Dances With Films LA Announces its 28th Year’s Film Lineup (June 19-29)

Los Angeles’ Largest Independent Film Festival Will Screen 254 Films, Including 36 World Premieres of Narrative and Documentary Features Chris Hartwell’s DO NO HARM Makes its World Premiere As the Opening Night Selection, and Aaron Sherry’s CAPTAIN TSUNAMI Makes its World Premiere as the Closing Night Selection.

Dances With Films: LA has announced the film lineup for next month’s return of Los Angeles’ largest indie film-focused film festival (June 19-29) for its 28^th edition. The lineup of films includes its critically-acclaimed Midnight Horror and Genre section, as well as continuing the celebration of music, dance, and family-friendly programming in the Downbeat and Kidz sections. That packed schedule will be bookended by the world premieres of Chris Hartwell’s drama Do No Harm with Harry Shum Jr., and Ronny Chieng as the Opening Night selection and Aaron Sherry’s fantastical Captain Tsunami on Closing Night. All screenings will take place at the TCL Chinese Theatre (6925 Hollywood Blvd

This year’s DWF: LA’s lineup includes 254 films, including 43 narrative features, 18 documentary features, 23 television and streaming pilots, and 170 short films (102 narrative and 19 documentaries, 30 Kidz section, 19 Downbeat/Music), with an impressive number of films making world, North American, or U.S. premieres. 

Narrative features

Additional narrative features making their world premieres include: Daniel Hayden’s A Bloody Mess, Cameron A. Tubbs’ Acolyte, Daniel J. Clark’s American Comic, Jared Cohn and Bahar Bella Danesh’s Still Smiling, Vera VanGuard’s Apocalypse Love, Mark Wilson’s The Calling, Luca Perito’s Ciao, Mama, John Giacobbe’s Crusty Fouler, Vinnie Hogan’s The Distant Jump, Lanre’ Obisesan’s Dokita Musa, Daniel Bogran’s The Killing Moon, Jake Myers’ Kombucha, Dylan King Welter’s The Militia, Nate Hilgartner’s No Choice, Béla Baptiste’s The Obelisk, Josh Munds and Chris Alan Evans’ Peeping Todd, Julian Berger’s Real Couples, Avan Hardwell’s Silent Prey, Brandon Buczek’s Something Casual, Rio Contrada’s Splinter, Adam Finberg’s Star People, Benjamin Gonyo’s Strait Undercover, Lane Michael Stanley’s T, Noam Kroll’s Teacher’s Pet, Hariharasudhen Nagarajan’s Tether, Cate Caplin’s The Unicorn Diaries, and Stephen Portland’s Universal. Arto Halonen’s After Us, the Flood will make its North American Premieres, and Tarique Qayumi’s Conceiving Clara will make its U.S. Premiere at Dances With Films: LA.

Feature-length documentaries

Feature-length documentaries making their world premieres at DWF: LA include Guilford Adams and Casey Pinkston’s American Clown, Liat Ron’s Fear and Now, Peter Jones’ Fortunate Sons, Allison Norlian and Kody Leibowitz’s Meandering Scars, David Anthony Ngo and Stephen Mccallum’s Never Get Busted!, Janna GIacoppo’s One But Many, Barret Hacia and Josiah Bultema’s Squatchers: The People Who Believe in Bigfoot, Andrew Davies Gans’ Voices: The Danny Gans Story, Ryan Flynn’s You’re No Indian, and Robert Ham’s Zzaslow K-427. 

“This year’s theme, ‘FIND YOUR TRUTH,’ couldn’t be more relevant in today’s world,” states Dances With Films’ founders, Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent, “and we challenge our Los Angeles audience to find their truth throughout the 28th edition of our film festival. Unique and clearly diverse voices, as well as that ever-present spark of imagination that DWF is known for, all culminate into an extraordinary festival experience for both filmmakers and festival goers alike.  As always, we couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce them all in the best way – at the TCL Chinese Theatres known for being the best in sound and image on the screen, introducing these artists to audiences and industry in the heart of Hollywood.”

Opening night June 19th

Thursday, June 19 features the World Premiere Opening Night presentation of Chris Hartwell’s devastating drama Do No Harm. Based on The Way That I Take, an award-winning short that screened at DWFLA in 2020, the film follows a burned-out home health nurse makes a mistake turns which leads to the death of one of his patients. He tries to bury the truth under a facade of perfection, but the ever-intensifying pressures of working in American healthcare makes it increasingly likely the truth will reveal itself and bring him down. The film stars Harry Shum Jr., and the cast includesThe Daily Show’s Ronny Chieng.

Sunday, June 29, DWFLA offers another world premiere as its Closing Night selection, Aaron Sherry’s Captain Tsunami. A quiet comic book store owner’s life is thrown into disarray when precocious twelve-year-old Emma appears one night, hundreds of miles from her home, at his doorstep. Her mother, once the love of Glenn’s life, has mysteriously disappeared, leaving only a bag full of artwork about her childhood hero, Captain Tsunami, and cryptic instructions to bring it all to Glenn if anything should ever happen. The girl is certain that contains a magical message, however, and the truth may not what be what either of them expect to discover. The cast includes P.J. Marino, Madeleine McGraw, Tessa Munroe, and Jeremy Sisto.

Additional highlights among the narrative feature films include the world premiere of Daniel J. Clark’s American Comic. The verité-style mockumentary follows two up-and-coming stand-up comedians, who, despite their superficial “cultural” differences, share remarkable similarities when it comes to egotism, self-destruction, and social ineptitude. The film stars Hayley McFarland, with cameos by several top comedians, including Patton Oswalt. Jared Cohn and Bahar Bella Danesh’s thriller Still Smiling stars an impressive cast (Shiva Negar, Billy Zane, Peter Facinelli, Shane West, Shohreh Aghdashloo),  in a love story turned lethal when a mother flees her violent ex—only to face his hired killer in a final showdown. Daniel Klein’s Taste the Revolution, filmed all the way back in 2001, stars Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, and focuses on two aspiring filmmakers looking to document a political “world summit” organized by a group of disillusioned college students. Their footage unexpectedly captures the logistical nightmare of managing a modern revolution. 

World premieres

Also making its world premiere will be Stephen Portland’s Universal. Starring The Inbetweeners’ Joe Thomas, the film traces what happens when two academics trying to enjoy a romantic weekend in a remote log cabin are interrupted by the arrival of a woman claiming to have made a huge discovery and saying she needs their help. Rio Contrada’s thriller Splinter makes its world premiere as well. The film, which stars Scout Tayui-Lepore, and film and TV legend Debbie Allen, centers on a grad student who balances being the composed and responsible soon-to-be certified school psychologist, with her outside life as a motorcycle-riding, pill-popping thrill seeker. Daughter and father writing/directing/ producing/acting team Scout Purdy and Doug Purdy’s heartwarming Pilgrim, is the prototypical DWFLA indie. With a production budget below five figures, the film revolves around a 15-year-old girl who devises a plan to cure her teen angst; a month-long summer hiking trip with her father. 

Highlights among the feature-length documentaries include Dustin Elm and David Breschel’s I Need You: 53 Years of the Band America, which looks at the history of the band as the founding members, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, prepare to take the stage for what they’ve decided will be their final performance together. Andrew Davies Gans’ Voices: The Danny Gans Story is a captivating exploration of a son’s journey to uncover the truth behind his Las Vegas entertainment legend father’s extraordinary life, and untimely passing. Guilford Adams and Casey Pinkston’s American Clown will make its world premiere at DWFLA. The film explores the plight of clowns in a country that looks on them with a growing sense of apprehension and disdain, as well as legendary performers of past eras and their take on the history and art of clowning. Interviews include John C. Reilly, David Arquette, Bill Irwin, David Howard Thornton, and Steve O.Additional documentaries making their world premieres include Peter Jones’ Fortunate Sons, which looks at the 1974 graduating class of the Harvard School for Boys, a private, military school for the sons of the Los Angeles elite, as well as Janna GIacoppo’s One But Many, which exposes deep ties between the trophy hunting industry and policy decisions driven by both the U.S. and African governments, leaving communities and wildlife in deadly peril.

Horror & genre fare

Once again, Dances With Films will please fans of horror and genre fare with its Midnight section of films including the following features making their world premieres: Cameron A. Tubbs’ Acolyte follows two brothers in rural Appalachia trying to overcome their estrangement despite strange and disturbing things happening around their home in the mountains. Jake Myers’ Kombucha centers on a man who begins to lose himself at a cult-like corporation, where a mind-altering kombucha turns employees into productive corporate cogs. Josh Munds and Chris Alan Evans’ Peeping Todd places a young woman in a toxic triangle between a lying fiancé and a stalker ex. Rounding out the Midnight features is Vivian Kerr’s Séance. Set in the late 1800s California, a Victorian woman contemplating adultery is forced to take refuge from a storm at the home of her first husband and his unstable wife, who claims to be haunted by their dead child.

Television, web series pilots, and episodics

Notable in the film festival world for the screening and promotion of television, web series pilots, and episodics, Dances With Films also has a healthy number of world premieres in this section. Within that group are Chris Leary’s rock-mockumentary Formerly Known As, which follows a film crew setting out to capture the making of an aging rockstar’s comeback album, only to find that the real story lies with the eccentric team working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep everything afloat, and the rockstar happens to be a talking purple muppet. Sarah Haskins’ Gumshoes is the story of Sam and Paige, two best friends, obsessed with procedural crime dramas, who change their lives by getting off the couch and into the streets. Matt Tory’s sketch comedy pilot Halfway Handsome features bizarre sketches, hilarious impressions, funny short films, parodies, memorable recurring characters, and even original songs. Rain Valdez’ One For the Team focuses on trans hotshot Nico Ramirez, who  moves an hour away from home to play lacrosse at an affluent new high school to hang onto his Ivy League scholarship. Coach says Nico could win them the championship, but will he lose his friends, full-ride, and his entire sense of self in the process? Also in the mix is Sergio Camacho’s United Crafts of America. One of the projects making its way to DWFLA from DWFNY, the pilot offers an intimate look into America’s most vibrant craft beer cities, uncovering the country’s most innovative breweries and the passionate people behind them.

Short films

Along with a lineup of films overflowing with invention and innovation, Dances With Films’ short films also are spiced with several recognizable faces and names. World premieres include Drake Wootton’s People Walk Dogs Late At Night in the Suburbs, starring Matthew Daddario (Shadowhunters, Why Women Kill), Today Again, from actor & filmmaker Harrison Thomas (Better Call Saul) in which he stars in alongside his father Dave Thomas (SCTV, Strange Brew), and Will Ropp’s Kodar: The Primordial God of Light and Ether, starring Maddie Ziegler (Dance Moms, West Side Story). Another highlight is the West Coast debut and first public screening of Tony Mucci’s star studded short film Money Talk$, with an amazing cast including David Mazouz (Gotham),  Zolee Griggs (Wu-Tang: An American Saga, The Enforcer), Ethan Cutkosky (Shameless), Fredro Starr D.C. (The Wire, Moesha), Francesca Scorsese (We Are Who We Are), Bo Dietl (Godfather of Harlem, Carlito’s Way), Claudia Robinson (Severance) professional wrestler Tyler “Hook” Senerchia and musical artists 24kGoldn aka Golden Landis Von Jones and Swoosh God.

For more information about the Dances With Films LA film lineup, events, passes, and tickets, go to: https://danceswithfilms.com/.

*Information courtesy Wildworks PR and Platform Media Group