Amalia Ulman’s Magic Farm will plant roots as the opening night screening of the second edition of the Los Angeles Festival of Movies. Presented by MUBI and Mezzanine, LAFM is set to take place from April 3-6, and it will feature a program of more than 20 feature films, a curated shorts roster, an inaugural animation program and featured artists talks.
Magic Farm, a MUBI film that had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last month, will open the fest at Vidiots’ Eagle Theatre on April 3. Written and directed by Ulman, the pic stars Chloë Sevigny, Simon Rex and Alex Wolff in the story of a film crew working for an edgy media company that travels to Argentina to profile a local musician. In her The Hollywood Reporter review, critic Sheri Linden wrote that “Magic Farm features a stupendous cast fully in sync with Ulman’s deadpan absurdity.”
LAFM’s lineup also includes Dennis Cooper and Zac Farley’s Room Temperature, Alexandra Simpson’s No Sleep Till, Grace Glowicki’s Dead Lover, Virgil Vernier’s Cent Mille Milliards, Julian Castronovo’s Debut, Or, Objects of the Field of Debris as Currently Catalogued, Courtney Stephens’ Invention, and Charlie Shackleton’s Zodiac Killer Project.
Cooper will also participate in an artist talk alongside Tony Tulathimutte to “discuss their respective approaches and inspirations in creating aberrant and transgressive depictions of obsession and desire in cinema and literature,” per the fest description.
Presented by Cartuna, the Animation Today lineup hosts Yoriko Mizushiri’s An Ordinary Life, Jan Saska’s Hurikán, Lucas Malbrun’s Margarethe ’89, Jean-Baptiste Peltier & Erika Haglund’s Mont Noir, John Kelly’s Retirement Plan, and Samuel Patthey’s Sans Voix.
Passes are currently on sale for the fest, which was co-founded by Micah Gottlieb and Sarah Winshall.
LAFM is once again linked up with Vidiots in Eagle Rock, interdisciplinary space 2220 Arts + Archives in Historic Filipinotown, and independent theater Now Instant Image Hall in Chinatown as screening venues. The conversation series will take place at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Feliz.
“After a devastating start to the year for Los Angeles, we feel more inspired than ever about bringing our community together to watch, discuss and celebrate great movies,” Gottlieb and Winshall said in a joint statement. “We’re thrilled to host a variety of incredibly stirring and original films from some of the finest emerging international filmmakers, multidisciplinary artists and top talents. It’s our pleasure to provide a holistic view of independent cinema today.”