New Orleans Film Fest Picks 'Rileys,' 'Valentine's Day'

It’s not the best-known Crescent City shindig by a long shot, but the New Orleans Film Festival has been going for more than two decades – and its 2010 lineup, parts of which were announced on Friday, assembles a solid cross-section of festival favorites from the year so far.
Jake Scott’s drama “Welcome to the Rileys” (photo below), which stars James Gandolfini, Melissa Leo and Kristen Stewart and played at Sundance and the Los Angeles Film Festival, opens the 21st New Orleans fest on October 14. Much of the action in the film takes place in New Orleans.
Derek Cianfrance’s “Blue Valentine,” another Sundance entry that the Weinstein Company will release in December, will serve as closing-night attraction a week later, on October 21. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.
Other films announced by the New Orleans Film Society include Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” and Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours,” two of the most anticipated entries at the upcoming Toronto, Venice and London festivals.
The New Orleans Film Festival, which operates in the shadows of the better-known New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, not to mention annual events like Mardi Gras, typically attracts more than 7,000 guests each year to venues across the city.
More information is available at www.neworleansfilmsociety.org.

~Robstenfan