L.A.’s Dances With Films Sets Lineup For Virtual Edition; ‘Paper Spiders’ To Open Festival

The coming-of-age film Paper Spiders will open a virtual version of the Dances With Films Festival, the producers announced today.

DWF:LA’s 2020 lineup has more than 200 titles, including narrative features, documentaries, pilots, web series, music videos, short films, and films by young people. The entire festival, running Thursday August 27 through Sunday September 6, will be in real time, allowing interactive experiences, including a virtual red carpet, lounges with trivia nights and signature cocktails, panel discussions, and Q&A sessions.

Ticket prices will be lowered this year, owing to the virtual setup. Pre-sale tickets start at $11 through August 26 and then will go to $15. Tickets will be available on the website, http://dwfla.com

Paper Spiders stars Lili Taylor, Stefania LaVie Owen, Peyton List and Max Casella. The film is directed by Inon Shampanier and written by Shampanier and Natalie Shampanier. The story is a bittersweet coming of age mother/daughter tale that centers on the challenges of mental illness. The screening will be followed by a virtual panel discussion with the cast, crew and others to bring consciousness to mental health issues.

The 23-year-old festival is normally hosted at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood.

Before/During/After, directed by Stephen Kunken and Jack Lewars and written by and starring Finnerty Steeves (Orange is the New Black), closes the festival on September 6. The film, featuring Richard Masur, Kristine Sutherland, and Austin Pendleton, offers an inspiring and relatable story of a middle-aged woman coping with a divorce.

DWF’s Advisory Board includes: Jane Fleming, Steve Tisch, Cindy Cowan, Jonathan Dana, Steve Elzer, Kevin Kasha, Eriq La Salle, Michael Lehmann, Valerie McCaffrey, Mark V. Olsen, Joel Ordesky, Mark Ordesky, Melissa Orlen, Will Scheffer, Hilton Smith, David Spiegelman, Steve Wegner and Effie Brown.