(June 13, 2007) 2007 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES CENTERPIECE PREMIERE OF GEORGE RATLIFF’S JOSHUA
The Los Angeles Film Festival announced today that George Ratliff’s Joshua (Fox Searchlight Pictures) will screen as the 2007 Centerpiece Premiere on Tuesday, June 26 at 7:00pm at the National Theatre. Joshua stars Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Celia Weston, Dallas Roberts, Michael McKean, and Jacob Kogan.

Joshua is a smart, bone-chilling psychological thriller about an upscale American family faced with an inner source of horror.

In a breathtaking Upper East Side Apartment, the seemingly perfect Manhattan parents, Brad and Abby Cairn (Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga), are celebrating the birth of their second child, Lily. Lily is surrounded by love, toys, a doting uncle (Dallas Roberts) and an attentive grandmother (Celia Weston). But she is also surrounded by her 9 year-old brother, Joshua (Jacob Kogan).

Joshua is no ordinary boy.

He’s exceptionally intelligent and frighteningly precocious. He has an angelic politeness and an easy cool that belie his young age. And now, he seems increasingly unhappy with his new life in which his parents dote on Lily while he quietly plays the piano in the corner.

As the mood darkens in the Cairn’s apartment, the veneer of their polished lives begins to crack. Lily cries incessantly and an upstairs renovation drives Abby into what may or may not be a bad case of post-partum psychosis. Stressed to the limit and living on no sleep, Brad and Abby find themselves wrapped up in an escalating chain of domestic terror.

But what is the cause of their torment? Is it all a series of eerie coincidences or are they in the midst of an unimaginably evil mind? And could it be Joshua who, like his Biblical namesake, is bringing the house tumbling down around his family?

Fox Searchlight Pictures presents an ATO Pictures production of Joshua, directed by George Ratliff and written by David Gilbert and Ratliff. The producer is Johnathan Dorfman and the executive producers are Temple Fennell and Dan O’Meara. The behind-the-scenes talent includes director of photography Benoît Debie (Irreversible), production designer Roshelle Berliner (Diggers), editor Jacob Craycroft (A Prairie Home Companion) and composer Nico Muhly (Choking Man).

As previously announced, Academy Award®-winning actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood will receive this year’s Spirit of Independence Award on Thursday, June 28 at a special event sponsored by Target. Kasi Lemmons’ Talk to Me (Focus Features) will kick off the Festival as the Opening Night film on Thursday, June 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mann Village Theatre. Danny Boyle’s Sunshine (Fox Searchlight Pictures) will serve as the Closing Night film on Sunday, July 1 at 7:00 p.m. at the Wadsworth Theatre.

Curtis Hanson will serve as Guest Director for the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival. Pharrell Williams will serve as Artist-in-Residence for the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival.

ABOUT THE 2007 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

Westwood Village is home to Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival, which runs from Thursday, June 21 – Sunday, July 1. Festival-goers will experience the best of American and international cinema, enjoying more than 230 feature films, shorts, and music videos, as well as Coffee Talks, Poolside Chats, and other special star-studded events. Westwood Village will showcase films and events among various venues, all within walking distance of each other, with ample, convenient parking and easy access to shopping and dining, setting the stage for the biggest Festival yet.
Over the course of 10 days and 11 nights, the public is invited to take advantage of world premieres including both independent films and major studio releases, as well as tribute screenings, outdoor movies, celebrity-filled red carpets, and more. Screenings and special events will be held in Westwood at the following locations: Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum; the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse; Mann Festival Theatre; Mann Village Theatre; Mann Bruin Theatre; the National Theatre; Landmark’s Regent Theatre; Italian Cultural Institute; the Majestic Crest Theatre; W Los Angeles – Westwood; the Wadsworth Theatre; and the Festival Promenade on Broxton Avenue. Additional offsite event screenings will take place at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, Grand Performances at California Plaza, and the Landmark at its new location at the Westside Pavilion.
The Los Angeles Times Ticket and Pass Pavilion – where all festival-goers can purchase tickets and passes to Festival screenings starting Saturday, June 16 – will be located at 1031 Broxton Avenue (at Weyburn). The Target Red Room – filmmaker and press lounge – will be located at 1028 Westwood Boulevard.
The Los Angeles Film Festival is presented by the Los Angeles Times and is supported by Premier Sponsors – Target, Pop Secret®, and Axium International – and by Principal Sponsors – Eastman Kodak Company, IFC, and OPEN from American Express®. Promotional support is provided by Schawk. Special support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. American Airlines is the Official Airline Partner and WireImage is the Official Photography Agency of Film Independent. The W Hotel – Westwood and the Hotel Angeleno are the official hotel partners of the Festival.
For event information and tickets, call 866.FILM.FEST (866.345.6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com. Passes are available beginning May 17. Individual tickets go on sale June 8.

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT
Film Independent is a non-profit membership organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds the audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, film industry leader, or a film lover.
With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent also offers free Filmmaker Labs for selected writers, directors, and producers; provides cut-rate services for filmmakers; and presents year-round networking opportunities. Film Independent’s mentorship and job placement program, Project:Involve, pairs emerging culturally-diverse filmmakers with film industry professionals.
Film Independent produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international cinema, and the Spirit Awards, a celebration honoring films and filmmakers that embody independence and dare to challenge the status quo.
For more information or to become a member, visit FilmIndependent.org

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For media inquiries regarding the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival, please contact Julie Siegel or Chandan Kaur at 310.432.1200. For more information about the Festival and to view the complete film line-up, please visit LAFilmFest.com