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The Crest Theatre on Westwood Boulevard is one of many local theaters involved in the Los Angeles

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A moviegoer enjoys some popcorn between films at the LA Film Festival. Tickets to many of this we

Despite a historic movie-going tradition, Westwood Village has rarely taken advantage of the world-renowned UCLA film department. But that’s about to change.

For 12 years, the Los Angeles Film Festival has attracted thousands of filmmakers and film fans to Los Angeles in a celebration of independent film. This year, the traditionally Hollywood-bound event has moved to a new home: Westwood.

With the change in locale, the festival is expected to bring 100,000 directors, producers and moviegoers across 11 Westwood locations, both on and off the UCLA campus.

But not only does the festival use UCLA-owned venues, such as the Hammer Museum, the Geffen Playhouse and the James Bridges Theater in Melnitz Hall, the event will also spotlight UCLA and its prestigious film program.

“I’m looking forward to everyone seeing our campus and understanding the value of UCLA,” said Barbara Boyle, chair of the UCLA Department of Film, Television and Digital Media. “The festival will be associated with one of the best film schools in the world.”

The festival, which opened June 22 with a premiere screening of David Frenkel’s “The Devil Wears Prada” at the Mann Village Theater, will run through July 2 with a variety of collaborative efforts with the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and its Archive.

“There’s a broad range of offerings and all of the films have been selected for quality,” said Robert Rosen, dean of the School of Theater, Film and Television. “The school’s guiding philosophy is the independent spirit, and to see films in Westwood that support that is validating.”

The School of Theater, Film and Television sponsored a screening of “Unshown Cinema: Inside the World of The Films That Got Away” on Sunday in order to examine the vast world of international films that are missed, said Rosen.

But the festival, with its 250 features, shorts and music videos, many of them world premieres, attempts to reveal a wide array of cinema embodying the “independent spirit.”

For Manaf Mansure, a third-year theater student, it is not the stars or big-name directors, but the lesser names that draw him to the cinematic celebration.

“A lot of festivals in general don’t show student work, but at least through the LA Film Festival, they acknowledge student work,” he said. “I’m excited that they’re screening student films because it shows a real step in bridging the gap for young, new talent.”

Selected shorts from six student directors who received the 2006 UCLA Spotlight Award will be showcased July 2.

Past recipients of this award include Oscar winner Alexander Payne, director of “Sideways,” and Gil Kenan, director of the upcoming animated film “Monster House,” which will also be screened during the festival.

UCLA alumni hold a strong presence in this year’s edition. Alumni directing team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris will screen their feature film “Little Miss Sunshine,” starring Greg Kinnear and Steve Carrell, to celebrate the festival’s closing night.

“The festival showcases the best independent films – both local and international – that reward risk-taking and innovation,” Rosen said. “It’s not a coincidence that it includes many of our graduates and many of our students.”

The School of Theater, Film and Television also collaborated with the festival on several educational programs, including day-long seminars and conferences involving UCLA faculty.

“Many of the films you’ll be able to see elsewhere,” Boyle said. “But the conferences are a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

The Financing Conference, which featured Boyle in one of the many panel discussions, showed aspiring filmmakers how to pitch their stories, fund their projects and find money. Oscar-winning producer Kathy Schulman (“Crash”), a professor in the UCLA Producers Program, delivered the keynote address while six of her students pitched projects during the conference as a demonstration.

The Revolution Will Be Digitized investigated technology’s impact on the film industry and featured UCLA professor Nancy Richardson, editor of “Thirteen” and “Lords of Dogtown,” as a discussion panelist.

Presentations throughout the festival will provide an informative experience for the avid filmmaker and the average moviegoer alike.

“It may not necessarily be a point of view that you like or the one that you wanted to see, but at least it will give you an understanding of the art of filmmaking,” Mansure said.

While UCLA Theater, Film and Television students are admitted to screenings for free (subject to availability), all UCLA students will receive a $1 discount on the $10 screenings with a valid Bruin Card, according to Ulrich Schwarz, the LA Film Festival liaison to UCLA. The discount will hopefully encourage students to take advantage of the eclectic screenings that have ventured to Westwood this year.

“The nature of the festival is to discover things,” Rosen said. “Each (film) can open up your eyes to the possibility of great independent filmmaking.”