The Circuit

Richard Raddon, the director of Film Independent's LA Film Festival, has ankled his post.

Raddon and the org have been facing a barrage of protests over Raddon's contribution to the successful Yes on Prop 8 campaign that banned gay marriage in California.

Bowing to immense public pressure after refusing to accept Raddon's earlier resignation, Film Independent's board of directors convened Monday and agreed to accept his second resignation. 

Raddon issued the following statement:

"I feel honored to have worked with such a wonderful group of people at the Los Angeles Film Festival over the last nine years.  I am proud of our accomplishments.  And I am proud to have worked at Film Independent, an organization whose principles and values of diversity and artistic integrity I cherish.  I have always held the belief that all people, no matter race, religion, or sexual orientation are entitled to equal rights."

"As many know, I consider myself a devout and faithful Mormon.  I prefer to keep the details around my contribution through my church a private matter.  But I am profoundly sorry for the negative attention that my actions have drawn to Film Independent and for the hurt and pain that is being experienced in the GLBT community."

The Board of Film Independent confirmed in a statement:

"With great reluctance, Film Independent has accepted Richard Raddon's resignation as Director of the Los Angeles Film Festival.  Rich's service to the independent film community and to Film Independent has been nothing less than extraordinary.  He has always shown complete commitment to our core principles of equality and diversity during his long tenure.  It was through his leadership that the Los Angeles Film Festival has grown into a formidable and exciting showcase for talented artists and diverse voices. We are sorry to see him go."

Film Independent, under scrutiny for the personal financial contributions of LA Film Festival director Rich Raddon in support of California's gay marriage ban (Prop 8), has issued a statement:

"As a champion of diversity, Film Independent is dedicated to supporting the civil rights of all individuals. At the same time, our organization does not police the personal, religious, or political choices of any employee, member, or filmmaker."

State records show Raddon's contribution includes his profession and employer, which provided a red flag to protesters who are scouring donor names for boycott targets.  California law requires donations above $100 to be publicly recorded.

"The Hobbit":

"The Hobbit is the only book from Tolkien that I read at the right age.  I read it at 11.  I proceeded very gingerly though the trilogy and failed miserably.  The Hobbit comes from a place that is completely spontaneous.  It almost blurted out.  It came out of a very personal side of Tolkien, I would imagine.  I keep thinking in a way it's his reaction to his own experience going through World War I."

Moving to New Zealand:

"Before The Hobbit came I had just bought a house for my crap.  I was home hammering art on my wall... when the call came:  Would you pledge half a decade of your life to The Hobbit [by moving to New Zealand]?  Fucking yes."

Fucking institutions:

"I fucking hate institutions.  I love bank robbing movies.  Rififi. Ocean's 11.  As long as they're fucking a bank, I'm happy.  In my mind, planning a bank robbery would be a very creative endeavor.  You would need to plan them like a movie shoot and organize the crew.  I would probably make more money."

Simple humor never dies:

"I'm absolutely the target audience for Family Guy.  I'm easily amused.  If there's a fart joke, I consider it a comedy masterpiece."  (Seth MacFarlane voices "Johann Kraus" in del Toro's "Hellboy 2")

The role of monsters:

"Physical ugliness is very important.  We live in a world that constantly tells us how to diminish our ugliness.  And I say fuck them all.  Let us be whatever we are."

Mythology and religion:

"In a world that enthrones skepticism as intelligence... it's much more ballsy to believe than to be a fucking skeptic.  If you're a skeptic because it's cool, fuck you.  Tell me why you don't believe."

Submarine's Josh Braun, "This Film is Not Yet Rated" producer Eddie Schmidt, HBO Docs' Sara Bernstein, LAFF juror Morgan Spurlock, and indieWIRE's Eugene Hernandez.

Braun was celebrating his company's new pact with MSNBC Films for a handful of docs he reps.  He had a hand in selling Spurlock's "Super Size Me."


"Kurt Cobain: About a Son" director AJ Schnack and "Throw Down Your Heart" director Sascha Paladino at the IFC party.


"Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story" director Stefan Forbes and "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" director Marina Zenovich.  Forbes doc has emerged as an audience fave.

Director and co-writer Brian Peterson brings "Coyote" to LAFF after small fest run, including Atlanta and a win at Big Bear.

Peterson, who was the AD and played "Lance" in "Napoleon Dynamite," also stars with co-writer Brett Spackman and Marina Valle.  The film is about a two friends who start a human trafficking business.

Ann Thompson has been all over the LAFF this weekend. 

• Mark Gill's keynote is big, sad, and eventually hopeful read on the state-of-the-industry.  It was pre-hyped as a head-turner, and fest-goers were buzzing about it all weekend.

• Anne also has a look at director Timur Bekmambetov's "Wanted," which opened the fest after Film Independent's Dawn Hudson's welcome (pictured).  Fest director Rich Raddon was particularly thrilled at having the comic-adaptation open their Westwood event - "I'm going to geek-out in a second."  Todd McCarthy reviews "Wanted" here.

Also, over the weekend:


"Trinidad" directors PJ Raval and Jay Hodges are flanked by two of their doc's subjects - Sabrina Marcus (left) and Dr. Marci Bowers.  Doc is about Trinidad, Colorado - the "Sex Change Capital of the World."


Austin Film Society queen Agnes Varnum and "Medicine for Melancholy" director Barry Jenkins, who was celebrating his film's recent pickup by IFC.


"Scanner Darkly" producer Tommy Pallotta, Cinetic Media's Matt Dentler, and actor Randy Ryan.  Ryan just came off working on Michael Mann's new "Public Enemies."  As a poker aficionado, he and his co-stars would sit down for a few rounds after the day's wrap.  Unfortunately, one of the co-stars was his friend, mixed martial arts champ Don Frye.  When Frye grew tired of losing, he promptly kicked Ryan's ass.  As Frye kept losing, Ryan kept getting an ass kicking.

Soon after the news that IFC picked up Barry Jenkins' "Medicine for Melancholy" ahead of its LAFF screening (it preemed at SXSW), Winter Miller reports that Lance Hammer has pulled "Ballast" from the distrib, opting instead to go with Strand.

Gigantic Releasing has picked up all North American and English-speaking territories to Morgan Dews' debut docu, "Must Read After My Death" ahead of its U.S. preem at the Los Angeles Film Festival.  The film premiered at Hot Docs.

Docu chronicles the life of troubled family during the turbulent '60s and is based on the home recordings, snapshots and transcripts of the filmmaker's grandmother. Gigantic will release the film at the end of 2008.

“With Morgan Dews’s stunning film debut, we are discovering a new director with an artist’s eye and the power of a great story-teller," said Mark Lipsky, Gigantic's president. "He has taken the unique and stirring details of his own family and turned it into a tale that speaks to the trials of family life everywhere.”

Check out the trailer:

Hip-hop artist, Common, will serve as the LA Film Fest's Artist in Residence for their June event.  Common will showcase a sidebar of films that have inspired his work, including such Common selections as "Pulp Fiction" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."

Common also stars in the fest's opening night flick, "Wanted" with Angelina Jolie. 

Fest has also announced that they're going green. They'll use bio-diesel to fuel generators and recycle all paper, wood, glass, and plastic used at the event.

• LA Film Fest will host the premiere of Eric Brevig's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" starring Brendan Fraser in 3D as part of the festival's Family Day on June 29.  They'll also be games, booths, giveaways, and pony rides to the center of the earth.  And as a tribute to the late animator Ollie Johnson - the last of Disney's "Nine Old Men" - LAFF will screen "Peter Pan," of whom Johnson animated the character of Mr. Smee.  Tics are only 5 bucks.

• Julie Christie will be honored at FILMFEST MUNCHEN with the fest's CineMerit Award.  They'll also screen six of her films including "Billy Liar," "McCabe and Mrs. Miller," and "Away From Her." Info at www.filmfest-muenchen.de

• Manhattan's pouting step-child, Staten Island, gets a fest with the SINY Film Festival.  They'll screen Orson Welles' classic "Touch of Evil" as well as a lineup of competition films.  Info at www.sifilmfestival.org.

Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival will open with Timur Bekmambetov's actioner "Wanted" starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie.

Sacha Gervasi's hit doc "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" will get a centerpiece treatment.

The fest will close with Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy II, The Golden Army."

Full story, with competition lineup, here.