Angeleno film fans will finally get the chance to see one of the buzziest films to come out of Sundance this year: Dope. It’s one of the three great new titles just added to the slate for the upcoming Los Angeles Film Festival.

Rick Famuyiwa’s Dope will make its Los Angeles premiere on June 8, even before LA Film Fest officially kicks off two days later. On June 9, writer/director Pete Docter will give a Master Class followed by an advanced screening of Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out. On June 16, Todd Strauss-Schulson’s The Final Girls will screen as one the Festival’s Gala screenings. (The other two Galas were announced earlier this month.)

Here’s the scoop on all three films:

Dope
Whats it’s about: A trio of BMX-riding, punk-rocking, manga-loving nerds from the Bottoms of Inglewood accidentally get wrapped up in a botched drug deal that threatens to redefine who they are and who they’ll become.

What the critics are saying: “A buoyant teenage caper that has at least as much in common with John Hughes-style high school comedies as it does with most ‘hood narratives involving drugs, gangs and crime.” –Dennis Harvey, Variety

Inside Out
Whats it’s about: Each of us has five emotions at play inside of us. But what happens when Riley’s Joy and Sadness leave the other three emotions (Anger, Disgust and Fear) to fend for themselves? Amy Poehler, Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling star in Disney/Pixar’s latest.

What the critics are saying: “Inside Out presents a deeply humane, high-concept look at life, youth and the complex beauty of nostalgia.” –Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press

Trailer:

The Final Girls
Whats it’s about: A teenage girl still dealing with the death of her actress mother lands herself inside the classic slasher movie of which her mother was the star.

What the critics are saying: “A perky meta homage to slashers of the ‘70s and ‘80s, it’s got a lot of heart and a lot of energy, and it’s certainly made by people who love horror.” –Meredith Borders, Badass Digest

Clip:

Passes for the Los Angeles Film Festival are on sale now to the general public. General admission tickets to individual films go on sale to Film Independent Members on Thursday, May 14 and to the general public on Tuesday, May 19. The Festival takes place from June 10-18.

Tom Sveen / Film Independent Blogger