DTLA LIFE MAG #8 | AUGUST 2014 | Page 30

MORE SUMMER FUN by Alex Limandri SUNDANCE NEXT FESTIVAL – AUGUST 7-10 – ACE HOTEL Sundance Institute will present the Sundance NEXT FEST summer festival, offering feature and short film screenings, some paired with live music performance and all celebrating the renegade spirit of independent artists. The event is an extension of the popular NEXT <=> section at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, which showcases stylistically adventurous and bold films, and builds on the Institute’s NEXT WEEKEND event, hosted in 2013. Among the filmmaker, cast and musicians expected to attend NEXT FEST and discuss their work are Ana Lily Amirpour, Jeff Baena, Aubrey Plaza, Alex Ross Perry, Jason Schwartz- man, Malik Vitthal, Adam Wingard, David Zellner and Nathan Zellner. For the full lineup, please visit: www.sundance.org/next SUNDANCE NEXT Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles 929 South Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90014 THE LA FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL Cuisine and culture collide this August 21-24 as the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival brings some of the most celebrated cu- linary talent in the country together for a four day, city-wide, epicurean extravaganza. The weekend’s festivities offer guests the chance to sample the cuisines and products from some of the most prominent epicurean influencers, while enjoying the sights and sounds of the entertainment industry’s brightest talents during live culinary demonstrations, world-class wine and spirit tastings, strolling marquee events, one-of-a-kind lunches, tastings, book signings, after parties and much more. In Downtown LA, Graham Elliot, Michelle Bernstein, Masaharu Morimoto, Scott Conant, Justin Chapple, Lorena Garcia and more chefs will show you the way to do it. www.lafw.com GRAND PERFORMANCES Another year, another success for Grand Performances. Every weekend since June, thousands of fans are enjoying the fantastic line up of Grand Performances at California Plaza in Downtown LA. As you know, the shows are 100% absolutely free to attend; no tickets or reservations required, so all you really need to bring are; your friends, family, neighbors and your enthusiasm for an amazing evening of performing arts. Grand Performances believes in equal access and accessibility to seats, so seating is open, begins two hours prior to performance, and is filled on a first-come first-served basis. And it worth walking over to the plaza as the 2014 summer line up is full of fan favorites, new musical obsessions, and a few evenings that will just take your breath away. www.grandperformances.org GRAND PERFORMANCES 350 South Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90071 For more information about Downtown LA Events, visit www.downtownla.com