LA Film Festival to Open With Music Doc ‘Echo in the Canyon’

The film looks at the origins of the Laurel Canyon music scene.
Andrew Slater’s Echo in the Canyon, a documentary about the Laurel Canyon music scene, will have its world premiere as the opening-night film of the upcoming LA Film Festival, screening Sept. 20 at the Ford Theatres.

The film, on which Jakob Dylan served as executive producer, will look at such seminal music groups as The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and The Mamas & The Papas and includes appearances by Tom Petty, Brian Wilson, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Michelle Phillips, Jackson Browne, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Lou Adler, Norah Jones, Beck, Regina Spektor, Cat Power and others.

“I’m so proud to be opening the festival with a love song to Los Angeles via Andrew Slater’s Echo in the Canyon,” said Jennifer Cochis, director of the festival, which is produced by Film Independent. “We are committed to showcasing documentaries, and premiering this work at the Ford Theatres to be followed by a live musical performance is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The fest also announced 10 world and U.S. premieres that have been selected for the event, as well as 21 music videos, 15 short by high school students and three pilots for indie episodic shows.

A list of the premieres is below.

American Dreamer, dir. Derrick Borte, USA, World Premiere
Ashes in the Snow, dir. Marius A. Markevicius, Lithuania/USA, World Premiere
Brian Banks, dir. Tom Shadyac, USA, World Premiere
The Chaperone, dir. Michael Engler, USA, World Premiere
The Clovehitch Killer, dir. Duncan Skiles, USA, World Premiere
Good Girls Get High, dir. Laura Terruso, USA, World Premiere
Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl, dir. Amy Goldstein, USA, World Premiere
Ride, dir. Jeremy Ungar, USA, World Premiere
Tea With the Dames, dir. Roger Michell, U.K., U.S. Premiere
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, dir. Stacie Passon, USA, U.S. Premiere

View this article at The Hollywood Reporter.