Cold Souls at LA Film Fest '09 Presented by LA Times

About Cold Souls: Imagine life's stress is weighing you down. You find an advertisement for a business that offers to extract and store your soul with the promise it will temporarily alleviate your suffering. Would you do it? As an actor in the middle of taking on a grueling role, Paul Giammatti, in true-to-life pathological form, reluctantly gives it a try—his only caveat that his soul not be stored in Jersey. Unfortunately, as with so many trades dealing in precious valuables, a thriving black market has arisen, so it's almost expected—and amusingly surreal—when Giammati discovers his soul has been smuggled into Russia for a lackluster soap actress, no less, who suddenly displays Giammati's fine acting chops. With excellent pseudo-future production design that sustains credibility in the seemingly absurd plot, Sophie Barthes' first feature film is wildly original and telling. Along with being a stark satire full of wit, the existentially layered film also cautions against society's egregious hunger for quick fixes and the dangers of treating ourselves as the ultimate commodity. With special guest attendee Paul Giamatti -- Christine Davila Host: UCLA Extension Entertainment Studies & Performing Arts/Women In Film. About the Los Angeles Film Festival: Now in its fifteenth year, the Los Angeles Film Festival is widely recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema and providing the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world. Drawing on an expected attendance of 85,000, the Festival provides films with the opportunity to be embraced by the public and discovered by the industry. More than 70 feature films – narrative and documentary - are featured in the Festival, alongside gala premieres, panels and seminars, short film programs, music video showcases, free outdoor screenings, live musical performances, and unique signature events.