Los Angeles Festival of Movies to Open With John Early’s ‘Maddie’s Secret,’ Close With ‘Blue Heron’

Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Los Angeles Festival of Movies is reeling in a full program for its 2026 edition. The newish festival, co-founded by Micah Gottlieb and Sarah Winshall in 2024, is set to take place April 9-12. It will open with John Early ’s directorial debut, Maddie’s Secret , and close with Sophy Romvari’s Blue Heron . Co-presented by Kino Film Collection and Mezzanine, LAFM will roll out a program of more than 25 films, including two world premieres, three U.S. premieres and six West Coast premieres along with featured artist talks that are still being finalized. Related Stories Movies 'Maddie's Secret' Review: John Early's Goofy, Poignant Comedy About a Woman With Bulimia Is a Triumphant Tonal Balancing Act Movies John Early's 'Maddie's Secret,' Nadia Latif's 'The Man in My Basement' Join Toronto Film Fest Lineup Magnolia Pictures’ Maddie’s Secret , which will screen at Vidiots’ Eagle Theatre on April 9, stars Early opposite Kate Berlant, Vanessa Bayer and Conner O’Malley. Early, who wrote and directed, also stars as the title character, Maddie Ralph, a food influencer who is secretly struggling with the return of an adolescent eating disorder. The LAFM showing follows a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Janus Films’ Blue Heron will close the festival at Vidiots’ Eagle Theatre on April 12. Romvari’s film, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, where she received the Swatch first feature award and the junior jury award, follows a Hungarian family as they immigrate to Vancouver Island in the late 1990s. The journey is complicated by the erratic behavior of their teenage son. LAFM’s 2026 lineup also includes such official selections as Christine Haroutounian’s After Dreaming co-presented by the Armenian Film Society, Jack Au...