The Circuit

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.