2011 will be our 14th Year of VisionFest, Filmmakers Alliance annual screening and celebration bringing together the best of LA’s independent film community and regularly attended by overflowing audiences and press.

The evening begins with the presentation of the NILSSON AWARD, curated and presented by the award’s namesake and inaugural recipient, ROB NILSSON. The award acknowledges and celebrates bold, direct, honest and aesthetically challenging filmmaking that is often unrecognized by the mainstream independent film community. This year's Nilsson Award recipient is Turkish filmmaker Semih Kaplanoglu.

Next is the presentation of the VISION AWARD, given each year to an established filmmaker whose artistic ambition and consistent filmmaking excellence provides artistic inspiration to emerging filmmakers all around the world.  Past recipients include MIke Figgis, Terry Gilliam, Wim Wenders, Allison Anders, Alexander Payne, David O. Russell, Werner Herzog, Mark and Michael Polish, Kevin Smith, producer Ted Hope and filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn.

Independent Spirit Award and Gotham Award winner Christine Vachon co-founded indie powerhouse Killer Films in 1995 with producing partner Pamela Koffler.  Based out of New York, Killer has produced more than 45 acclaimed independent films including Todd Haynes' Venice Film Festival Award-winning I'M NOT THERE and last year's Best Canadian Feature at TIFF, CAIRO TIME.  Over the past decade and a half the two have produced some of the most celebrated American indie features including Academy Award-winning films FAR FROM HEAVEN, BOYS DON'T CRY, ONE HOUR PHOTO, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, HAPPINESS and SAFE. In television, Vachon executive produced the Emmy-winning program, This American Life, for Showtime and more recently the two have collaborated on the upcoming miniseries Mildred Pierce for HBO.  Killer Films was honored with a 10 year retrospective at the New York Museum of Modern Art in 2005.

The presentation of awards will be followed by a program of some of the best short films produced in the previous year. We are pleased to announce the following films:

Inside This World of Mine (3:59) by Sean Morris  

The Wanderer (14:30) by Aaron Garcia

The Director (1:30) by Destri Martino

Debutante Hunters (12:42) by Maria White

White Knuckles (3:46) - 3D Director Eric Kurland

Abigale (16:00) by Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck

All Is Not Lost (3:24) - 3D Director Eric Kurland

The Legend of Beaver Dam (12:00) by Jerome Sable, Produced by Michael Blaha

Total program length: 68 mins.

And we will have a special Public Service spotlight on Tamika Lamison's Make A Film Foundation with a screening of the org's new film Deep Blue Breath directed by Patricia Cardoso.

The evening finishes with a high-energy party on the rooftop of the Downtown Independent Theater catered by some of Los Angeles' best restaurants.

October 19th at 8:00 p.m.

Downtown Independent Theater

251 S. Main St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

VISIONFEST 2011 SPONSORS INCLUDE:

2011 Vision Award Recipient

CHRISTINE VACHON

PAST VISIONFEST FILMS

2010

Wait For Me 

Directed by Dylan O'Brien and Holly Murdoch O'Brien

Native Time 

Directed by Sean Morris

Beyond Silence 

Directed by Vidyut Latay

Gonah Kardam 

Direcrted by Gabriela Tollman

Aliens Vs. Predator 

Directed by Stephen Reedy and Produced by Megan Powers

David and Goliath (Winner, Los Angeles Short Film Grant)

Directed by George Zaver

Quetzal 

Directed by Marc Levy and Produced by Amanda Sweikow

2009

Oil Change

Directed by Todd Luoto

Resonance (Winner, Los Angeles Short Film Grant)

Directed by Robert Beaucage

No Art On $2.00 A Day

Directed by Laurent Malaquais

You're Only What I See Sometimes

Directed by Donal Foreman

THE Cycle

Directed by Amanda Sweikow

My Last Day On Earth

Directed by Jacques Thelemaque

2008

Too Loud A Solitude

Directed by Genevieve Anderson

Birthmark

Directed by David Woods

Putting A Cigarette Out With Your Feet

Directed by Carlo Pangalangan

A Nice Day For An Earthquake

Directed by Antony Berrios

Removal

Directed by Donal Foreman

Dada

Directed by Brad Jones

Conflicted

Directed by Beth Dewey

Melancholy Baby (Winner, Los Angeles Short Film Grant)

Directed by Sean Hood

2007

Bueno

Directed by Paul Gutrecht

 

All The Fish In The Sea

Directed by Charlie Chu

 

The Bear and The Geisha

Directed by Lisa Temple

 

Far Sighted (Winner, Los Angeles Short Film Grant)

Directed by Elyse Couvillion

 

Henri 

Directed by Will Braden

 

Crossing The Line

Directed by Marty Elcan

 

Plus or Minus:  A Few Things I Thought I Should Consider

Directed by Amanda Sweikow

2006

 

Dirty Mary

Directed by Stuart Rogers

 

Shut Me Up

Directed by Brad Jones

 

The Interview

Directed by Lisa Moncure

 

The Guitar Players Girlfriend (Winner, Los Angeles Short Film Grant)

Directed by Janet Harvey

 

American Infant

Directed by Eric Kurland

 

Each Finger Has an Attitude

Directed by Lisa Crook

 

Son Up       

Directed by Andrew Shearer

2005

 

Traces                                                                     

Directed by Claudia Leger

 

Photosynthesis (Winner, Los Angeles Short Film Grant)                                                    

Directed by Paul Gyuro

 

Free Lunch                                                  

Directed by Chase Gordon

 

You Turned Back and Held My Hand                      

Directed by Gabriela Tollman

 

Help me, Oprah                                                           

Directed by David Jackson Willis

 

Second Thoughts                                               

Directed by David Woods

 

Dunes of Destiny                                              

Directed by Curt Stewart

 

Transaction                                                           

Directed by  Jacques Thelemaque

 

Broadcast 23                                            

Directed by Tom Putnam

 

2004

 

Tackle Box                      

Directed by Matthew Mebane

 

The Act                                   

Directed by Pi Ware & Susan Kraker

 

Other People       

Directed by Antony Berrios

 

The Wedge                   

Directed by Curt Stewart

 

Birth of Industry (Winner, Los Angeles Short Film Grant)          

Directed by Gabriela Tollman 

Perfection                                 

Directed by Karen Lin

 

Six and the City                      

Directed by Hanelle M. Culpepper

 

Tel Aviv                                 

Directed by Richard Goldgewicht

2003

 

Ecstatic           

Directed by David Knell

 

The Ends Of The Alphabet           

Directed by Eric Kurland

 

A Single Rose    

Directed by Hanelle Culpepper

 

Nightsweats         

Directed by Veronica DiPippo and produced by Marc Aramian

Alone        

Directed by Sean Hood

 

Infidelity In Equal Parts          

Directed by Jacques Thelemaque

 

Living In Walter's World          

Directed by Phil Kaufmann

 

The Vest (Winner, Los Angeles Short Film Grant)       

Directed by Paul Gutrecht 

2002

 

High Expectations           

Directed by Jeanne Robinson and Vincent Spano

 

Ray and Jake          

Directed by Frankie Como

 

Lost Dog

Directed by Deborah Lemen and Sandra Nelson Winkler

 

Pablo Ferro - Untitled          

Directed by Cain DeVore and Richard Goldgewicht

 

Mementoke        

Directed by Matt Nix and Alfredo Barrios, Jr.

 

Home         

Directed by Antony Berrios

 

True Love          

Directed by David Jackson Willis

 

Tony & Bobby         

Directed by Vincent Spano           

 

2001

 

Kick It Around (Digidance 2002 Promo)

Directed By Gregory Lemkin

 

The Abduction (Commercial)

Directed By Sandy Collora and produced by Dave Fennoy

 

Love For Love

Directed By Bruce Coughran

 

Thanksgiving

Directed By Diane Gaidry

 

The Priests

Directed By James Napoli and produced by Mindi White

What We Have

Directed By Paul Gutrecht

 

The Last Gunshot

Directed By Gabriela Tollman

 

The Disappearing Girl Trick

Directed By David Jackson Willis           

 

Is It Time To Swap?

Directed By Jerry Rapp and Daedulus Howell

2000

 

Greenlight Yourself - FA prom            

Directed by Jeff Orgill

 

Blue Miss Sunday         

Directed by Jeff Orgill

 

Egg           

Directed by Jacques Thelelmaque

 

Sweet          

Directed by Elyse Couvillion

 

Solomon Bernstein's Bathroom       

Directed by Sandy Collora and produced by Dave Fennoy

 

Me and The Big Guy        

Directed by Matt Nix

 

Greetings From The Shore        

Directed by Jesica Bornemann

 

Fever Pitch                      

Directed by Willard Morgan

1999

 

Blue Rondo

Directed by Richard Goldgewicht

 

IS20

Directed by Elyse Couvillion

 

The Remote

Directed by Frank Chindamo

 

Across The Bridge

Directed by Sam Boyer

 

Hide and Seek

Directed by Shawn Tolleson

 

Thaw

Directed by Jeff Orgill

 

That Marino Thing

Directed by Frankie Como

 

Georgia

Produced by Wendy DeRycke

 

The Ceremony

Directed by Kerry Hainey and produced By Rajia Baroudi

Love, Life and Laundry

Directed by Stacie Isabella Turk

1998

 

Love Without Socks

Directed by Jacques Thelemaque

 

My Beautiful Me

Directed by Pi Ware

 

Shiva’s Teardrop

Directed by Sean Hood

 

Mitzi and Joe

Directed by Cain DeVore

NOTE: Parking is not free. There are several parking structures near the theater. $9 parking is available right next door to the theater on the north side. However, $5 parking is available at the Los Angeles Times parking structure at 213 South Spring Street.

Map to Downtown Independent Theater