The DTLA Film Festival mixes a high-impact, big screen experience with local, personal touch that’s hard to find elsewhere. It’s a festival where you and your film can be “found” in a city where it’s too easy to get lost. Programming Director Karolyne Sosa has grown the festival in the burgeoning arts and culture world of Downtown LA, setting the event apart from others in Los Angeles with a distinct voice and sense of place. In turn, DTLA seeks directors with strong, urgent voices that aim to spark discussion, move audiences and make waves. Sosa’s keen eye focuses each year’s line-up within throught-provoking themes, placing individual films inside larger, high-impact contexts that resonate with audiences, the media and distributors. It’s a caring and collaborative process that begins long before your film screens. When DTLA selected our feature, “Forbidden Cuba,” Sosa’s team immediately went to work, helping us connect our film with local LA communities, special-interest audiences and potential buyers. At screening time, we met an energetic, highly-engaged audience that wanted to continue the conversation long after the end credits rolled. We built a community at DTLA, one that is still helping us move our project forward. I was totally surprised in the weeks after the festival when DTLA reached out again to actively promote our film to new potential LA and international buyers. Their team sensed our energy and drive and met us with equal voltage. This is a festival for filmmakers who are ready to take charge of their projects (and destinies). DTLA wants the best for your film, and it has created a caring, high-profile event and organization to get you there.
The DTLA Film Festival was awesome. So great to see my movie on a huge screen at the LA Live Regal Cinemas. The staff was welcoming and helpful. I attended the filmmaker welcome reception and met other filmmakers and festival staff. I know that LA is a tough festival city but it is unfortunate that DTLA Film Festival doesn’t have the audience they deserve – its growing but it is a gem that is so worth it.
Also, the programming of the shorts section was terrific – sometimes it can seem random what you are programmed with but this was a really interesting and well programmed selection.
I had the best time of my life at this amazing festival. Karolyne, Judd, Greg and Marco made this whole experience so unique and special. My film Blue Line Station won “Breakthrough Performance” — I can’t wait for next year. Hopefully submit more of my work!
Had a blast at this festival. My feature film “Occupants” screened there and was it an amazing experience! The team was great, very professional and the Regal LA Live theaters were amazing! A definite 5 out of 5 for me!