Monthly Film Festival

You’re invited to join NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) with presenting partners The Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) and the Dutch Culture USA (Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York) on Saturday, December 14th, 2019 for NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) Film Festival InFocus: Lebanese, Arab & Dutch Cinema. The event will be hosted at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Mary Pickford Center’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.

The evening begins with InFocus: Dutch Cinema, a collection of new and exciting work from Dutch short film directors including Floor Adams’ acclaimed animation Mind My Mind, which takes us into the mind of an autistic protagonist navigating his world. The program, curated in partnership with EYE International, offers many keen studies of the human condition, society, the complexities of intimate relationships, and of death. This year’s Dutch Cinema line-up features films that have previously been programmed at Tribeca, Toronto International Film Festival and Locarno.

The second program of the evening, InFocus: Lebanese Cinema, puts a spotlight on films by Lebanese filmmakers exploring childhood experiences, LGBTQ+ stories, family drama and modern isolation and loneliness. Co-presenting partners of this program include Los Angeles Beirut Sister Cities Committee, the Los Angeles Cedars Foundation, World Lebanese Cultural Union (WLCU), Lebanese Film Festival, Tripoli Film Festival and Sister Cities of Los Angeles.

The night concludes with InFocus: Arab Cinema, co-presented in partnership with The Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) and showcases a strong line-up of Syrian, Egyptian, Palestinian, Saudi Arabian and Tunisian stories told through dark humor, modern interpretations of folklore, and unflinching naturalitic lenses.

Doors will open to the public at 3 pm with a pre-reception for the first shorts program, and the night will include a pre-reception before each of the evening’s programs, where attendees can sip libations and mingle with industry professionals and festival selected filmmakers in the lounge. The event will conclude at 11:00 pm. Tickets are available for $15 for an all-night access passes, which provide access to all three film programs with open bar throughout the entire event. NFMLA’s Monthly Film Festivals are presented throughout the year with support from Presenting Venue Sponsor LBA Realty, Executive Circle Sponsors FilmLA and HBO Collabs, Producers Circle Sponsor Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), Foundation Sponsors Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), LA County Department of Arts and Culture, LA City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), California Arts Council and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation.