Louisiana International Film Festival gears up for third year

A still from the new documentary The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution. Courtesy Sundance Films

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This year’s edition of the Louisiana International Film Festival promises bigger names and movies. The festival, now in its third year, will take place May 7-10 at Cinemark Perkins Rowe.

Programming for this year’s event includes dramas, foreign language films, comedies, shorts and documentaries as well as an American premiere from last year’s Audience Award winner Bernard Rose.

In preparation for the 2015 festivities, the festival gave 225 a look at six films moviegoers won’t want to miss. Find out more at lifilmfest.org.

Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet. This animated drama, divided into “chapters,” is based on Gibran’s classic work and features the voices of Liam Neeson, Salma Hayek and John Krasinski. Roger Allers, who directed animated hits such as The Lion King and Open Season, is one of the featured directors here. Hayek also produced the film.

Mangelhorn. Director David Gordon Green (Joe, All the Real Girls, Pineapple Express) looks to continue his recent hot streak by teaming up with legendary actor Al Pacino in this crime drama. Holly Hunter and Chris Messina also star.

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution. This feature-length documentary focuses on the Black Panther Party and was an official selection at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Stanley Nelson (Freedom Riders) directs.

I’ll See You In My Dreams. Blythe Danner stars in this romantic drama about an aging widow who falls into relationships with two very different men. Sam Elliott and Martin Starr co-star.

In the Name of My Daughter. A French drama starring Catherine Deneuve (Belle de Jour, Dancer in the Dark) and Guillaume Canet (Love Me If You Dare) and directed by award-winner André Téchiné (Wild Reeds). This film focuses on a powerful casino owner who risks everything to protect her daughter.

Frankenstein. Bernard Rose, the 2014 film festival Audience Award winner for The Devil’s Violinist and director of Candyman and Immortal Beloved, returns to Baton Rouge for an American premiere of his updated take on this classic tale. Rose will be in attendance for a Q&A session following the premiere. Carrie-Anne Moss and Danny Huston star.