Abbott's ZonePerfect(R) Nutrition Bar Brand Continues Commitment to Creativity as Premier Sponsor of Film Independent's 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, Presented by the Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES, June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival, and year-round artist development programs and exhibition events, announced today its sponsors for the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com) and is supported by L.A. LIVE.  The Los Angeles Film Festival will run from Thursday, June 17, to Sunday, June 27, in downtown Los Angeles, with its central hub at L.A. LIVE.  The Premier Sponsor for the 2010 Festival is ZonePerfect® Nutrition Bars, and Principal sponsors are Kodak and Subaru.  Special support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Official Screening Venue is Regal Cinema L.A. LIVE Stadium 14, Official Beer is Stella Artois, Spirits provided by The Patron Spirit Company, and the Official Soft Drink is Coca-Cola.  The Standard, Downtown LA is the Official Host Hotel.  American Airlines is the Official Airline, WireImage is the Official Photographer, and PR Newswire is the Official Breaking News Service of Film Independent.  

Now in its sixteenth year, the Los Angeles Film Festival is recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema and providing the movie-loving public with access to critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.  As previously announced, the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen over 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 40 countries.  

Contact the Coca-Cola Festival Ticketing Center for passes, tickets and event information by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866.345.6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com.  Festival Passes and tickets can also be purchased in person beginning on Monday, June 14, at the Coca-Cola Ticket Center located at the Festival Village at L.A. LIVE (1005 Chick Hearn Court).

The Los Angeles Times, continuing its commitment to and support of all aspects of entertainment, returns for its fifth year as the Los Angeles Film Festival's title sponsor and will once again produce the official Festival Film Guide, the comprehensive source for all movie info, screenings, locations and related special events. The Guide will be available throughout the Festival Village during the Festival and will top the Sunday paper in Los Angeles and Orange County on June 13.

Through a wide-ranging partnership with AEG, a majority of the screenings and other festival activities, presentations and events will be centered around L.A. LIVE, the downtown Los Angeles sports, residential and entertainment district.  Encompassing over six city blocks, L.A. LIVE is considered to be the region's most active 'live content and event campus containing fifteen world-class restaurants along with venues such as STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, the Conga Room, Club Nokia, the GRAMMY Museum, Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge and Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14.  Many of the venues and other hospitality options within L.A. LIVE including The Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles and JW Marriott L.A. LIVE hotels will be activated with festival programming and other events.

In harmony with the brand's creative approach to nutrition, premier sponsor ZonePerfect® Nutrition Bars will host the ZonePerfect® live.create. lounge where Festival filmmakers, attendees, press and professionals in the film community can mix and mingle.  Located at the Festival Village at 1005 Chick Hearn Court, the lounge will be the center of activity for Festival events, film parties and live music.  Consistent with the brand's belief that a creative life is a flavorful life, the ZonePerfect® live.create. lounge will showcase the work of Los Angeles-based artists and singer-songwriters and will be open to the general public from noon to 4:00p.m. on June 18-26.   Those who cannot attend the Festival in person can follow the ZonePerfect®  brand on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/zoneperfect) or "like" on Facebook (http://www.Facebook.com/ZonePerfect) for live.create. lounge updates.

Principal Sponsor and Film Independent Organizational Partner Kodak returns with their signature programs at the Festival: Kodak Speed Dating and Kodak Focus. Kodak Speed Dating directly connects Festival filmmakers with industry heavyweights from all walks of the entertainment community.  The mission: to create a casual atmosphere of accessibility through informative and intimate one-on-one meetings. Kodak Speed Dating is open to all Festival filmmakers with short, narrative, documentary, and international films. Kodak Focus, an intimate conversation with master cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, provides audiences with an opportunity to learn more about the craft of cinematography.

At Subaru, we are committed to supporting education, the environment and the arts. With our sponsorship of the Los Angeles Film Festival, we hope that its participants are able to affect audiences positively through their works and that their efforts make a lasting impression not only on screen, but also in the minds of future participants. Good luck to this year's participants and those future filmmakers that will continue to redefine cinema in the years to come.

American Airlines returns, for a fifth year, to the Los Angeles Film Festival as the official airline. American Airlines has a rich history of service to the greater Los Angeles area and, in turn, Los Angeles plays a significant role in the long history of American Airlines, including the first-ever nonstop coast-to-coast flight which landed in Los Angeles in 1959. American and its regional affiliate, American Eagle, fly into and out of LAX more than 260 times a day to more than 30 different nonstop destinations throughout American's global network. In addition, American serves several other Los Angeles-area airports. American and American Eagle, and our more than 5,000 employees in Southern California, are proud to be a part of this community, and American is honored to serve the air transportation needs of both residents and visitors alike.  At American Airlines we like to say "We Know Why You Fly," and our Los Angeles-area employees strive to live up to that expectation every day.

Stella Artois is returning as the official beer of the Festival.  Stella Artois is proud to support a variety of film industry programs – from major film festivals to independent cinema – and has a longstanding commitment to those who entertain audiences around the world.

Returning as a Platinum Sponsor, Technicolor will once again co-sponsor the exclusive Filmmaker Reception.  With more than 95 years of experience in motion picture innovation, Technicolor serves an international base of filmmakers, with production planning and on-location services, through principal photography, post-production, sound, visual effects, theatrical release-printing, digital cinema, 3D, and all forms of mastering and distribution.  The company remains an industry leader in motion picture color-science, and provides support to all manner of photographic capture.

Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 is a state-of-the-art theatre with digital projection in all 14 auditoriums.  The Regal Premiere House at L.A. LIVE is a premium environment which seats 800 guests and features a 70-foot-wide screen.  Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) is the largest motion picture exhibitor in the United States. The Company's theatre circuit, comprising Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres and Edwards Theatres, operates 6,739 screens in 545 locations in 38 states and the District of Columbia. Regal operates theatres in 43 of the top 50 U.S. designated market areas. In the Los Angeles market Regal Entertainment Group operates 50 theatres with 629 screens. 

At Coca-Cola, our mission is to refresh the world and to inspire moments of optimism and happiness. Around the world, we support a variety of cultural programs designed to broaden our minds and our spirits from dance and film, music and theatre, to the literary and visual arts. Our sponsorship of the Los Angeles Film Festival is just another example of our commitment to the community we serve.

Located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, The Standard, Downtown LA is the second of Andre Balazs' innovative hotels. As the Official Host Hotel for the Los Angeles Film Festival we are proud to be the venue for Film Independent's Speed Dating industry meetings as well as welcoming the 2010 Filmmaker's Reception to our iconic rooftop bar.  Originally constructed in 1956 as the corporate headquarters of Superior Oil, the Carrara marble-clad building is regarded as one of the finest examples of Mid-Century Californian architecture. The property revitalized downtown LA, establishing the area as not only a corporate destination but a cultural and social hub. With a rooftop pool and bar with stunning panoramic views of LA, a 24-hour restaurant and extensive business facilities, the 207-room Standard, Downtown LA revolutionized the concept of a business hotel and set the standard for a unique hospitality experience. 

PR Newswire (www.PRNewswire.com), a global leader in innovative communications and marketing services, continues its support of Film Independent by enabling the organization to connect and engage with their target audiences worldwide, and spread the word about the exciting line-up and happenings at this year's Los Angeles Film Festival.  Through its multi-channel distribution network, audience intelligence, targeting, and measurement services, PR Newswire helps corporations and organizations conduct rich, timely and dynamic dialogues with the media, consumers, policymakers, investors and the general public, in support of building brands, generating awareness, impacting public policy, driving sales, and raising capital.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., returning as a Festival Supporter, will sponsor the Film Independent Member Party and "Confessions of A Shoot" panel. For over 10 years Canon has worked with Film Independent's Membership Team on the Canon Seed Program. The program offers members the opportunity to be trained on and to use Canon Professional Cameras for their feature, short and documentary projects! Canon will have some of their newest cameras, including the EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D and EOS 1D Mark IV on display for members to see at the Member Party.

The Montana Film Office returns for its second year as the co-sponsor of the Filmmaker Reception. The Montana Film Office will provide a complimentary gift to all of the Filmmaker Reception invited guests and looks forward to sharing information about its Studio 406 incentive package. The Montana Film Office is also proud to sponsor the Festival's approximately 1,000 volunteers!

This year the Los Angeles Film Festival will hold its ninth annual Filmmaker Retreat at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California. Skywalker Ranch is the home of Skywalker Sound, one of the world's leading audio recording and post-production facilities. This year, George Lucas will welcome Festival filmmakers, Film Independent staff, established artists from our filmmaking community, and Guest Director, Kathryn Bigelow, for two days of off-the-record conversations, relaxation, great food, and good fun.  Unique to the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Filmmaker Retreat gives participants the incredible opportunity to reunite with old friends and develop new relationships with other artists from around the world. The retreat is made possible by Skywalker Sound and sponsored by MySpace and Deluxe Entertainment Services Group / EFILM.

DLP Cinema will sponsor the Festival's Opening Night digital Premiere of The Kids Are All Right at the Regal Cinemas Premiere House and the Closing Night digital 3D Premiere of Despicable Me at the Nokia Theatre. This will be DLP Cinema's fourth year as a sponsor of Gala presentations at the Los Angeles Film Festival and their first year sponsoring both Opening and Closing Night Premieres.

Festival Coffee Talk sponsors are BMI, Directors Guild of America, SAG Indie/Screen Actors Guild, and Writers Guild of America, West.

Returning for a second year, and sponsored by HOY, Ambulante is a traveling documentary film festival produced by the non-profit organization Documental Ambulante A.C., in collaboration with Canana, Cinepolis, and the Morelia International Film Festival.  It was created in 2005 by Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz to promote documentary culture across Mexico.

The Poolside Chats, sponsored by the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE bring together some of Los Angeles' most interesting people to discuss their passion for cinema, the city, and everything in between at our spectacular new location at the JW Marriott Pool overlooking the downtown skyline. Poolside chat topics include: "Waiting for Superman: A Conversation on Education" with director Davis Guggenheim, John Legend and reformer Geoffrey Canada; "The Power of the Tweet," moderated by Ari Karpel (contributing writer, Los Angeles Times, New York Times); and "Capturing L. A.," moderated by Laurie Ochoa (co-founder, Slake Media; former editor-in-chief, LA Weekly).

Just opened late May 2010, RED O is excited to celebrate its arrival in Los Angeles by hosting Film Independent's 2010 LA Film Festival launch party. RED O Restaurant with Mexican cuisine by Rick Bayless features menus designed by the renowned chef, best known for his highly rated PBS series "Mexico—One Plate at a Time," and from his six cookbooks. RED O's menu features both authentic Mexican and lighter "California-style" dishes to appeal to Los Angeles' diverse clientele. The restaurant's bold, dramatic decor by G+ Gulla Jonsdottir Design includes unique, eye-catching elements such as handmade leather swings surrounding the main bar, a glass tequila tunnel, and a dining atrium surrounded by massive glass garage doors that open to Melrose Avenue on one side and the main dining room on the other.

Southern California McDonald's is proud to be a part of the Los Angeles Film Festival for a second year. During the festival's Free Outdoor Screenings McDonald's will be sampling products to all festival attendees, from their McCafe line of beverages. During the June 19th screening at 7+Fig, the McDonald's team will be handing out free samples of the new Frappe beverages, and on the 26th screening at LA Live samples of McCafe Hot Latte drinks will be offered.

CHAYA Downtown is pleased to offer Los Angeles Film Festival ticket holders a special 10% discount off their meal at CHAYA Downtown. The restaurant is also proud to host and welcome the Los Angeles Film Festival 2010 Awards brunch that will be held on Saturday, June 26. Located on Flower Street in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, the newest establishment of the CHAYA Restaurant Group family combines urban chic and European sensibility with Japanese hospitality and features a lively bar, lounge, sushi bar, and large garden patio.

Additional Festival support is provided by Best Buy, CHAYA Downtown, Classic Party Rentals, CRE Computer and Audio-Visual Solutions, EMI Music Publishing, ESS Expendable Supply Store, FilmTracker, Hollywood Rentals, The Los Angeles Athletic Club, Mode HQ, Moviola, NBC Universal, Olesen, Panavision, Picture Head Post Production, RED O Restaurant, and Screen Actors Guild Foundation.  

Promotional Supporter Clear Channel has brought its portfolio of commercial radio stations, including 102.7 KIIS FM, KOST 103.5 FM, 104.3 MYfm, HOT 92.3, and Star 98.7 FM together to promote the sale of tickets and passes on air and online. Other promotional supporters include Clear Channel Outdoor, EATER, Hollywood & Highland, Ignition Print, KCRW 89.9 FM, MakingOf, mOcean, Para Todos Magazines, Telefutura 46, Univision 34, Univision Radio, and WithoutABox. mOcean produced the Festival's promotional trailer and pre-screening trailer.

The Los Angeles Film Festival is pleased to be part of the 2010 Ford Amphitheatre Summer Season; a multi-disciplinary arts series produced by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission in cooperation with Los Angeles County-based arts organizations.  The Ford Amphitheatre Screenings include Centurion, The Last Exorcism, The People vs. George Lucas, and Thunder Soul. Ford Outdoor Screenings are sponsored by Brand X and American Airlines.

Friends of the Festival are venues and businesses located in Downtown Los Angeles and beyond that make the Los Angeles Film Festival possible.  Supporters include Arts Brookfield Properties, Downtown Independent, GRAMMY Museum, REDCAT Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater.  

Film Independent's Industry Circle Members are a prestigious group of entertainment industry companies who are championing the cause of independent film and are committed to presenting the Los Angeles Film Festival as a major community and cultural event in the city of Los Angeles.  Industry Circle members include Anchor Bay Entertainment, Apparition, Essential Pictures, Film Finances Inc., Focus Features, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Greenberg Glusker, HBO, Imagenation, IndieVest Pictures, Lionsgate, Loeb & Loeb LLP, Mississippi Film Office, Overture Films, PES Payroll, Sony Pictures Classics, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group, and Vivendi Entertainment.  

ABOUT THE 2010 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

Now in its sixteenth year, the Los Angeles Film Festival is widely recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best of new American and international cinema and providing the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.  

The Festival features unique signature programs including the Filmmaker Retreat, Ford Amphitheater Outdoor Screenings, Poolside Chats, and more.  Additionally, the Festival screens short films created by high school students and has a special section devoted to music videos.  

Over 200 features, shorts, and music videos from more than 40 countries make up the main body of the Festival.

The Los Angeles Film Festival is presented by the Los Angeles Times and is supported by L.A. LIVE and Premier Sponsor ZonePerfect® Nutrition Bars and Principal Sponsors Kodak and Subaru.  Special support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  The Standard, Downtown LA is the official Host Hotel, American Airlines is the Official Airline Partner, WireImage is the Official Photography Agency, and PR Newswire is the Official Breaking News Service of Film Independent.  

More information can be found at LAFilmFest.com

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

Film Independent is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent's Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff, and constituents are comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry leader, or film lover.

With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent offers free Filmmaker Labs for selected writers, directors, and producers; provides cut-rate services for filmmakers; and presents year-round networking opportunities. Film Independent's mentorship and job placement program, Project:Involve, pairs emerging culturally diverse filmmakers with film industry professionals.

Film Independent produces the Los Angeles Film Festival, celebrating the best of American and international cinema, and the Spirit Awards, a celebration honoring films and filmmakers that embody independence and dare to challenge the status quo.

For more information or to become a member, visit FilmIndependent.org.

SOURCE Film Independent