The Los Angeles Film Festival opens June 16 for ten glorious days of films

The ten-day festival returns for its second year downtown after the successful screenings last year at the venues around LA LIVE, including the Regal Cinemas Stadium 14, The Grammy Museum, REDCAT and the Independent Downtown.

Opening the festival Thursday is Richard Linklater’s newest film, the black comedy, “Bernie” that he co-wrote with Skip Hollandsworth.  The film stars Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey and follows the East Texan Bernie (Black), an assistant funeral home director who is beloved by the town and especially its elderly ladies, including the town’s meanest widow (MacLaine).  McConaughey stars as the town’s suspicious D.A. who suspects Bernie of a nasty crime. 

Closing the Film Festival on June 26 is writer-producer Guillermo Del Toro’s “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” starring Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes, Bailee Madison, Jack Thompson and Alan Dale.  This frightening tale follows Sally (Madison) and her new friends that might just turn out to be ghouls.  Del Toro is this year’s Festival Guest Director.