The 2025 Dances With Films Los Angeles (DWFLA), June 19-29, line-up features an astounding and impressive 254 films, including 43 narrative features, 18 documentary features, 23 television and streaming pilots, and 170 short films, comprising 102 narratives and 19 documentaries. In addition, this year’s festival includes a 30-film Kidz section and 19 Downbeat/Music entries, and several world premieres for North American and U.S. audiences.
DWFLA’s critically acclaimed Midnight Horror and Genre section, along with the ongoing celebration of music, dance, and family-friendly programming in the Downbeat and Kidz sections, contribute to an incredible schedule of movie-watching, bookended by the world premieres of Chris Hartwell’s drama Do No Harm featuring Harry Shum Jr. and The Daily Show’s Ronny Chieng on Opening Night, followed by Aaron Sherry’s fantastical Captain Tsunami on Closing Night. All screenings for DWFLA will take place at the TCL Chinese Theatre.
“This year’s theme, ‘Find Your Truth,’ couldn’t be more relevant in today’s world,” state Dances With Films’ founders, Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent. “We challenge our Los Angeles audience to find their truth throughout the 28th edition of our film festival. Unique and clearly diverse voices, along with that ever-present spark of imagination that DWF is known for, culminate in an extraordinary festival experience for both filmmakers and festivalgoers alike.” Scallon and Trent add, “As always, we couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce them all in the best way—at the TCL Chinese Theatres, known for having the best sound and image on screen, introducing these artists to audiences and industry in the heart of Hollywood.”
On Thursday, June 19, the World Premiere Opening Night of Chris Hartwell’s devastating drama Do No Harm will take place. Based on The Way That I Take, an award-winning short that screened at DWFLA in 2020, the film follows a burned-out home health nurse who makes a mistake that leads to the death of one of his patients. He tries to bury the truth under a facade of perfection, but the ever-increasing pressures of working in American healthcare make it more likely that the truth will come to light and ultimately bring him down.
American Comic captures the absurd highs and awkward lows of two wannabe stand-ups—like this poolside flex that screams success, insecurity, or both.
“The 2025 Dances With Films Los Angeles (DWFLA), June 19-29, line-up features an astounding and impressive 254 films…”
DWFLA offers another world premiere as its Closing Night selection on Sunday, June 29. Aaron Sherry’s Captain Tsunami is about a quiet comic book store owner whose life is thrown into disarray when a precocious twelve-year-old named Emma appears one night, hundreds of miles from her home, at his doorstep. Her mother, once the love of Glenn’s life, has mysteriously disappeared, leaving only a bag full of artwork about her childhood hero, Captain Tsunami, along with cryptic instructions to bring it all to Glenn if anything should ever happen. The girl is certain it contains a magical message, and the truth may not be what either of them expects to discover. The cast includes P.J. Marino, Madeleine McGraw, Tessa Munroe, and Jeremy Sisto.
Additional highlights among the narrative feature films include the world premiere of Daniel J. Clark’s American Comic. The verité-style mockumentary follows two up-and-coming stand-up comedians who, despite their superficial “cultural” differences, share remarkable similarities regarding egotism, self-destruction, and social ineptitude. The film stars Hayley McFarland, featuring cameos by several top comedians, including Patton Oswalt.
Jared Cohn and Bahar Bella Danesh’s thriller *Still Smiling* features an impressive cast (Shiva Negar, Billy Zane, Peter Facinelli, Shane West, Shohreh Aghdashloo) in a love story that turns lethal when a mother flees her violent ex—only to confront his hired killer in a final showdown.
Daniel Klein’s Taste the Revolution, filmed back in 2001, features Oscar winner Mahershala Ali and follows two aspiring filmmakers aiming to document a political “world summit” organized by a group of disillusioned college students. Their footage unexpectedly reveals the logistical nightmare of managing a modern revolution.
Also making its world premiere is Stephen Portland’s Universal. Starring Joe Thomas from The Inbetweeners, the film follows what happens when two academics trying to enjoy a romantic weekend in a remote log cabin are interrupted by the arrival of a woman claiming to have made a significant discovery and stating she needs their help.
