'Public Enemy' chosen to be L.A. Film Festival centerpiece.

Byline: Bob Strauss, Staff Writer

Official selections for next month's Los Angeles Film Festival were announced this week, with Michael Mann's John Dillinger epic "Public Enemies," starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, revealed as the Westwood film celebration's centerpiece premiere.

Appropriately enough for the Cinco de Mayo announcement, Mexican superstars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna were in attendance to note that three films from Ambulante, the traveling documentary festival that they've brought to assorted Mexican locales for the past four years, will have three entries in LAFF's international spotlight section: "Born Without," "El General" and "Rehje."

"It's great that our festival has come up to here, since it's perhaps the second biggest city in Mexico," cracked Garcia Bernal, who co-stars with Luna in the comedy "Rudo y Cursi," which opens in Southern California today.

Although opening and closing night premieres have yet to be finalized, among the acclaimed international productions that will screen from June 18 through 28 will be the British prison biopic "Bronson"; "35 Shots of Rum" from France's Claire Denis; American indies "Cold Souls," "Humpday" and "Paper Heart"; the English political satire "In the Loop"; and Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda's "Still Walking."

More than 70 features, 70 shorts and 50 music videos will screen at the 15th edition of LAFF. Filmmaker chats, receptions, workshops and numerous other programs also will be scheduled.

Rachel Rosen, director of programming, noted that trends that emerged among this year's selected films included crossing borders, continued mixing of documentary and narrative elements and, as usual, films in which Los Angeles plays a central part.

New LAFF director Rebecca Yeldham emphasized cultural diversity (30-plus countries are represented) and diversity in general, perhaps in response to the flap that arose when previous director Rich Raddon had to step down after donating $1,500 to last November's anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 campaign.

Members of Film Independent, which produces the festival, can purchase passes immediately. Passes for the general public go on sale May 18 and tickets to individual films can be bought starting May 29. Call 1-866-345-6337 or go to www.LAFilmFest.com for more information.

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Bob Strauss, 818-713-3670

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Johnny Depp stars as legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger, the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover's fledgling FBI, in the new action-thriller "Public Enemies" from filmmaker Michael Mann.

Peter Mountain