New fest is first for Downtown L.A.
by Pat Saperstein
Downtown Los Angeles is getting its first-ever film festival, skedded for August 13-17. Launched by the organizers of the nearby Silver Lake Film Fest to celebrate the resurgence of Downtown L.A., the inaugural Downtown Film Festival will be headquartered at the Barker Block loft complex on Hewitt St. in the Downtown Arts District. The venue will include a screening venue and cinema lounge. Screenings and events will are also planned for locations such as the historic Broadway movie palaces and Little Tokyo.
Special programming will include a film series spotlighting Latino-American filmmakers, historic films about Downtown L.A. and an environmental program called Sustainable L.A. Filmmakers may submit narrative and documentary features and shorts for screening consideration until the April 1 deadline.
Submission forms are at www.downtownfilmfestla.com
Michael Jones is the film festival editor at Variety.com. 
