Dances With Films: LA (DWF: LA) has announced the movie lineup for next month’s return of Los Angeles’ largest indie film-focused film festival) for its 28th edition. The lineup of movies includes its critically-acclaimed Midnight Horror and Genre section, as well as continuing the celebration of music, dance and family-friendly programming in the Downbeat and Kidz sections.

The festival’s schedule will be bookended by the world premieres of Chris Hartwell’s dram, ‘Do No Harm,’ with Harry Shum Jr., and Ronny Chieng as the Opening Night selection. Aaron Sherry’s fantasy drama, ‘Captain Tsunami,’ will serve as the festival’s Closing Night selection. All screenings will take place at the TCL Chinese Theatre between June 19-29, 2025.

This year’s DWF: LA lineup includes 254 movies, including 43 narrative features, 18 documentary features, and 23 television and streaming pilots. The festival will also include 170 short films, including 102 narrative and 19 documentaries, 30 Kidz selections and 19 Downbeat/Music entries.

DWF: LA will include movies making teir world, North American and U.S. premieres. Narrative features making their world premieres include Daniel Hayden’s ‘A Bloody Mess,’ Cameron A. Tubbs’ ‘Acolyte,’ Daniel J. Clark’s ‘American Comic,’ Jared Cohn and Bahar Bella Danesh’s ‘Still Smiling,’ Vera VanGuard’s ‘Apocalypse Love,’ Mark Wilson’s ‘The Calling,’ Luca Perito’s ‘Ciao, Mama,’ John Giacobbe’s ‘Crusty Fouler,’ Vinnie Hogan’s ‘The Distant Jump,’ Lanre’ Obisesan’s ‘Dokita Musa,’ Daniel Bogran’s ‘The Killing Moon,’ Jake Myers’ ‘Kombucha,’ Dylan King Welter’s ‘The Militia,’ Nate Hilgartner’s ‘No Choice,’ Béla Baptiste’s The Obelisk,’ Josh Munds and Chris Alan Evans’ ‘Peeping Todd,’ Julian Berger’s ‘Real Couples,’ Avan Hardwell’s ‘Silent Prey,’ Brandon Buczek’s ‘Something Casual,’ Rio Contrada’s ‘Splinter,’ Adam Finberg’s ‘Star People,’ Benjamin Gonyo’s ‘Strait Undercover,’ Lane Michael Stanley’s ‘T,’ Noam Kroll’s ‘Teacher’s Pet,’ Hariharasudhen Nagarajan’s ‘Tether,’ Cate Caplin’s ‘The Unicorn Diaries’ and Stephen Portland’s ‘Universal.’ Arto Halonen’s ‘After Us, the Flood’ will make its North American Premiere, and Tarique Qayumi’s ‘Conceiving Clara’ will make its U.S. Premiere at the festival.

Feature-length documentaries making their world premieres at DWF: LA include Guilford Adams and Casey Pinkston’s ‘American Clown,’ Liat Ron’s ‘Fear and Now,’ Peter Jones’ ‘Fortunate Sons,’ Allison Norlian and Kody Leibowitz’s ‘Meandering Scars,’ David Anthony Ngo and Stephen Mccallum’s ‘Never Get Busted!,’ Janna GIacoppo’s ‘One But Many,’ Barret Hacia and Josiah Bultema’s ‘Squatchers: The People Who Believe in Bigfoot,’ Andrew Davies Gans’ ‘Voices: The Danny Gans Story,’ Ryan Flynn’s ‘You’re No Indian’ and Robert Ham’s ‘Zzaslow K-427.’

“This year’s theme, ‘Find Your Truth,’ couldn’t be more relevant in today’s world,” stated DWF’s founders, Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent, “and we challenge our Los Angeles audience to find their truth throughout the 28th edition of our film festival. Unique and clearly diverse voices, as well as that ever-present spark of imagination that DWF is known for, all culminate into an extraordinary festival experience for both filmmakers and festival goers alike. As always, we couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce them all in the best way – at the TCL Chinese Theatres known for being the best in sound and image on the screen, introducing these artists to audiences and industry in the heart of Hollywood.”

Thursday, June 19 features the World Premiere Opening Night presentation of ‘Do No Harm.’ Based on ‘The Way That I Take,’ an award-winning short that screened at DWF: LA in 2020, the film follows a burned-out home health nurse makes a mistake turns which leads to the death of one of his patients. He tries to bury the truth under a facade of perfection, but the ever-intensifying pressures of working in American healthcare makes it increasingly likely the truth will reveal itself and bring him down. The film stars Harry Shum Jr. and ‘The Daily Show’s Ronny Chieng.

Sunday, June 29, DWF: LA offers another world premiere, of its Closing Night selection, ‘Captain Tsunami.’ The movie follows quiet comic book store owner’s life is thrown into disarray when precocious 12-year-old 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, and cryptic instructions to bring it all to Glenn if anything should ever happen. The girl is certain that contains a magical message, but the truth may not what be what either of them expect to discover. The cast includes P.J. Marino, Madeleine McGraw, Tessa Munroe and Jeremy Sisto.

For more information on DWF: LA, visit its official website.