The Los Angeles Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, kicks off its 2015 event on June 10, and runs through June 18, with a diverse slate of 74 feature films, 60 short films, and over 50 new media works, representing 35 countries. New sections this year are the U.S. Fiction and World Fiction Competitions and Launch, as well as the previously announced Buzz, Nightfall and Zeitgeist programs.

Of specific interest to this blog, given its stated mission, is the coming-of-age drama "A Girl Like Grace," from writer/director/actor Ty Hodges, about a bullied High School girl who seeks guidance from her deceased best friends older sister.

It’s one of 6 titles selected to screen in the festival’s Zeitgeist program – "a competitive section of 6 curated films that embody key trends. 2015 captures hard knock, coming of age stories."

Hodges’ name doesn’t get a lot of mainstream ink, but you should know who he is, as the 34 year old has now directed 5 feature films, going back to 2006, with his feature debut, "Miles From Home" being my intro to his work – a film that was covered a bit on the old S&A site. Not only did he write and direct the film, he also starred in it, alongside Meagan Good, Tasha Smith, and others, in a story about an 18-year-old who finds himself homeless on the streets of Los Angeles, engulfed by the drugs, violence and prostitution, and the young woman he meets who helps him confront his demons. It was a gritty indie, made for nothing, and impressive enough, that Hodges was able to go on and make another 4 features – with "A Girl Like Grace" being the latest.

It stars Meagan Good, Garcelle Beauvais, Raven-Symoné, Romeo Miller, Paige Hurd, and Ryan Destiny as the title character, Grace.

It’s produced by Datari Turner, Carnetta Jones, Matt Keith, Good and Hodges, who also co-wrote the script with Jacquin DeLeon.

A first look at the film has been released, ahead of its Los Angeles Film Festival premiere, and is embedded below: