Beverly Hills Film Festival 2005 Preview and Info (4/05)
The 5th Annual International Beverly Hills Film Festival
Announces 2005 LINe-UP, Jury and Industry Panels
Fest Kicks-off with Honors to the California Film Commission,
Special LA Screening of David Duchovny’s Directorial Debut, "House of D"
and LA Premiere of Oliver Hudson Starrer, "Mr. Dramatic"
Los Angeles (April 7, 2005) The 5th Annual International Beverly Hills
Film Festival (BHFF) www.beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com
Presents the 2005 line-up of 50
competition films, screening from April 13 17, at the Writers Guild
Theater (135 South Doheny Drive) and Clarity Theater (100 North Crescent
Drive) in Beverly Hills, California. The festival also features Guild
sponsored panel discussions and networking events, culminating in the Awards
Night Gala held at the Beverly Hills Hotel (9641 Sunset Blvd.) on April 17,
2005. The Art of Elysium www.theartofelysium.org , a non-profit organization for at-risk
and hospitalized children, receives a portion of the Gala’s online ticket
sales.
Opening night (Wednesday, April 13) at the Writers Guild features a ceremony
honoring the California Film Commission, a special Los Angeles screening
(non-competition) of David Duchovny’s directorial debut, "House of D" (Lions
Gate), starring Erykah Badu, Duchovny, Frank Langella, Tea Leoni, Robin
Williams and Anton Yelchin, following the Los Angeles Premiere of the short
film "Mr. Dramatic", starring Oliver Hudson.
Festival director Nino Simone says, "We are a competition festival
recognized for our approach in showcasing new indie filmmakers. While most
festivals screen several hundred films with only a select few in
competition, the Beverly Hills Film Festival keeps its efforts focused on
just over 50 films, all of which are vying for fest laurels. We selected
the best 7 features, 7 documentaries and 40 shorts out of 1,800 submissions
this year. We are taking the film festival concept back to its roots for
the benefit of the filmmakers."
2005 Competition films include:
"Waking Up Dead," (West Coast Premiere) a rock and roll documentary
starring Phil Varone (formerly of Skid Row), directed by Emmy Award-winning
journalist Fabio Jafet.
"Kordavision," an award-winning documentary directed by Hector Sandoval
about the world renowned Cuban photographer Alberto Diaz "Korda" famed for
his iconic portrait of Che Guevara, one of the most recognized photographs
of the 20th Century.
"Aryan Couple," (feature) an award-winning WWII drama directed by John
Daly, about a German/Jewish industrialist (Martin Landau) in occupied
Hungary who, in order to ensure his family’s safe passage out of Germany, is
forced to hand over his business to the Nazis.
"The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror," (World Premiere) a documentary
from filmmakers Gerard Ungerman and Audrey Brohy.
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Stephen King’s "Luckey Quarter," (West Coast Premiere) an award-winning
short by director Robert Cochrane who directed the Grand Prize winning
"Roland Meets Brown" from Stephen King’s "Dark Tower" Series. (Cochrane
optioned the script from King for $1.25 one dollar and one "lucky
quarter."
"Flypaper," (World Premiere) a short directed by Shawn Thompson, the 2003
BHFF winner for Best Short Film, "Shotgun Wedding," which he made for
$500.00. He subsequently landed a $15 million production deal from Crystal
Sky.
"Trip in a Summer Dress," (West Coast Premiere) an award-winning short by
actor turned director Janine Turner ("Steel Magnolias," Dr. T and the
Women").
"Easy Six, (LA Premiere) an award-winning dark comic short by Chris
Iovenko, starring Jim Belushi, airing on Showtime in June.
"The Carpenter and His Clumsy Wife," an award-winning black comedy short.
"Chaos Theory," a comical short by Suny Behar, soon to air on IFC.
"In the Morning, (LA Premiere) an award-winning short by
director/writer/producer Danielle Lurie. Based on a true story, the film
recounts the true events of an actual ‘honor killing.’
The Jury
Jury members this year include: Mark Amin, Lions Gate Films, chairman; Matt
Brandt, Trans-Lux Corporation, chairman and CEO; Paul Haggar, Paramount
Pictures, executive vice president post-production; Lawrence Kubik,
producer; Laura Lucio, Emmy Award-winning journalist; Sarah Jo Marks,
producer, film festival programmer, consultant and contributing editor to
International Documentary Magazine; Steven Paul, Crystal Sky, CEO and
president; Michael Rooker, actor; Edward Stencel, IFP filmmaker advisor; and
Sheri Sussman, writer ("MacArthur Park"), director ("Call Back"), producer
(2003 BHFF Documentary Award Winner "Life in a Basket").
Awards
BHFF Jury judges the following categories: Golden Palm Award (best film in
all categories); Best Feature; Best Documentary; Best Short Film; Best
Director of Photography; Best Editor; and the Golden Palm Screenplay
Competition Award. Audience Choice Awards include Best Feature; Best
Documentary; Best Short Film; Best Director; Best Male Performance; Best
Female Performance; Best Producer; Best Screenplay; and Best Animation.
Seminars
Seminars with industry panelists include: Screenwriters Chat at the Beverly
Hills Film Festival presented by the Writers Guild of America, West’s
independent Film Program; Actors Studio presented by SAGIndie; The Art of
Cinematography and The Rise of Hybrid Cinematography, both presented by the
American Society of Cinematographers; Independent Film Financing &
Distribution; and Interference: Writing Around It or Through It –
Screenwriting Inside and Outside the Studio System.
Tickets are available online at www.beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com
or by calling the BHFF office at
310.779.1206. Prices range from $10.00 per screening to $250.00 for the
Awards Gala. Festival passes are also available, ranging from a 1-Day Pass
($45.00) to a VIP Festival Pass ($500.00). All WGAw, SAG, ASC and ACE
members receive a 15% discount on all screening and seminar tickets and
passes.
About BHFF
The annual International Beverly Hills Film Festival was founded in 2001 by
filmmaker Nino Simone. The event is dedicated to showcasing and promoting
non-studio films to the entertainment industry. Designed to bridge the world
of premiere independent cinema with the renowned community of Beverly Hills,
the festival is an entertainment event with world-class screenings,
networking events and seminars. Title sponsors include Lions Gate Films,
Premiere magazine, Michelob Light and Renaissance Hotels & Resorts.