"Paper Man" kicked off Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival Thursday evening, premiering to a packed audience of sales agents, indie actors and industry execs at Mann's Village Theater.
"Nobody knows what the times are for independent film, but it's still alive and well, and any film that treats the audience responsibly has a shot," said Kieran Mulroney, the bespectacled half of the husband-wife team that wrote and directed the movie at the after-party at the Napa Valley Grille.
The screening of an Iranian film at the Los Angeles Film Festival on Saturday became the occasion to debate the turmoil happening a half a world away, while serving as a timely reminder of the struggle for women's rights under Islamic regimes in the Middle East.
Based on a true story, "The Stoning of Soraya M." tells the tale of Soraya (Mozhan Marno), an innocent women entangled in an unhappy marriage who is falsely accused by her husband of having an affair with a man in their remote Iranian village.
There were no signs of cutbacks or the recent exec shuffle at the lavish premiere of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," which overtook the streets of Westwood Monday evening with red carpets and life-size replicas of machines from the film, including the Optimus Prime semi-truck. 
The LA Film Festival’s “Graphic Explosion” panel featured a quartet of admitted comic book nerds, three of whom have helped translate that passion into filmmaking.
The one-hour panel, held at the Italian Cultural Institute, was moderated by Dave Pifer, owner of Secret Headquarters comic book store in Silver Lake -- but Phifer only opened his mouth to ask the occasional question.
Sten Iversen, manager of the Montana Film Office, came to the Los Angeles Film Festival this year to launch his new Studio 406 incentive package. A veteran of the festival dating back to its first year, Iversen sees it as the perfect place to sell independent filmmakers on the benefits of filming in Montana.
As he took the stage to present the highest honor at the L.A. Film Festival, actor Jon Voight enthusiastically championed the efforts of the local event to promote filmmaking during a challenging time for the arts.
"It's such a splendid thing to have the L.A. Film Festival in our community," Voight said at a gala to fete the festival's award winners at the Hammer Museum Sunday morning. "It gives attention to films and brings filmmakers together to salute them while giving more opportunity for film to appreciated and seen."
