as well as the initial episode of HBO’s docuseries “Ren Faire.

See the full wave of initial announcements below.

Official Selection

1. “Cent Mille Milliards” by Virgil Vernier – “Billions upon Billions”
2. “Dead Lover” directed by Grace Glowicki – “Lover Deceased”
3. “Debut or Objects of the Field of Debris as Currently Catalogued” by Julian Castronovo – “First Work: Items from the Scene of Destruction”
4. “Invention” directed by Courtney Stephens – “Creation”
5. “Magic Farm” directed by Amalia Ulman – “Enchanted Homestead”
6. “No Sleep Till” by Alexandra Simpson – “Awake Until Dawn”
7. “Room Temperature” directed by Dennis Cooper and Zac Farley – “Normal Room Climate”
8. “Zodiac Killer Project” by Charlie Shackleton – “The Zodiac Murder Investigation”

Short Films

1. “Baby Blue Benzo” directed by Sara Cwynar can be rephrased as “Sara Cwynar’s film titled ‘Baby Blue Benzo'”
2. “Man Number 4” directed by Miranda Pennell could be restated as “Miranda Pennell’s film, ‘Man Number 4′”
3. “Manal Issa, 2024” directed by Elisabeth Subrin might be rephrased as “Elisabeth Subrin’s upcoming film entitled ‘Manal Issa in 2024′”
4. “Oceania” directed by Valentin Noujaïm can be restated as “Valentin Noujaïm’s film titled ‘Oceania'”

Animated Films

1. “An Ordinary Life” directed by Yoriko Mizushiri becomes “Yoriko Mizushiri’s ‘Everyday Existence'”
2. “Hurikán” directed by Jan Saska transforms to “Jan Saska’s ‘Hurricane'”
3. “Margarethe ’89” directed by Lucas Malbrun changes to “Lucas Malbrun’s ‘Margarethe in ’89′”
4. “Mont Noir” directed by Jean-Baptiste Peltier and Erika Haglund becomes “Jean-Baptiste Peltier & Erika Haglund’s ‘Black Mountain'”
5. “Retirement Plan” directed by John Kelly is rephrased as “John Kelly’s ‘Retirement Strategy'”
6. “Sans Voix” directed by Samuel Patthey turns into “Samuel Patthey’s ‘Voiceless'”

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2025-02-26 20:18