Allan Ungar’s ‘Bandit’ and Paolo Genovese’s ‘The First Day Of My Life’ to Screen at Sixth Edition of Festival
Los Angeles, August 1, 2023 – DaVinci International Film Festival (DIFF) has announced two high profile additions to its 2023 schedule, set to screen during the festival – Allan Ungar’s Bandit and Paolo Genovese’s The First Day Of My Life. The announcement was made today by DaVinci Film Foundation founder/CEO Chadwick Pelletier.
“We are thrilled to showcase the theatrical hit films Bandit and The First Day Of My Life at DIFF ’23,” comments Pelletier. “Their inclusion to this year’s program truly takes our festival to new heights.”
In Bandit, which stars Mel Gibson, Josh Duhamel and Elisha Cuthbert, a charming career criminal assumes a new identity in Canada after escaping a Michigan prison and goes on to rob a record 59 banks and jewelry stores while being hunted by a police task force. The film’s writer Kraig Wenman will also be co-moderating the fest’s Storyline Writers’ Corner Program, alongside Academy Nicholl Fellow Scott Simonsen.
In The First Day Of My Life, which was acquired by Pelletier during the 2023 Festival de Cannes, a mysterious man gifts four strangers on the brink of suicide a chance to see what life would be like without them. The film stars Toni Servillo, Valerio Mastandrea, and Margherita Buy.
Scheduled from October 20-22, 2023, at AMC Theatres at The Grove in Los Angeles, DIFF ’23 will showcase more than 100 creative projects, including 24 in-competition feature and short narrative, documentary and animation films, screenwriting finalists, and up to 80 ultra-shorts, which will compete for the festival’s Audience Award.
Leo Award categories include feature and short narrative, documentary (DIFFdocs), animation, screenwriting (Storyline), and the recently announced Junior Leo Award for student filmmakers. Additional panel programs will include Digital Hollywood, Film Canada, In Sync with Hollywood, Creativity Conference, in addition to the Writers’ Corner Program, to anchor the slate.
For its second installment at The Grove, DIFF will feature an opening night VIP reception, live and in-person screenings, a closing night Leo Award celebration, panel programs, and exclusive festival events, such as DaVinci Labs exhibition, honoring multidisciplinary creatives in architecture, sculpture, music, and invention.
The extended deadline for all categories of the 2023 festival is October 1, 2023. Submissions are open now on FilmFreeway at DaVinci International Film Festival – FilmFreeway
About DaVinci International Film Festival (DIFF) – DaVinci International Film Festival (DIFF) is produced by 501(c)3 non-profit DaVinci Film Foundation Inc., as a premier boutique awards platform celebrating independent cinema from around the world with its Vitruvian Selections and Leo Awards. The festival hosts four signature programs, including its award-winning screenwriting series, Storyline, DIFFdocs, GENiUS – an ultra-short category, and animation. DIFF ’23 is set to introduce an all-new, free-to-enter Jr. Leo Program for burgeoning filmmakers, as well as a DaVinci Labs exhibition, honoring multidisciplinary creatives in architecture, sculpture, music, and invention. Founded in 2017, DIFF is a top best reviewed film festival, hosting annual events at The Grove in Los Angeles, California. Learn more at davincifilmfestival.com.
Make a high-impact impression on an audience of U.S. and global filmmakers, film community professionals, and film enthusiasts through DIFF 2023 sponsorship. For details and partnership and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Everett Jacobs at [email protected]
Photo Courtesy of DIFF.