• Cheryl Boone Isaacs Elected Academy President

    cheryl boone isaacs

    Cheryl Boone Isaacs was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Tuesday night (July 30) by the organization’s Board of Governors.

    Boone Isaacs, who is beginning her 21st year as a governor representing the Public Relations Branch, served as Academy first vice president during the past year. She also produced the 2012 Governors Awards. Boone Isaacs succeeds Hawk Koch, who served a one-year term as president.

    In addition, John Lasseter was elected first vice president; Jeffrey Kurland and Leonard Engelman were elected to vice president posts; Dick Cook was elected treasurer; and Phil Robinson was elected secretary.

    These will be the first officer stints for Engelman, Kurland and Cook.  Lasseter previously served one-year terms as treasurer (2011-2012) and secretary (2009-2010). Robinson served as vice president during the past year, his fourth consecutive term in that office (2009-2013).

    Boone Isaacs currently heads CBI Enterprises, Inc., where she has consulted on such films as “The Call,” “The Artist,” “The King’s Speech,” “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” “Spider-Man 2” and “Tupac: Resurrection.”Boone Isaacs previously served as president of theatrical marketing for New Line Cinema, where she oversaw numerous box office successes, including “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” and “Rush Hour.” Prior to joining New Line in 1997, Boone Isaacs was executive vice president of worldwide publicity for Paramount Pictures, where she orchestrated publicity campaigns for the Best Picture winners “Forrest Gump” and “Braveheart.”

    Academy board members may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms, while officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive years in any one office.

    [via press release]

     

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  • REVIEW: Jerry Lewis, Jerry Stiller, Robert Klein in WHEN COMEDY WENT TO SCHOOL

    when-comedy-went-to-school

    I’ve always had a deep respect for standup comedians, which I regard as one of the toughest gigs in all of entertainment. However, standup comedy as we know is a relatively modern form of entertainment, and the origin of how it grew from vaudeville can be pinpointed to the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, where dozens of the greatest comedians of all time developed their acts.

    WHEN COMEDY WENT TO SCHOOL, a documentary about the influence the Catskills vacation region had on Jewish comedians, explores what exactly made the area such an enclave for future funnymen (and women). Narrated by Robert Klein, comedian and former Catskills busboy, and featuring interviews with Jerry Lewis, Jerry Stiller, Sid Caesar, Jackie Mason, and other comedy icons, along with plenty of vintage clips of Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, and Rodney Dangerfield, When Comedy Went to School is full of laughs as it tells the story of how modern standup comedy developed among Jewish vacationers.

    The height of the “Borscht Belt” experience lasted for a very brief time — roughly between the end of the vaudeville era and the rise of television and cheap air travel. But those three decades gave birth to so much of what we think about modern comedy. In that sense, your enjoyment of When Comedy Went to School will totally depend on how interested you are in the history of comedy. If standup comedy isn’t your thing – especially if older comedians don’t make you laugh – you probably won’t enjoy it. However, if you still crack up at Mel Brooks or Woody Allen comedies (and if you don’t you’re not friend of mine), you’ll find a lot to enjoy in this documentary.

    It also delves in the special relationship Jewish entertainers have with comedy and how the Catskills served as an almost Jewish-only summer paradise where entertainers felt comfortable working on their craft away from their homes in New York City. Like Klein, many of the comedians actually started as busboys and waiters and learned that they could earn more tips by injecting comedy into their interactions with guests. Early in the documentary Jerry Lewis calls it a “laboratory,” and it’s hard to find a more appropriate analogy for what role the Catskills scene did for all those great comedians and the development of standup comedy overall.

    At only 76 minutes, the documentary flies by. However, in the last twenty minutes I would’ve loved to have seen more vintage clips of the comedians rather than the focus on the decline of the Catskills as a vacation destination. I understand why directors Ron Frank and Mevlut Akkaya went in that direction (especially since I’m sure the vintage clips didn’t come free), but I know I could’ve watched hours of clips of comedians cracking their best jokes.

    Film Review Rating 3 out of 5 : See it … It’s Good

    WHEN COMEDY WENT TO SCHOOL opens in NYC at IFC Center on July 31, Long Island on August 2, and Los Angeles on August 16.

    http://youtu.be/Rwr-U1z1F60

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  • Sundance Selects to Release Photographer Vivian Maier Documentary | TRAILER

    finding-vivian-maier

    Sundance Selects will release John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s feature documentary FINDING VIVIAN MAIER, which will have its world premiere in the Documentary section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.

    FINDING VIVIAN MAIER unearths the untold story of one of the greatest photographers of the 20th Century, who was a mystery to even those who knew her. A nanny in the wealthy North Shore suburbs of Chicago, Maier’s secret world is unraveled slowly through her photo collections and interviews with those who knew her — parents who hired her, children she cared for, store owners, movie theater operators, and curious neighbors who remember her. The story that emerges goes beyond clichés of the undiscovered artist to offer a portrait of a woman who left a legacy of transformative work.

    http://youtu.be/2o2nBhQ67Zc

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  • ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE Kicks Off 25th Midnight Madness Lineup at Toronto International Film Festival

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    ALL CHEERLEADERS DIEALL CHEERLEADERS DIE

    ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE directed by Lucky McKee will kick off 25 years of Midnight Madness at the Toronto International Film Festival. “Since its 1988 launch, the Midnight Madness program emerged as a touchstone of cinematic shock, satiating the adventurous palate of bloodthirsty cinephiles from all over the world,” said Geddes, International Programmer for the Festival. “When the witching hour strikes and the human brain starts slipping into dream mode, the Ryerson Theatre will once again serve up a feast of phantasmagorical characters and jaw-dropping scenes, playing host to bizarre biological monstrosities, ruthless dominatrix gangs, paranormal mirrors, and the hijinks of supernatural cheerleaders.”

    The 38th Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5 to 15, 2013.

    AFFLICTED Derek Lee and Clif Prowse, Canada/USA World Premiere
    Best friends Derek and Clif set out on a trip of a lifetime. Their plan: travel to the ends of the earth, see the world, and live life to the fullest. But the trip soon takes a dark and bloody turn. Just days in, one of the men shows signs of a mysterious affliction which gradually takes over his entire body and being. Now, thousands of miles from home, in a foreign land, they must race to uncover the source of his illness before it consumes him completely. Footage of their travels meant to document pleasant memories may now become evidence of one of the most shocking discoveries ever captured on film…and may be their only postcard home.

    .Midnight Madness Opening Night Film.
    ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE Lucky McKee, Chris Sivertson, USA World Premiere
    When tragedy rocks Blackfoot High, rebellious outsider Mäddy Killian shocks the student body by joining the cheerleading squad. This decision drives a rift between Mäddy and her ex-girlfriend Leena Miller — a loner who claims to practice the dark arts. After a confrontation with the football team, Mäddy and her new cheerleader friends are sent on a supernatural roller coaster ride which leaves a path of destruction none of them may be able to escape.

    ALMOST HUMAN Joe Begos, USA World Premiere
    Mark Fisher disappeared from his home in a brilliant flash of blue light almost two years ago. His friend Seth Hampton was the last to see him alive. Now a string of grisly, violent murders leads Seth to believe that Mark is back, and something evil is living inside of him.

    THE GREEN INFERNO Eli Roth, USA World Premiere
    How far would you go for a cause you believe in? In horror master Eli Roth’s terrifying new film, a group of college students take their humanitarian protest from New York to the Amazon jungle, only to get kidnapped by the native tribe they came to save: a tribe that still practices the ancient rite of cannibalism, and has a healthy appetite for intruders.

    OCULUS Mike Flanagan, USA World Premiere
    Oculus is a spine-chilling supernatural tale of two damaged siblings (Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites) who, as children, witnessed their parents’ harrowing descent into madness and murder. At long last, brother and sister reunite as adults to expose and destroy the paranormal entity they believe is responsible: the Lasser Glass — a legendary mirror their family once owned.

    R100 Hitoshi Matsumoto, Japan World Premiere
    An ordinary man with an ordinary life joins a mysterious club. The membership lasts for one year only and there is one rule: no cancellation under any circumstance. The man enters into an entirely new and exciting world which he has never before experienced.

    RIGOR MORTIS Juno Mak, Hong Kong North American Premiere
    Juno Mak’s debut feature Rigor Mortis is an eerie and chilling, contemporary action- and special effects-laden homage to the classic Chinese vampire movies of the 1980s. Starring Chin Siu-Ho, Kara Hui, Anthony Chan, Lo Hoi Pang and Richard Ng.

    THE STATION (Blutgletscher) Marvin Kren, Austria World Premiere
    At a climate research station in the Alps, the scientists are stunned as the nearby melting glacier is leaking a red liquid. It quickly turns to be very special juice — with unexpected genetic effects on the local wildlife.

    WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL? (Jigoku de Naze Warui) Sion Sono, Japan North American Premiere
    Two men, Muto and Ikegami, hate each other. Muto desperately wants to help his daughter Mitsuko star in a movie. Meanwhile, Ikegami falls in love with Mitsuko, knowing that she’s the daughter of his foe. Hirata, a filmmaker, and Koji, a young movie-lover, get dragged into this complicated situation that heads into an unexpected direction.

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  • Johnny Cash Documentary “MY FATHER AND THE MAN IN BLACK” Gets a September 6 Release Date | TRAILER

    MY FATHER AND THE MAN IN BLACK

    Jonathan Holiff’s award winning documentary MY FATHER AND THE MAN IN BLACK which explores the relationship between Johnny Cash and his longtime manager Saul Holiff (the director’s father who committed suicide after being estranged for 20 years) will open in New York City and Los Angeles on September 6, 2013.

    Following his father’s suicide, director Jonathan Holiff discovers hundreds of letters and audio diaries, including recorded phone calls with Johnny Cash during his crazed pill-fueled 1960s jags, triumphs at Folsom and San Quentin, wedding to June Carter, and his conversion in the early 1970s to born-again Christian.

    These artifacts are revelatory, for the filmmaker and for us: a behind-the-scenes look at the business of music, the pitfalls of success and the tensions of a friendship that would eventually dissolve. Mixing found footage, creative re-enactments and poignant voice-over narration, the documentary tells a riveting story with creative means as well as an act of catharsis for its maker.

    http://youtu.be/jtovAxxPo2Q

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  • Nollywood Drama “HALF OF A YELLOW SUN” Starring Thandie Newton to Open 2013 trinidad+tobago film festival | TRAILER

    half-of-a-yellow-sun

    The Nigerian drama “HALF OF A YELLOW SUN” starring BAFTA award winner Thandie Newton (Mission: Impossible II, The Pursuit of Happyness, Crash) and three-time Golden Globe nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men, American Gangster, Salt), has been selected as the opening film of the 2013 trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), which takes place September 17th – October 1st.

    “HALF OF A YELLOW SUN” is an adaptation of celebrated Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s best-selling novel of the same title, which won the Orange Broadbrand Prize for Fiction.

    Set in 1960s Nigeria, the story brings audiences into a country torn apart by civil war and shows how the interwoven lives of four central characters intersect during a struggle to establish an independent republic of Nigeria.

    The film features an impressive supporting cast that includes Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls, The Princess and the Frog), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Joseph Mawle (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Awakening, Game of Thrones), Genevieve Nnaji, and Nigerian singer and actress Onyeka Onwenu.

    Directed by Biyi Bandele, “HALF OF A YELLOW SUN” is a product of “Nollywood” – the moniker bestowed on Nigeria’s booming film industry that produces over 2,000 movies a year and has become the third most valuable movie industry in the world behind only Hollywood and Bollywood. “Half of a Yellow Sun” is the country’s most ambitious and most expensive film to date, with a budget of N1.27 billion (approximately. $8 million).

    http://youtu.be/pc83786XR8I

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  • Somali Pirates Drama “CAPTAIN PHILLIPS” Starring Tom Hanks to Open New York Film Festival

    captain-phillips

    Paul Greengrass’s CAPTAIN PHILLIPS will make its World Premiere as the Opening Night Gala presentation for the upcoming 51st New York Film Festival (September 27 – October 13). Starring two-time Academy Award winner and 2009 Film Society Chaplin Award honoree Tom Hanks in the title role, the film is described as Academy Award-nominated director Paul Greengrass’s multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates.

    CAPTAIN PHILLIPS is—through Greengrass’s distinctive lens—simultaneously a pulse-pounding thriller and a complex portrait of the myriad effects of globalization. The film focuses on the relationship between the Alabama’s commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips (two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks), and his Somali counterpart, Muse (Barkhad Abdi). Set on an incontrovertible collision course off the coast of Somalia, both men will find themselves paying the human toll for economic forces outside of their control. From a screenplay by Billy Ray, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS is based upon the book, A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty. The Sony Pictures release is due in theaters October 11.

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  • Actress Nicole Kidman Honored by Cinema for Peace Foundation

    Nicole Kidman at Cinema For Peace Berlin 2013

    The Cinema for Peace Foundation honored UN Women, the United Nations organization tasked to advance women’s empowerment and gender equality and its Goodwill Ambassador, Academy-Award winning actress Nicole Kidman, in Berlin earlier this month. Nicole Kidman received a special honorary award for her long-term social engagement for women’s rights together with UN Women Acting Head Lakshmi Puri.

    Nicole Kidman said in her acceptance speech: “I have learned much about the horrific scope of violence against women around the world and seen its devastating impact. When I first learned that one in three women and girls experience violence in their lifetime, I was utterly shocked. Much of my work for UN Women has been since dedicated to this issue.”

    Other guests at the event included German actresses Veronica Ferres, Martina Gedeck and Katja Riemann, human rights advocates such as the ambassador of the European Council, Bianca Jagger, and the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda.

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  • The Academy to Honor Filmmaker Les Blank in New York

    Les Blank

    Les Blank, the award-winning American director, producer and cinematographer who died in April will be honored by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with a “New York salute.” The commemoration to honor Blank, ‘known for his portraits of American musicians and his unique ability to capture culture through film’, will kick off at the Academy Theater on July 30, with screenings of restored 16mm film prints from the Academy Film Archive.

    The Academy is partnering with the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s BAMcinématek and Museum of the Moving Image in Queens on August 1 and August 2 for screenings to further honor Blank’s work. A concluding program at UnionDocs on August 4 will feature a restored print of Blank’s classic work Burden of Dreams as well as a 16mm print of Stoney Knows How (directed by Pacho Lane with cinematography from Les Blank) . The programs will be hosted and attended by Academy Film Archive preservationist Mark Toscano and Harrod Blank, the son of Les Blank.

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  • Bollywood film SHUDDH DESI ROMANCE Selected for Gala Red Carpet Premiere at 2013 Toronto International Film Festival | TRAILER

    SHUDDH DESI ROMANCE

    The Bollywood film, SHUDDH DESI ROMANCE, has been invited for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2013 for the Gala Red Carpet Premiere. The grand screening, on September 11th at the prominent Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, will be attended by director Maneesh Sharma and writer Jaideep Sahni along with the cast Sushant Singh Rajput, Parineeti Chopra and debutant Vaani Kapoor.

    “We are delighted to have SHUDDH DESI ROMANCE invited to the Toronto International Film Festival for the Gala Red Carpet Premiere. We believe the film is perfect for Toronto, as it is a film that is rooted in rustic India and the characters are very contemporary in their thought, which will no doubt appeal to the diaspora but also the more mainstream audiences. In fact since the announcement was made last night we have had a number of sales agents vying for the film already – that’s the power of TIFF,” said Avtar Panesar, Vice President – International Operations at Yash Raj Films.

    SHUDDH DESI ROMANCE, is described as a fresh and very real love story about the hair raising minefield between love, attraction and commitment. A romantic comedy that finally tells it like it is!

    http://youtu.be/o2Hle83Plpo

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  • Winners of the 18th Annual Stony Brook Film Festival, MY BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY Wins Best Film

    L to R: Alan Inkles, founder/director of the Stony Brook Film Festival; Gert Embrechts, director/writer, ALLEZ EDDY!; Ate de Jong, director and co-writer, THE BLITZ; John Burgess, director, ONE SMALL HITCH; John Anderson, film critic and master of ceremonies at the Stony Brook Film Festival awards reception; Georg Maas, director/co-writer of the Closing Night film TWO LIVES.L to R: Alan Inkles, founder/director of the Stony Brook Film Festival; Gert Embrechts, director/writer, ALLEZ EDDY!; Ate de Jong, director and co-writer, THE BLITZ; John Burgess, director, ONE SMALL HITCH; John Anderson, film critic and master of ceremonies at the Stony Brook Film Festival awards reception; Georg Maas, director/co-writer of the Closing Night film TWO LIVES.

    The 18th Annual Stony Brook Film Festival wrapped up on Saturday night with a Closing Night Reception and announced the winners of the 2013 festival. MY BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY written and directed by Michaela Kezele was selected by the jury as the 2013 Jury Award-Best Feature; and the 2013 Audience Choice-Best Feature a tie between ALLEZ, EDDY! written and directed by Gert Embrechts and THE BLITZ directed and co-written by Ate de Jong.

    Winners of the 18th Annual Stony Brook Film Festival

    2013 Jury Award-Best Feature
    MY BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY

    Written and directed by Michaela Kezele.
    East Coast Premiere from Serbia/Croatia/Germany
    Zrinka Cvitešić, Mišel Matičević, Andrija Nikčević, Miloš Mesarović, Danica Ristovski, Slavko Štimac. In Serbian with subtitles

    During the civil war in Kosovo, the young Serbian widow Danica takes care of Ramiz, a wounded Kosovo-Albanian soldier on the run from the Serbian militia. She finds him seeking refuge in her home on the Serbian side of the River Ibar. As love slowly blossoms between them, Ramiz begins to make friends with Danica’s two sons, both deeply affected by the recent loss of their father at the hands of Albanians.

    Produced by Gabriela Sperl. Edited by Andre Bendocchi-Alves. Director of Photography: Felix Novo De Oliveira. From Global Screen GmbH.

    2013 Audience Choice-Best Feature (tie)
    ALLEZ, EDDY!

    Written and directed by Gert Embrechts.
    East Coast Premiere from Belguim
    With Jelte Blommaert, Peter van den Begin, Barbara Sarafian, Els Dottermans, Stefaan Degand, Bruno Georis, Mathias Vergels, Frieda Pittoors. In Dutch and French with subtitles.

    ALLEZ, EDDY! is a heart-warming comedy about Freddy, an 11-year old cycling enthusiast with special needs and lots of courage. He is the son of a butcher in an idyllic village, disrupted when the first supermarket opens its doors and sponsors a cycling race as an opening event. The winner of the race will meet world famous cyclist Eddy Merckx. Since the supermarket is the enemy of the local shopkeepers and, in particular, his own father, Freddy is obliged to enter the race in secret.

    Produced by Jacqueline de Goeij. Edited by Els Voorspoels. Director of Photography: Bert Pot. From Global Screen GmbH.

    2013 Audience Choice-Best Feature (tie)
    THE BLITZ

    Directed and co-written by Ate de Jong.
    U.S. Premiere from the Netherlands
    Screenplay by Ate de Jong, Paul Ruven. With Jan Smit, Roos van Erkel, Monic Hendrickx, Mike Weerts. In Dutch and German with subtitles.

    Set in Rotterdam, May 1940, just days before the Germans bombed citizens of the Netherlands in a surprise attack, The Blitz tells the story of Vincent, a poor, young amateur boxer, and Eve, a young woman from Germany who has agreed to marry a wealthy middle-aged industrialist she does not love in order to save her family.

    Produced by San Fu Maltha, Paul Ruven (Don’t Touch My Children), René Huybrechtse. Edited by Herman P. Koerts. Director of Photography: Gabor Szabo. A Fu Works & Talent United Production.

    2013 Achievement in Directing
    John Burgess
    ONE SMALL HITCH

    Written by Dode B. Levenson. With Shane McRae, Aubrey Dollar, Daniel J. Travanti, Ron Dean, Robert Belushi, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Mary Jo Faraci, Rebecca Spence, Heidi Johanningmeier.

    In this hilarious comedy, Molly and Josh innocently agree to fake a wedding engagement to make Josh’s dying father’s last wish come true. Things quickly get out of hand with their two boisterous families as they pretend to be a couple and start planning a phony wedding. The Stony Brook Film Festival congratulates John Burgess on his excellent direction of One Small Hitch, his first feature film.

    Produced by Brett Henenberg and John Burgess. Edited by Ryan Koscielniak. Director of Photography: Tari Segal. A Principle Entertainment Film from Curb Entertainment.

    2013 Audience Choice-Best Short
    (MY RIGHT EYE) THE APPLE OF MY EYE

    A film from Spain by Josecho de Linares. New York Premiere.

    As a child, Zurdo shared a special relationship with his grandmother but he has lost contact with her. On the last day of summer, he visits her with the intuition that he might not see her again.

    2013 Jury Award-Best Short
    FALLEN

    A film from Germany by Christoph Schuler. New York Premiere.

    Upon returning home from Germany after a tour of duty in Afghanistan, a soldier tries to adjust to civilian life.

    Career Achievement Award – Christine Vachon, Killer Films

    On Friday, July 26, a Career Achievement Award was presented to Christine Vachon of Killer Films, one of the nation’s most esteemed and influential independent film producers. Director Mo Ogrodnik and Pamela Koffler, co-founder of Killer Films, attended the screening of Deep Powder. Vachon’s extraordinary career as a producer includes 70 movies over 20 years (Boys Don’t Cry, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Happiness, One-Hour Photo, Kids, I Shot Andy Warhol, At Any Price, and virtually all of Todd Haynes’ films). She recently joined the faculty of Stony Brook Southampton and spearheaded 20/20/20, which granted full scholarships to 20 students to make 20 short films in 20 days (July 8-28). The entire class and staff of 20/20/20 students attended the screening of Deep Powder.

    Opening Night and Closing Night Films Recognized at Closing Night Awards Reception sponsored by HBO

    John Anderson presented trophies for the powerful opening and closing night films. ZAYTOUN (Israel/U.K./ France), which opened the Stony Brook Film Festival on July 18, had director Eran Riklis (Lemon Tree) and actor Stephen Dorff (Blade, Somewhere) at the screening, where they fielded questions at a Q&A. Georg Maas, the director of the closing night film, TWO LIVES (Norway/Germany) attended closing night’s screening, with a full house of nearly 1000 filmgoers in attendance.

    (Descriptions provided by Stony Brook Film Festival)

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  • For 20th Anniversary, San Luis Obispo International Film Festival to Highlight Movies Made in San Luis Obispo

    California Dreaming at San Luis Obispo International Film Festival's 20th Anniversary

    In honor of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival‘s 20th Anniversary next year, the SLOIFF will celebrate by screening Hollywood movies that have been made in San Luis Obispo County over the past 90 years. SLO County on the Silver Screen will present a wide variety of notable films, and screen each in the part of the County they were principally filmed in. The series will begin in August and run through the next Festival, scheduled for March 5-9, 2014.

    San Luis Obispo County has been the backdrop for countless commercials, television shows and Hollywood movies since the early 1920’s. In films ranging from Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 silent classic, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS to Lindsay Lohan’s infamous Razzie Award winner, I KNOW WHO KILLED ME, the county has doubled for Maine, South Carolina, the Caribbean, ancient Rome, the Mid West and many other parts of the world. Film production has brought major celebrities and excitement to San Luis Obispo County, as well as an economic boost to the local economy.

    From August 2013 to March 2014, the SLOIFF will present an eclectic variety of movies on the “silver screen” all over the County, from Guadalupe to Paso Robles to San Simeon and Cambria.

    The first two movie events are scheduled for August in Guadalupe and Avila Beach. On Saturday, August 17, the Guadalupe City Hall will host a screening of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS followed by a reception hosted by Doug Jenzen at the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center. After a recent unveiling of historical artifacts buried in the sand after the 1923 film production, the museum features pieces of the enormous “ancient” city that was built in the Guadalupe dunes by thousands of local workers. Since 1983, filmmaker Peter Brosnan has been spearheading the excavation and videotaping interviews with dozens of crew members, actors and set builders to record the history of this epic production and its amazing behind-the-scenes story. Mr. Brosnan hopes to be in attendance to introduce THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and sign copies of his new book. He also hopes to premiere his documentary in early 2014.

    Friday, August 23, the ‘campy’ 1979 comedy CALIFORNIA DREAMING will screen outdoors at the Avila Beach Golf Resort, with the film’s star Dennis Christopher in attendance. Dennis Christopher was also the star of 1980’s Oscar-winning BREAKING AWAY, as well as having featured roles in CHARIOTS OF FIRE and last year’s hit, DJANGO UNCHAINED. Almost completely filmed in Avila Beach (before the 1998 Unocal cleanup), CALIFORNIA DREAMING tells the story of a young man who comes from the mid-West with a strong hankering to surf. Incongruously huge waves and 1970’s styles and sensibilities make this film a must-see for locals who will recognize old Avila Beach haunts and some familiar actors, including Tanya Roberts from That 70’s Show.

    Future screenings include the following:

    September 11: WE WERE SOLDIERS, Park Cinemas, Paso Robles (Celebrity host to be announced soon!)

    September 21: COURT STREET SHORTS, Court Street Patio, San Luis Obispo

    October 9: MY BLUE HEAVEN, Galaxy Theatre, Atascadero

    October 30: ARACHNOPHOBIA, Cambria Vets Hall, Cambria

    November 9: I KNOW WHO KILLED ME, San Luis Obispo

    November 23: THE MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS, Cayucos

    December 7: LITTLE GIANTS, Fair Oaks Theatre, Arroyo Grande

    December – March: 10 YEARS LATER, Pismo Beach

    (exact dates TBA): MURDER BY NUMBERS, Bay Theatre, Morro Bay

    RUBY GENTRY, Park Cinemas, Paso Robles

    OF MICE AND MEN, San Simeon

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