Rosanna Xia and Daniel Straub’s Out of Plain Sight will open the 31st Slamdance Film Festival on February 20th at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
Slamdance will take place in-person February 20-26, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA and virtually from February 24 to March 7, 2025 on the Slamdance Channel.
From Academy Award-winning L.A. Times Studios, Out of Plain Sight is a cinematic exposé that uncovers an environmental disaster off the Southern California coast – the quiet dumping of half a million barrels of toxic waste after World War II. With journalist Rosanna Xia and scientist David Valentine, the film unravels a historic cover-up still haunting the world today.
“To have Slamdance champion an environmental documentary as its opening act truly speaks to the spirit of the ….” said director, producer, and Los Angeles Times environmental reporter Rosanna Xia. “It is so meaningful to kick off the festival’s first year here in Los Angeles with a story that has haunted me for years – and that unravels so many interconnected layers within Southern California and beyond.”
Through Slamdance’s partnership with L.A.Times Studios, a panel titled HOLLYWOOD, YOU’RE LATE: Demystifying Disability & The Accessibility Wake-Up Call will be live-streaming to the homepage of the Los Angeles Times during the festival. The panel will discuss how accessibility makes film productions smoother rather than harder, why casting authentically leads to stronger films and better performances, and how prioritizing inclusion will break new ground and reshape the industry for the better. The panel will be moderated by Jim LeBrecht with featured panelists including Marissa Bode, Ariel Simms, Natasha Ofili, Juliet Romeo, and Kaitlyn Yang.
Slamdance also announced multiple initiatives organized by Polytechnic, Slamdance’s free-to-attend education program. Slamdance Polytechnic provides an accessible educational platform, merging technology and craft for emerging filmmakers guided by industry professionals, media partnerships, and alumni. Polytechnic is supported by a number of local community partners including AGBO, ARRAY Learning & Education, Compton Unified School District, Harvard-Westlake School, Occidental College, and the University of Southern California.
A feature of Polytechnic this year will be Market Monday. Given the recent turbulence in our city and Industry, Market Monday seeks to bring the LA film community together, involving a day of panels focused on renewal, refreshing distribution, promoting theatrical exhibition as well as fostering collaboration, not competition. Panels include “Past to Present Context,” “What is Working Now,” “Recent Filmmaker Experience” and “Accessibility, the Write Way.” Market Monday is formed by industry professionals and programmed by Filmmakers Distribution Collective founders Annalisa Shoemaker, Albert Berger, and Barbara Twist.
Slamdance Polytechnic also announced Cine/Vation, a networking mixer that will act as an educational initiative for film schools across California. The inaugural symposium, hosted by Diana Keeler, will see cinema clubs from different universities coming together in a collaborative effort to strengthen and educate the community of young up-and-coming filmmakers. Participating schools include Pepperdine University, Occidental College, University of Southern California (USC), The Los Angeles Film School, Ghetto Film School, New York Film Academy, Loyola Marymount University, and Mt. San Antonio College.
Slamdance 2025’s Polytechnic programming also features the Teens Tell Stories program which provides aspiring storytellers with the skills, guidance, and opportunities to bring their creative ideas to life. Held during the festival’s opening weekend, Award-winning writer Beverly Neufeld will lead the workshops and be accompanied by alumni and industry professionals.
“We are proud of our LA roots and honored to work with amazing partners to lift and support the LA filmmaking community as well as emerging artists from schools across LA county during these tumultuous times,” stated festival founder Peter Baxter. “Through collaboration, our extensive Polytechnic programming offers accessible events that will make a direct impact on LA’s vibrant film scene.”