(June 9, 2006) 2006 LA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES CHARLIZE THERON AS SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE AWARD RECIPIENT
LOS ANGELES (June 9, 2006) – Film Independent announced today that Academy Award-winning actor Charlize Theron will receive this year’s Spirit of Independence Award. The Festival also announced that Grammy®-nominated artist/music producer Danger Mouse will serve as the Festival's Artist in Residence.

The Spirit of Independence Award will be given to Theron at a special event on Wednesday, June 28 sponsored by Target and In Style. Clips of Theron's work will be shown to an audience of the Festival's filmmakers followed by a conversation with Elvis Mitchell, host of KCRW's The Treatment. The event is an opportunity for emerging filmmakers to hear Theron speak about her creative process and influences.

"The Spirit of Independence Award was created to recognize accomplished artists who have charted their own course - and Charlize Theron embodies this perfectly," said Executive Director Dawn Hudson, Film Independent. "Charlize has used her talent and stature to champion both daring and risky films inside and outside the mainstream. Film Independent is honored to award an artist who has taken risks in her career and who has helped change people's lives."

The Spirit of Independence Award was created to recognize and honor an individual who has remained true to their work and vision; someone who has consistently made and continues to make artistic choices regardless of difficulty; someone who has dared to think differently; and someone who stays true to their independent spirit through their work in the independent and studio worlds. Theron's unusual and varied choices reinforce her commitment to groundbreaking and innovative independent films. She exemplifies a true independent spirit.

The winner of the Target Documentary Award and the Target Filmmaker Award will also be announced at the Spirit of Independence Award event. Committed to supporting new talent in the film industry, the Festival and Target through this partnership are able to award two promising directors with the Target Documentary Award and the Target Filmmaker Award - each carrying an unrestricted $50,000 cash prize funded by Target. Target established these two grants because they believe in supporting the arts and art education, including the art of independent filmmaking. Beth Bird received the 2005 Target Documentary Award for her documentary Everyone Their Grain of Sand. Mark Banning received the 2005 Target Filmmaker Award for his dramatic feature film Jellysmoke.

In his role as Artist in Residence for the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival, artist and music producer Danger Mouse has programmed a sidebar of films that have inspired his work: Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry, Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder's The Marriage of Maria Braun. Danger Mouse will also participate in a pre-Festival conversation with Jason Bentley, host of KCRW's Metropolis, on Monday, June 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the Hammer Museum. This free event, presented in cooperation with the Hammer Museum, is open to the public.

"Artists like Danger Mouse represent the spirit of the modern independent artist," said Festival Director Rich Raddon. "Danger Mouse has used creativity and technology as a means to major success based on grassroots notoriety rather than industry backing. We are very pleased he will be joining us at this year's festival."

Danger Mouse was honored as one of GQ magazine's "Men of the Year", gaining unprecedented notoriety in 2004 after producing the now infamous Grey Album (a blend of the Beatles' White Album with Jay-Z's The Black Album). Dubbed "the ultimate remix album" by Rolling Stone, the million illegal downloads in one day sparked a watershed moment in music history. In 2005, Danger Mouse produced Gorillaz's Demon Days album, which garnered him a Grammy® nomination for Producer of the Year. His recent teaming with rapper Cee-Lo in the form of their group Gnarls Barkley has been hailed by critics and fans alike, and the debut album, St. Elsewhere, has already made history with the single Crazy becoming the first download-only song to reach Number 1 in the UK Top 40 for an unprecedented 8 weeks. Time magazine recently called St. Elsewhere "the best psychedelic soul record since the P-Funk era."

Charlize Theron began her career as a model in her native South Africa before coming to the U.S. as a ballerina with the Joffrey Ballet. Moviegoers were first introduced to Theron in her feature film debut, MGM’s 2 Days in the Valley. In 1997 she starred in Jonathan Lynn’s Trial and Error for New Line Cinema, followed by the Warner Bros. thriller and box office smash, Devil's Advocate opposite Al Pacino. Getting a glimpse of Theron's extraordinary drive and amazing talent was all it took for Tom Hanks to cast Theron in his directorial debut, That Thing You Do.

In 1998 Theron starred in Woody Allen's Celebrity for which she received rave reviews and followed it with Mighty Joe Young. In 1999, she starred in Miramax's Oscar-nominated film The Cider House Rules directed by Lasse Hallström, and in New Line Cinema's The Astronaut's Wife opposite Johnny Depp. The Cider House Rules' stellar cast was honored with a nomination for "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture" by the Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2000, the much in-demand Theron tackled back-to-back roles in Robert Redford's The Legend of Bagger Vance, Fox 2000's Men of Honor, John Frankenheimer's Reindeer Games, and The Yards for Miramax. Her subsequent films included the Warner Bros tearjerker Sweet November , Woody Allen's Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Miramax Films's Waking up in Reno, Luis Mandoki's Trapped, and the exciting caper movie The Italian Job.

Theron's next film, Monster, co-starring Christina Ricci and directed by Patty Jenkins, hit theatres that fall to rave reviews and critical acclaim. Theron captivated as female serial killer Eileen Wournos in the independent gem. Her performance garnered her an Academy Award win, Golden Globe win, Screen Actors Guild Award win, Independent Spirit Award win, and an award for Breakthrough Performance from the National Board of Review, among others. She next captivated audiences in HBO's The Life And Death of Peter Sellers opposite Geoffrey Rush, for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination from the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Emmys.

Theron's performance in Niki Caro's North Country also won her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in 2006. Her upcoming projects include F. Gary Gray's The Brazilian Job (the sequel to The Italian Job) and Kimberly Peirce's The Ice at the Bottom of the World.

Past Artists in Residence have included The RZA and Neil Young, and the inaugural Spirit of Independence award was presented to George Clooney in 2005. The Festival is proud to add Charlize Theron and Danger Mouse to this list of immensely talented and deserving artists.

ABOUT THE 2006 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

Westwood Village is the new home of Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival, which runs from Thursday, June 22 – Sunday, July 2. In the expanded location, festival-goers will experience the best of American and international cinema, enjoying over 250 feature films and shorts, 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: James Bridges Theater in Melnitz Hall on the UCLA campus; Freud Playhouse and Little Theatre in MacGowan Hall on the UCLA campus; the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse; Mann Village Theatre; Landmark Regent Theatre; Italian Cultural Institute; Mann Festival Theatre; Hammer Museum; AMC Avco Center 4; the Majestic Crest Theatre; and the Wadsworth Theatre. Additional offsite event screenings will take place at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, the California Plaza/Grand Performances, and Laemmle Sunset 5.

The Los Angeles Times Media Center and the Target Red Room (filmmaker and press lounge) will be located at 10852 Lindbrook Drive. The Intel Tech Pavilion & Box Office will be located at 1087 Broxton Avenue.

Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival is presented by the Los Angeles Times and is supported by Premier Sponsors In Style, Target, Pop Secret®, and Intel, and by Principal Sponsors Eastman Kodak Company, Axium, and Adobe. Special support 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.

For the first time ever, the Los Angeles Film Festival is collecting and recycling old cell phones to raise funds for its educational programs and to reduce the risk that the hazardous materials in these phones end up in our landfills. With the donation of an old cell phone, festival-goers will receive $1 off admission to any film or event. The donated cell phones will be refurbished for use as emergency phones and given to battered women's shelters or responsibly recycled. Collection boxes will be conveniently located at the Intel Tech Pavilion & Box Office from June 22 – July 2.

Watch extensive coverage of the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival on FesTV, 24 hours a day on cable channel 75 in Santa Monica and 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. nightly on cable channel LA36 in Los Angeles.

For event information and tickets, call 866.FILM.FEST (866.345.6337) or visit www.lafilmfest.com. Passes and tickets are available now.

To view film trailers and exclusive coverage of this year's festival visit www.latimes.com/filmfest.

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

Film Independent, a non-profit membership organization for independent filmmakers, cultivates the careers of independent filmmakers, builds the audience for independent films, and increases diversity in the film industry. Film Independent provides its members with more than 250 annual events and screenings, along with professional advice, educational programs, affordable camera and equipment rentals, and discounts to hundreds of industry-related businesses.

Film Independent also offers Filmmaker Labs, giving filmmakers the opportunity to develop their projects, and Project:Involve, a mentorship and job placement program that pairs filmmakers from culturally diverse communities with film industry professionals. Film Independent produces the Independent Spirit Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international cinema. For more information, visit FilmIndependent.org.

FULL FESTIVAL PROGRAM

The 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen more than 265 films and music videos in 16 different sections. This year the Festival received more than 4,300 submissions from filmmakers around the world with the final selections representing several World, North American, and U.S. premieres. This represents an increase of 600 submitted films from the 2005 Festival. For the complete program line-up visit www.lafilmfest.com.
DANGER MOUSE TO SERVE AS ARTIST IN RESIDENCE; TARGET FILMMAKER AWARDS TO BE ANNOUNCED AT SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE AWARD EVENT