Opening Night

The festival kicked off in grand fashion tonight with the premiere of Universal's "Wanted," starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie. The warm weather brought out lots of girls in their summer dresses to the intersection of LeConte and Broxton as the crowd filed into the Mann Village in Westwood to see director Timur Bekmambetov's ("Night Watch"/"Day Watch") artsy SFX-laden actioner.
Film Independent's Dawn Hudson and Rich Raddon opened the festival, thanked the sponsors and introduced the director, McAvoy and co-stars Thomas Kretschmann and Terence Stamp. Ms. Jolie was otherwise occupied with maternal responsibilities. Afterward, the audience from the Village and those who'd seen the film down the street at the Crest commingled on Broxton for the after-party. Sponsor Jameson Irish Whiskey pointedly received one of the evening's more enthusiastic responses. "Wanted" opens in theaters June 27. Chris Lee wrote a curtain-raiser on the festival and "Wanted" in last Sunday's LA Times, in case you missed it.
The festival kicks off in earnest Friday with screenings beginning mid-afternoon. For a good overview of the films, Scott Foundas and company at the LA Weekly provide an exhaustive round-up of critic's picks and capsule reviews.