William Friedkin, Danny Elfman Join LA Film Fest Lineup

William Friedkin is named LAFF guest artistic director, Danny Elfman, Michael Voltaggio and Raphael Saadiq artists-in-residence; "Breaking Bad" to be saluted as well

Director William Friedkin will serve as guest artistic director of the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival, Film Independent announced on Tuesday.

The festival also announced that composer Danny Elfman, chef Michael Voltaggio and music producer Raphael Saadiq will serve as artists in residence at the festival, which runs from June 14 through June 24 in downtown Los Angeles.

Killer Joe posterFriedkin, the director of "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist," will screen his latest film, "Killer Joe," on June 15 and sit for a Q&A about that film and his lengthy career.

Elfman will screen a selection of clips and discuss his favorite film scores on June 16. Voltaggio will host a screening of  the 2000 film "Dinner Rush," followed by a conversation. Saadiq will host a screening of a yet-unannounced film on June 15, and follow it with a conversation with KCRW's Chris Douridas.

The festival also announced that it will turn to the television screen for a couple of special programs devoted to the TV series "Breaking Bad" and "The Newsroom."

As the series begins its final 16 episodes, which will be spread out over two seasons, "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan and stars Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn will sit for a panel discussion on June 16.

Also read: Steve Carell Film, Others to Run at Los Angeles Film Festival's 2012 Gala Screenings

On June 22, Oscar-winning writer Aaron Sorkin, producer Alan Poul and director Greg Mottola will screen the premiere episode of Sorkin's new HBO series "The Newsroom" and talk about the development of the series.

LAFF will also devote the afternoon of June 17 to exploring the contributions of women to the art of animation.

The festival also added a number of screenings to the lineup: a Film Independent members-only screening of the Duplass brothers' "The Do-Deca-Pentathlon," the North American premiere of "The King of Pigs," a screening of "Easy Money" in the International Showcase section and "Question Bridge: Black Males" in the Free Community Screenings section.

This is the 18th year for the Los Angeles Film Festival. Information on tickets, passes and programming is available at LAFilmFest.com.

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