Amalia Ulman’s Magic Farm debuts as the opening night screening of the second edition of the Los Angeles Festival of Movies. Presented by MUBI and Mezzanine, LAFM will be held from April 3-6, 2025, and will feature more than 20 feature films, a curated shorts roster, an inaugural animation program, and featured artist talks.
Ullman’s sophomore film is laced with the sardonic humor the filmmaker is known for. The musical score also demonstrates her sense of humor, as the film follows an inept film crew pursuing a celebrated Latin American singer in the wrong country.
Magic Farm, a MUBI film that had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, will kick the event off at Vidots’ Eagle Theatre on April 3. The independent film was written and directed by Ulman and stars Chloē Sevigny, Simon Rex, and Alex Wolff. Critics have enjoyed the movie, calling it hilarious and charming with a vibrant visual style. Sheri Linden with The Hollywood Reporter states, “Magic Farm features a stupendous cast fully in sync with Ulman’s deadpan absurdity.”
Magic Farm
The film tells the story of a film crew working for an edgy media company who travels to Argentina to profile a local musician, though they are in the wrong country. As the crew works with locals to form a new trend, unexpected connections blossom while a pre-determined medical crisis looms.
The acerbic comedy highlights the American film crew’s ineptitude and their Argentine counterparts’ resourcefulness. Cumbia music is present throughout the film, adding nuance to each scene that follows the film crew who travel the world in hopes of exploiting offbeat international stories for sensationalized content.
Their new quest finds them chasing the elusive Super Carlitos, a whimsical singer known for wearing bunny ears, residing in San Cristobal. The inept crew travels to the wrong Latin American country and is forced to team up with locals to pursue their target through Argentina. The film follows the sardonic and dry humor from Ullman’s first film, El Planeta. The sophomore film has received warm reviews for Ullman and her work and debuts at LAFM.
LAFM
LAFM again partners with Vidiots in Eagle Rock, interdisciplinary space 2220 Arts+ Archives in Historic Filipinotown, and independent theater Now Instant Image Hall in Chinatown as screening venues. The lecture series will be held at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Feliz.
Founders Micah Gottlieb and Sarah Winshall collectively said, “After a devastating start to the year for Los Angeles, we feel more inspired than ever about bringing our community together to watch, discuss, and celebrate great movies.”
The founders continued, “We’re thrilled to host a variety of incredibly stirring and original films from some of the finest emerging international filmmakers, multidisciplinary artists, and top talents. It’s our pleasure to provide a holistic view of independent cinema today.”
LAFM’s Lineup
Along with Magic Farm, the festival includes Dennis Cooper and Zac Farley’s Room Temperature, Alexandra Simplson’s No Sleep Till, Grace Glowicki’s Dead Lover, Virgil Vernier’s Cent Mille Milliards, Julian Castronovo’s Debut, Or, Objects of the Field of Debris as Currently Catalogued, Courtney Stephens’ Intervention, and Charlie Shackleton’s Zodiac Killer Report.
According to the festival’s description, Cooper will participate in an artist talk with Tony Tulathimuttle to “discuss their respective approaches and inspirations in creating aberrant and transgressive depictions of obsession and desire in cinema and literature. ”
Animation Today
Cartuna presents Animation Today, and the lineup hosts Yoriko Mizushiri’s An Ordinary Life, Jan Sasaka’s Hurikán, Lucas Malbrun’s Margarethe ’89, Jean-Baptiste Peltier and Erika Haglund’s Mont Noir, John Kelly’s Retirement Plan, and Samuel Patthey’s Sans Voix.
