LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (August 15, 2018) —The Los Angeles Anime Film Festival (LAAFF), the largest film festival in North America to feature an exclusive lineup of anime films, is proud to announce details on their opening night premiere event on September 21. LA-AFF will be working with Unlocked, The Anime & Pop Culture Streaming Network by Fan Connect Inc., to live-stream red carpet highlights, backstage footage, and live look-ins of the festival’s opening night gala through the live video chat application. In addition to the “LA-AFF Opening Night Red Carpet Show,” LA-AFF will also be working with the community voice acting database site, Behind the Voice Actors, to host the very first “Anime Films Voice Actors Awards” to kickoff the three day festival.

Tickets for the second annual LA-AFF, including the opening night gala are now available through the official LA-AFF homepage (https://www.la-aff.com). Tickets to the opening night gala includes admission to the opening ceremony. Attendees can purchase a festival pass (while supplies last)  which allows them access to all films (excluding the opening night premiere) and guest talk sessions throughout the weekend.

The “LA-AFF Opening Night Red Carpet Show” will be hosted by major industry professionals including voice actors Bryce Papenbrook (Attack on Titan, Sword Art Online, Blue Exorcist) and David Vincent (Bleach, Kill la Kill, Fire Emblem Awakening) through Unlocked’s free live video streaming platform. The show will feature an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the events leading up to the North American premiere of the highly anticipated film, Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions- Take on Me. Fans will also be able to interact with the many VIPs and industry guests that are in attendance at the opening night red carpet gala by submitting questions to the hosts and talent on the stream in real time.

Prior to the opening film screening, LA-AFF will be presenting awards with Behind the Voice Actors (BTVA) for five categories to celebrate the best English voice acting performances and voice-over titles from anime films of 2017. The categories are: Best Vocal Ensemble in an Anime Movie/ Special, Best Male Lead Vocal Performance in an Anime Movie/Special, Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in an Anime Movie/Special, Best Male Supporting Vocal Performance in an Anime Movie/Special, and Best Female Supporting Vocal Performance in an Anime Movie/Special. The nominees will be announced on the BTVA homepage (https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/) on September 10, 2018 and winners of each of these categories will be announced at the opening night gala. The LA-AFF will take place September 21-23, 2018 and all programs will be showcased at the Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center in Downtown Los Angeles featuring state-of-the-art equipment, high quality images, and high performance sound to deliver anime films in their full splendor to awaiting fans. The festival will feature a full list of events in addition to the film screenings including an opening night red carpet gala and Q&A sessions with directors, voice actors, and film creators to further excite festival-goers.

LA-AFF has recently announced their updated film lineup:

• Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions -Take on Me (North American Premiere: Sub/Dub)
• SHONEN HOLLYWOOD -HOLLY STAGE FOR YOU- Complete Edition (North American Premiere/Free Admission to attendees: Sub)
• King of Prism by PrettyRhythm (Sub)
• KING OF PRISM -PRIDE the HERO- (North American Premiere: Sub)
• Your Name. (Sub/Dub)
• The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (Sub)
• Lu Over the Wall (Dub)
• Mind Game (Sub)
• Grave of the Fireflies (Sub)
• Only Yesterday (Sub)
• Pom Poko (Sub)
• My Neighbors the Yamadas (Sub)
• The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Sub)
• Mary and The Witch’s Flower (Sub)
*All programs are subject to change at festival’s discretion.

Los Angeles Anime Film Festival 2018 Information
Date: September 21, 22 and 23, 2018
Venue: Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center
Venue Address: 1000 West Olympic Boulevard Los Angeles, CA
Website: https://www.la-aff.com/
Social Media: www.facebook.com/LAAnimeFF
twitter.com/LAAnimeFF
www.instagram.com/LAAnimeFF
Hashtag: #LAAFF2018

About Los Angeles Anime Film Festival (LA-AFF)
The Los Angeles Anime Film Festival (LA-AFF) was launched in September 2017 as an annual film festival that showcases only Japanese animation (Anime) films throughout the festival. The three-day event takes place in Downtown Los Angeles. 2017 was the perfect inaugural year for LAAFF since it also marked the 100th year since the birth of Anime in Japan. LA-AFF is excited to bring anime fans of all ages recently popular titles to classic masterpieces to a cinema featuring state-of-the-art equipment, high quality images, and high-performance sound to deliver anime films in their full splendor.

About LA-AFF Executive Committee
The LA-AFF Executive Committee consists of three organizations, Rydgen Inc., Azoland Pictures and Japan Entertainment Exchange (JEX). LA-AFF is organized by the committee members and operated under JEX which is a non-profit organization.

About Unlocked
Unlocked by Fan Connect Inc. – is a mobile application company partnered with Tech incubator Science Inc. based in Santa Monica, CA. Unlocked – The Anime & Pop Culture Streaming Network offers Exclusive shows and Live Video Chat with the largest Actors, Industry Professionals & Influencers in Anime, Gaming, Cosplay and Comic Con culture. Unlocked is currently available for iOS in the App Store. More information can be found at www.unlockedofficial.com

About Behind the Voice Actors
Behind The Voice Actors (BTVA) is a visual and audible guide to voice actors, boasting images and audio clips of voice actors and their characters. It has existed since 2009, and covers over 30,000 voice actor profiles with 200,000 character images across TV shows, movies, video games, and anime. The BTVA Awards have been held each year since 2012, celebrating the best in voice acting across the previous year. For more details on BTVA, visit the official homepage at: https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/

Check out our coverage of last year’s festivities: