Friends Of Film to head to Iceland for the The Independent Television Festival is the premier festival in the world for independently produced television pilots and webseries. This is the festival where up and coming talent in television and new media can show their wares directly to a live audience and meet with industry professionals who can jumpstart their careers. In both television and new media, access is the hardest thing to come across. At ITVFest, it's the easiest thing to find. "The folks at ITV Fest are top notch, giving new talent a solid shot at connecting in this tough biz; some great sleepers guaranteed, too!" - Bob Sharka, Friends Of Film www.ITVFest.org The 7th Annual Pacific Palisades Film Festival
Reykjavik Film Festival Sept 23 - Oct 3, 2010
by Deborah DePauk
Life, indeed, is strange. We've been to many film festivals around the world but it has taken us until year seven of the RIFF to catch this one. Certainly one of the more obscure spots on the festival circuit, Reykjavik combines glaciers, fabulous films with the Northern Lights in this hip capital city of 200,000.
"Friends Of Film has received funding from an angel to show Iceland's submission to the Oscars as part of our foreign film series in Los Angeles that really took off last year," says Friends Of Film Executive Director, Bob Sharka. "We're particulary interested in seeing more of Iceland's films after a screening at the Scandinavain Festival of Los Angeles....there's some great filmmakers out there that only need a little more exposure."
THE RIFF has a quite diverse program that they are working on now.
New Visions (Grand Prix Competition) - is limited to the first or second film of up-and-coming directors.
Special Presentations – accommodates a small number of films by well known film directors as well as films that have been distinguished by important awards at international film festivals.
Open Seas – presents acclaimed films from many of the most talented and respected filmmakers of the World.
Docs In Focus – aims to present the most interesting documentaries of the film industry each year.
World Changes – presents films about various issues that are posing a threat to nature and humanity in one way or another.
Sound On Sight – draws attention to what is happening on the exciting boundaries of film and music. It is dedicated to the connection of music and cinema. Besides film screenings a panel and a market for professionals are scheduled.
Youth Program – has emphasis on films and documentaries featuring children – suitable for children. It is dedicated to our young audience and provides film oriented entertainment, education and experience.
Midnight Movies – sheds light on the dark corners of cinema, featuring low-budget films, b-films of all sorts and experimental and alternative works, often with cult status.
Icelandic Panorama – opens up the world of Icelandic filmmaking and showcases it to the outside World, thus building a bridge between Icelandic cinema and international filmmaking.
Food On Film – revolves around feature films and documentaries about food; presented for the first time in 2009 in collaboration with Slow Food organisation.
Focus On – This special section offers insights into the film production from a certain country. This year the focus is on films from Poland and Sweden. Spotlight On – This section offers insights into the works of certain filmmakers. In the 2009 edition of RIFF the Spotlight was on Portuguese director Joao Pedro Rodrigues and American filmmaker Cory McAbee.
Focus On (Works of the Honorary Guest) – This section offers a rare opportunity to see, on the silver screen of a movie theatre, the classic films directed by each edition‘s recipient of the RIFF Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement.
July 30th - August 5th, 2010
Laemmle Sunset 5
8000 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
May 13 + 15, 2010
Two Days, Two Parties, Two Outdoor Screenings
Closing Night Screening/Party Tickets Available
$50
Bring a jacket for outdoor screening!
OPENING NIGHT FILM/PARTY
Thursday, May 13, 2010
6:30 pm - Friends Of Film kicks off the festival with a fabulous ocean-view, sunset-viewing, cocktail party/screening on 15060 Corona Del Mar
and the presentation of the
Friends Of Film
Lifetime Achievement Award to
Frances Fisher
GREENLIT
Directed by Miranda Bailey
Movie people are lengendarily liberal and left-leaning particularly when it comes to the environment. GREENLIT puts their commitment to the test as Bailey, executive producer of "THE SQUID AND THE WHALE", follows the production of "THE RIVER WHY" starring Zach Gilford as it attempts to keep an environmentally friendly set thanks to the supervision of a "green" consultant. What starts off with great enthusiasm quickly devolves in this insightful and hilarious film.
FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE
"Heard the expression, "It ain't easy being green?" Try running a whole filmset for weeks getting buy-in from all the cast/crew with this in mind. Credit Bailey for bringing this topic to the front burner in this delightful little doc that shows Hollywood, indeed, has a long way to go in practicing what we preach."
- Bob Sharka, Friends Of Film
CLOSING NIGHT PARTY
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Cocktail Party at 6:30pm on 650 Toyopa Drive
followed by an outdoor screening of
THE CHRIS MONTEZ STORY
- a work in progress
Directed by Burt Kearns
Produced by Brett Hudson
with Chris Montez in person to play a few numbers!
Filmmakers Kearns and Hudson return to Pacific Palisades Film Festival with their latest work in progress!
He was born Ezekiel Montanez.
He was a teenager when he recorded his first international hit, “Let's Dance"
The song took him to the top of the charts and, at the height of the Civil Rights struggle, on tour through the
This period alone would guarantee Chris Montez a place in musical history, but he had yet to undergo an unprecedented transformation with a new style, new look and new hits with Herb Alpert and A&M Records. With songs like “Call Me” and “The More I See You,” Chris Montez was reinvented as a smooth innovator of the lounge sound: samba-based, jazz-influenced standards that kept the flavour of his Latin roots and set the stage for his later transition into one of the first international Latin pop stars.
In the years to follow, his hit songs would be covered by artists including Frank Sinatra and The Ramones. They’d earn a place in movie history in films like Frantic and, most memorably, Animal House, while Chris Montez remained a vital force, bringing his music to longtime fans and new audiences around the world, from
PLUS THE SHORT FILM
A .45 AT 50TH
11 minutes
Directed by Joshua Bell and John Cromwell
Long before his career as an actor would bring him international recognition, James Cromwell used his talent and passion to help fight the battles of the civil rights movement. In this short documentary, James relives his experience with the Black Panther Party, one of the central events that would influence his worldview for the rest of his life.
FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE!
Very Limited Tickets for the festival are $100 - includes two parties/outdoor screenings
Friends Of Film
Foreign Film Series
Saturdays and Sundays Dec 12, 13, 19, 20, 2009
Sunday, January 17, 2010
11:00 am
Laemmle Theaters,
1332 2nd Street
Santa Monica, CA, 90401
Admission is free with RSVP to Bob@FriendsOfFilm.com
We'll be screening Oscar(R) submissions from different countries during this series
Sunday, Jan 17, 2009 - Austria's Official Entry - 11 am
RSVP to Bob@FriendsOfFilm.com
FOR A MOMENT FREEDOM
Directed by Arash Riahi
Fast-moving and packed with action, "For a Moment Freedom" tells of the odyssey of three Iranians/Kurdish groups of refugees: a married couple with a child, two young men with two children, and two men who are friends despite the differences between them. They have all managed to escape from Iran and Iraq, but now they are stuck in the Turkish capital; although freedom is at last almost within their grasp, first they have to wait in a dubious hotel, hoping each day that their applications for asylum will be approved. This enforced break in their journey towards independence is characterised by both hope and utter uncertainty.
FILMMAKER and special guests in attendance!
Saturday, Dec 19, 2009 - Slovakia's Official Entry - 11 am
RSVP to Bob@FriendsOfFilm.com
BROKEN PROMISE
Directed by Jimi Chlumski
Broken Promise is based on a true story of a Jewish boy, Martin Friedmann, born in 1926 in Western Slovakia, who escaped deportation to a concentration camp thanks to his extraordinary soccer talent and some coincidently favorable circumstances.
Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 - Bulgaria's Official Entry - 11 am
RSVP to Bob@FriendsOfFilm.com
THE WORLD IS BIG AND SALVATION LURKS AROUND THE CORNER
Directed by: Stephan Komandarev
The story about a Bulgarian boy who grows up to be a German man. After a car accident Alex can't even remember his name. In an attempt to cure him from amnesia, his grandfather Bai Dan comes over to Germany and organizes a spiritual journey for his grandson back into his past, to the country where he came from. In changing places, time and transport, crossing half Europe, they play backgammon, the simplest, and yet the most complex of all games. That game leads Alex to the realizations of who he is, and that game is symbolic to the story. Destiny is the dice we hold in our own hands and life is a game on the edge between chance and skill.
Saturday, Dec 12 - POLAND'S OFFICIAL ENTRY - 11 am
REVERSE
Directed by Boris Lankosz
Reverse, a debut feature by 36 year-old director Borys Lankosz won the Golden Lions award at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia.
Set in the 1950s, it shows the terror of the Stalinist period in a very evocative way, black comedy style. The story centers on a woman in her early thirties, whose mother tries to find a husband for her and whose grandmother rates the prospective candidates. One day she meets a man, whose presence changes the lives of the three women.
Reverse received six other awards, including those for Best Actress (Agata Buzek), Best Cinematography and Best Soundtrack
Sunday, Dec 13 - THE NETHERLANDS OFFICIAL ENYRY - 11 am
Directed by Martin Koolhoven
Near the end of World War II, 13-year-old Michiel becomes involved with the Resistance after coming to the aid of a wounded British soldier. With the conflict coming to an end, Michiel comes of age and learns of the stark difference between adventure fantasy and the ugly realities of war.
Drop us a note if you'd like to screen your film as part of this program
Thursday, May 13, 20106:30 pm - Friends Of Film kicks off the festival with a fabulous ocean-view, sunset-viewing, cocktail party/screening on 15060 Corona Del Mar and the presentation of the Friends Of FilmLifetime Achievement Award toFrances Fisher
Thursday, May 13, 20106:30 pm - Friends Of Film kicks off the festival with a fabulous ocean-view, sunset-viewing, cocktail party/screening on 15060 Corona Del Mar and the presentation of the Friends Of FilmLifetime Achievement Award toFrances Fisher
Thursday, May 13, 20106:30 pm - Friends Of Film kicks off the festival with a fabulous ocean-view, sunset-viewing, cocktail party/screening on 15060 Corona Del Mar and the presentation of the Friends Of FilmLifetime Achievement Award toFrances Fisher
Thursday, May 13, 20106:30 pm - Friends Of Film kicks off the festival with a fabulous ocean-view, sunset-viewing, cocktail party/screening on 15060 Corona Del Mar and the presentation of the Friends Of FilmLifetime Achievement Award toFrances Fisher
Thursday, May 13, 20106:30 pm - Friends Of Film kicks off the festival with a fabulous ocean-view, sunset-viewing, cocktail party/screening on 15060 Corona Del Mar and the presentation of the Friends Of FilmLifetime Achievement Award toFrances Fisher
Send us a screener/press kit
Bob Sharka
Friends Of Film
1137 Charm Acres Place
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
