The Las Vegas Film Festival is back for 2019 with a lineup of feature-length films and documentaries, shorts and special presentations.
The 12th edition of the festival will be held from April 28 to May 5 at various venues in and around Fremont East and Downtown Las Vegas and at the Brendan Theatres inside the Palms Casino Resort.
"We really work to get films and personalities that don't normally come to [theaters in] Vegas for whatever reason," said Mike Plante, the Las Vegas Film Festival's captain of strategy. "Some indie films come here, but there aren't many venues for independent or smaller distribution films in Las Vegas."
As a smaller film festival that is growing gradually, Plante said organizers pick their programming and films carefully. They are making a great investment in the shorts program this year, with more selections and a juried prize.
"I think shorts is an area we can move on in terms of establishing a national presence," Plante said. "A lot of next-generation talent comes through short films, and as a festival it offers more opportunity to support people."
Several of the feature-length films in the 2019 program have Las Vegas ties without falling victim to obvious Sin City themes like gambling and illicit behavior. There is an untitled documentary about the Amazing Jonathan, a Vegas magician who worked in shock and deception in the 1980s, and a film titled "The Zen Speaker: Breaking the Silence," chronicling Amy Ayoub, a public speaker and Las Vegas businesswoman who, after 38 years, revealed her own story of being a victim of sex trafficking and becoming a vocal advocate for women's rights.
The documentary "Knock Down the House" follows several of the women who ran against incumbents in the 2018 midterm elections, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Amy Vilela of Las Vegas (who lost her bid for a congressional seat in the Democratic primary last year).
The Amazing Jonathan and the director of the documentary will hold Q&A sessions at the festival. Vilela will also be appearing for a Q&A, as will Penny Lane, director of the feature-length documentary "Hail Satan?" that looks at the Satanic Temple, whose members challenge conventional thinking and the display of the 10 Commandments on government grounds.
The feature films are diverse in content while following a thread of intense family and relationship issues that Plante said was unintentional.
"All of these are dramas that just feel real," he said. "When people ask what makes a good film or drama, it's that we should care what happens to these people. And that's what we have with these films. There is such good acting and writing inside them."
The Las Vegas Film Festival is committed to robust community programming, as well, and sponsors a music video and short film lab in which local students get to feature their works at special festival events.
"The kids get to make short films and learn a bit, and it's always an amazing experience," Plante said. "With the music video lab it's local bands and local filmmakers who we bring together, and it provides a real spark for creativity. Those are always some of the most fun and well-attended events."
Going forward, Plante said organizers are exploring some venues they could use for programming throughout the year. He also would like to do more with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and perhaps sponsor screenings on campus.
"We're excited to bring this sort of event to Las Vegas, which really does have an audience for it," Plante said. "We are just rowing at the speed that we can, and we don't try to do more than we can pull off and still grow each year."