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Contact: For Immediate Release: March 9. 2006 View as PDF 2006 SILVER LAKE FILM FESTIVAL UNSPOOLS MARCH 23-31 WITH 200+ FILMS, INCLUDING 85 PREMIERES Los Angeles Premiere of EDMOND, starring William H. Macy in a David Mamet-penned screenplay, and THE GREAT NEW WONDERFUL, a new 9-11 Drama starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, set for Opening Night and Centerpiece Gala Programs Rob Nilsson To Be Honored With ‘Spirit of Silver Lake’ Filmmaker Award Special film series tackle wide-ranging issues from the state of organized labor in the U.S. to an emerging urban environmental movement. Foreign series spotlight Armenian and Croatian Cinemas and Asian cult films, including the first Los Angeles retrospective of Japanese master filmmaker Nobuo Nakagawa THE MERGING OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY AND FILMMAKING EXPLORED IN MP4-FEST SERIES THAT INCLUDES FIRST LOS ANGELES SCREENING OF MACHINIMA PLUS Sally Field, k.d. lang, John Doe, Bobcat Goldthwait, Goran Visnjic and the Honorable Eric Garcetti, President of the Los Angeles City Council. Los Angeles, March 9, 2006 – The 6th Silver Lake Film Festival, sponsored by Adelphia and LA.com, debuts at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, the Vista Theater in Los Angeles, the Japan America Theater and other venues throughout Los Angeles’ Eastside communities, March 23-31. Under the direction of Kate Marciniak, Roger M. Mayer and Greg Ptacek, the sixth edition of Los Angeles’ leading independent film and video festival is being held for the first time during the Spring. The festival will present over the course of nine days more than 70 narrative and documentary features and 135 shorts films, including 85 Los Angeles, U.S. and world premieres. Scheduled for Opening Night, March 23rd, is the Los Angeles premiere of “Edmond,” a First Independent Pictures release, starring William H. Macy and directed by Stuart Gordon with a screenplay by David Mamet. Using downtown Los Angeles as a backdrop, the story revolves around a bland business executive whose midlife crisis quickly devolves into a freefall that he mistakes for freedom. In Mamet fashion, the screenplay explores race, class and social issues in the context of a personal story. The film co-stars Joe Mantegna, Julia Stiles, Rebecca Pidgeon, Bokeem Woodbine, Bai Ling, Denise Richards, Mena Suvari, Dule Hill and Debi Mazar. “The Great New Wonderful,” starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Edie Falco, Tony Shalhoub, Olympia Dukakis, Judy Greer, Will Arnett and directed by Danny Leiner, will be presented during the festival’s Centerpiece Gala, Saturday, March 25th. Making its first official Los Angeles festival screening, the First Independent Pictures release encompasses five darkly comic and deeply human stories woven against the backdrop of an anxious, post-9/11 New York City. Independent film iconoclast Rob Nilsson will be honored by the festival with the Spirit of Silver Lake Filmmaker Award for career excellence in independent cinema. Former poet, artist and Peace Corps volunteer, Nilsson made his feature film debut with the highly acclaimed “Northern Lights” (1979), a docudrama he co-directed with John Hanson that won the Best First Film Award at Cannes that year. The program will present three narrative features by Nilsson: “Signal 7” (1986), the first feature ever shot on video, transferred to film and released theatrically – a precursor to today’s digital film revolution; “Stroke” (2000), a personal favorite of the director; and “Need” (2005), a Los Angeles premiere, which documents the fragile lives of four prostitutes in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. Also being honored with the Spirit of Silver Lake Artist-of-the-Year Award is Bad Otis Link - filmmaker, painter, sculptor and musician. Beginning as graphic artist, he designed band logos, album covers, posters and merchandise. His trademark style helped to define the early 80s punk scene. In the early 90s, he gained national notoriety with the design and publication of the “True Life Murders” trading card series, which prompted outraged lawmakers in several states to ban the sales of his work. Today, his primary focus is filmmaking, including his latest, the 45-minute “The Sugar On Top,” a throwback to New York Lower East Side cinema, infused with modern gutter techniques such as green screen and DV video technology. Link’s art, both disturbing and humorous, defines the artist as unflinching, antagonistic, self-effacing, reckless and utterly sublime. Other highlights of the festival’s feature film line-up include the world premiere of the Cinema Libre release “Giuliani Time,” a documentary by Kevin Keating that surgically removes the carefully constructed post-9/11 image of former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, mentioned frequently as a leading candidate for the 2008 presidential race; the Los Angeles premiere of director Kevin Dobson’s “The Virgin of Juarez,” starring Minnie Driver and Esai Morales, a drama-fantasy using the real-life mysterious killings of young women along the Tex-Mex border to explore race and religious stereotypes; and the Los Angeles premiere of director Philip Chidel’s “Subject Two,” fresh from its debut at Sundance, a haunting psychological thriller that updates the classic Frankenstein tale. The festival will present 135 short films - 49 world premieres - including five shorts programs at the ArcLight. Highlights include the 2006 Oscar-winning short documentary, “A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin” by filmmakers Corinne Marrinan and Eric Simonson and “The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello,” by Anthony Lucas, nominated for a 2006 Best Animated Short Oscar. SPECIAL FILM PROGRAMMING A hallmark of Silver Lake Film Festival over the years has been its special programming. The festival this year explores a wide range of social and political topics through the presentation of related films and panel discussions: State of the Union – The first-ever film festival program sponsored by the AFL- CIO, this program, curated by festival co-director Kate Marciniak, examines the transitional state that organized labor finds itself in the U.S. through a series of films, including “Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class”, “Taking the Heat: The First Women Firefighters of New York City,” and “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.” On Friday, March 24th, two-time Oscar-winning actress Sally Field will make a special appearance at the program’s screening of “Norma Rae,” the 1979 feature film for which she won her first Best Actress Academy Award. Later that evening, Field will appear on a panel discussion, “The Power of Film to Promote Social Change,” along with Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry; Rick Jacobs, co-founder with Robert Greenwald of Brave New Films, which produced and released “Wal-Mart”; State Senator Gloria Romero, author of legislation addressing women’s equality, Wal-Mart and international trafficking of sex workers; John Connelly, president of AFTRA; Chancee Martorell, a member of the Los Angeles Central Area Planning Commission and a policy advisor to former Department of Labor Secretary Robert Reich, and Stacy Taylor, past president of SIRENS, the organization of Los Angeles women firefighters. Also screening will be "Meeting Face to Face: the Iraq-U.S. Labor Solidarity Tour". · Green Films – Executive curated by Eric Garcetti, president, Los Angeles City Council, the program addresses what role environmentalism should play, given that the majority of the world’s population now lives in urban areas. Topics of ecological devastation on a global scale and the destruction of homeland of indigenous people are explored in a series of documentaries, including “Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action,” “Trespassing” and “Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea,” as well as “In the Footprint of the City,” about Los Angeles’ hidden history as one of the nation’s leading agricultural capitals. Two films, “Greener Buildings, Bluer Skies” and “Building Green,” report on how innovative architects are using state-of-the-art techniques to build both eco-friendly commercial and residential buildings. Garcetti will be joined in a panel discussion addressing the urban ecological movement on the evening of Tuesday, March 28th, by Bernadette Del Chiaro, director of Environment California’s Clean Energy Program; Jennifer Wolch, dean of USC’s Center for Sustainable Cities; Gail Goldberg, director, Los Angeles City Planning Department; Peter Barsuk, architect, Gensler, and member of the U.S. Green Building Council, and Jim Jackson, producer-writer-director of “Greener Buildings, Bluer Skies.” Program curators are David Andrusia and Kathleen McCafferty. · ReelPolitik – Sponsored by the new National Center for the Preservation of Democracy (NCPD), located in downtown Los Angeles, the program documents a new wave of filmmakers not afraid to use the power of cinema to not only inform but often to elicit action. Call it agitprop or activist filmmaking, the trend crosses the spectrum of politics and filmmaking styles. In a bit of classical agitprop, Tim Robbins’ “Embedded Live!” employs satirical humor at the expense of the neocon establishment. “Bringing Down a Dictator” demonstrates that traditional democratic ideals, as well those on the Left, can benefit from celluloid propaganda. “Granito de Arena” and “The Fence” show a POV not normally seen or read in the U.S. media about the much heralded NAFTA agreement between the U.S. and Mexico, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The series kicks off on Friday, March 24th at the NCPD with the world premiere screening of “Giuliani Time.” The program is curated by Carolyn Schroeder. In addition, the festival continues its tradition of paying homage to the community’s unique role in the development of American cinema with its Silent Film Heritage program: · Take Two – A Second Look at Silent Film Superstar Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle – The silent actor-director-writer-producer Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle is best known today for the misfortune that befell him. In 1921 at the height of his stardom, he was accused – wrongly! – of raping a film bit player named Virginia Rappe in a San Francisco hotel room. Though later completely exonerated of the crime, Arbuckle’s career was ruined as the Hearst publishing empire fanned the flames of public outrage in what many film historians say was the first great movie celebrity scandal. In the quality and quantity of his films, Arbuckle ranks with the greatest comedic talents of the Silent Era along with Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, all of whom worked at one time at Mack Sennett’s Keystone (as in Kops) Film Company in Silver Lake (the neighborhood in Los Angeles adjacent to Hollywood). The program will present a selection of Arbuckle’s most celebrated films as an actor in the prime of his career, as well as a post-scandal film that he directed when, with the help of friends, he began a new chapter in Hollywood under the nom de plume of William Goodrich. Free to the public, the program will be held at the historic Vista Theatre and will be introduced by Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge. The program is sponsored by Council District 4 and Mackinac Media. FOREIGN FILM SERIES This
year’s foreign film programming showcases the work of cinematic
cultures whose histories rival that of the U.S. From Asian cinema’s
constant reinvention of itself, to the re-emergence of the Armenian
and Croatian film industries, the films in these series offer · Fusion Asian Cinema: The new generation of Asian cult films blurs the lines of national borders and incorporates universal themes and images that make them more accessible to an American audience. The program includes nine features, eight documentaries and five short films from nine countries – from commercial blockbusters to the artistically offbeat. The last day of the series, Sunday, March 26th, is devoted to documentaries that tackle anti-establishment issues, including the Los Angeles premiere of “Night Scene,” about one of the biggest taboos in contemporary China: male street prostitutes. A highlight is the first-ever Los Angeles retrospective of Nubuo Nakagawa, the acclaimed master of Japanese horror films whose work has influenced several generations of Asian and American filmmakers. The series is curated by Erika Kao-Haley and sponsored by The Japan Foundation, the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy and the Korean Cultural Center. · Beyond The Diaspora: Armenian Films From Around The World: Eastside Los Angeles’ large Armenian ethnic population inspired this original program of “diaspora films” by filmmakers of Armenian descent who were born, work or live outside their homeland. Filmmakers in the series hail from France, the Ukraine, Canada and the U.S. and have produced a crop of films as diverse as “The Night Is Bright,” a drama about a scientist working with deaf, dumb and blind children; “Right To Exit,” the first documentary about Jack Kevorkian since a Michigan court convicted him of murder for his doctor-assisted suicides, and “Worm,” filmed in one continuous half-hour steadicam shot, about three Armenian friends, who as ushers in their best friend’s wedding, struggle to find the meaning of love. Is there a sensibility to filmmakers of Armenian descent that crosses borders as well as time? Let the audience decide. Series curated by Nora Armani. · New Croatian Films: The cinema of Croatia, the Central European country formerly part of Yugoslavia, dates back to 1896 when the first motion picture was shown there. U.S. filmmakers in the 1980s knew the nation as the best place to film Europe on a bargain, a place with gorgeous Old World settings and skilled film industry craftsmen. Today, in a newly liberated homeland. Croatian filmmakers address the complexity of life in an internationally integrated culture, while still reflecting the realism of central European style and expression. Curator Ziggy Mrkich, director of the Dubrovnik International Film Festival, has created a program of six films that share the depiction of life and emotion, including the epic ode to Croatian history “Long Dark Night,” starring Goran Visnjic, the star of TV’s “E.R.,” and the heart-warming entanglement of a Chinese grandchild’s presence that clouds and confuses a small conservative community in “Sorry For Kung Fu.” The series is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia. Los Angeles. CELEBRITY GUEST CURATORS New to the festival this year is a series of programs guest curated by some of our favorite film and musical artists: · John Doe – We asked the leader of legendary punk bank X, what’s your favorite film? He didn’t hesitate in answering “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia” (1974). If you haven’t experienced Sam Peckinpah’s oddball cult masterpiece – with a tour-de-force performance by character-actor icon Warren Oates – then Mr. Doe will be there to tell you why you should. · k.d. lang – Singer-songwriter k.d. lang once dabbled in music film scoring on a film that over the years has developed into a cult classic, “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues” (1993). Directed by Gus Van Sant, based on the book by Tom Robbins with a screenplay by Van Sant and Robbins, the film starred two young Hollywood players about to break out, Uma Thurman and Keanu Reeves. Look for k.d. to be joined by several surprise guests for the after-screening Q&A with the audience. · Bobcat Goldthwait – The explosive comedian recently made a splash at Sundance with his soon-to-be-released feature “Stay,” about a girl, her dog and their, uh, relationship. When we asked Mr. Goldthwait to guest curate a film for the festival, he chose his own cult classic “Shakes the Clown” (1992), reviewed by the august Boston Globe as the “Citizen Kane’ of alcoholic clown movies.” SPECIAL EVENTS From its inception, Silver Lake Film Festival has belied its name by presenting a wide range of arts programming beyond film screenings. This year the festival launches a new program, MP4-Fest, which celebrates and explores a whole new type of “interpersonal filmmaking,” or shorts designed for handheld devices, which utilize MP4 technology. Our MusicFest, a series of live musical performances, returns with a vengeance, and FringeFest, our community-based film and arts programming, takes a fresh new approach with a focus on ecology. · MP4-Fest – The program is the first organized look in Los Angeles at the work by contemporary artists making motion pictures exclusively for, or reliant upon, cutting-edge new media such as Sony Playstations, iPods and a number of other small gadgets. The program also encompasses work created in new media such as 3-D Modeling software and Flash. Facets of MP4-Fest will be available online, on flat-screens at the festival Cinema Lounge at the ArcLight Cinemas, at a theatrical screening at the Arclight Cinemas, and at LACE Gallery in Hollywood. MP4-Fest consists of three keynote programs: o Machinima!: The first-ever showcase in Los Angeles of works blending videogame technology and narrative content. Sponsored by Machinima.com and Machinima.org. o Technologized Bodies/Embodied Technologies: A curated program showing a series of artist-created short films dealing with the themes of the body’s relation to technology. o Open Architecture: An exhibition of programming media and computer applications re-adopted and reinvented for creative usage. Sponsored by LACE Gallery. MP4-Fest is curated by Saskia Wilson-Brown and Dave Burns. · MusicFest – Originally inspired by some of the bands featured in the festival’s annual music documentary series, MusicFest has developed into its own independent program. Participating venues this year include Boardner’s, the Key Club, Little Radio and Little Pedro’s. Confirmed to play are Bloody Royals, The Art of Flying, Artichoke and No Age. Check the festival website for the complete musical line-up. MusicFest is under the direction of festival co-director Roger M. Mayer and festival manager Chris Dunn. · FringeFest – This year’s festival-within-a-festival has two keynote programs: o Sustainable Environments: The program calls attention to community-based sustainable programs that address quality-of-life urban-eco issues through a public bike ride. Inspired by organizations such as Critical Mass and Midnight Riders, riders visit destinations at nighttime throughout Silver Lake and Hollywood, including outdoor film screenings of community-created short films about alternative transportation and corporate vs. handmade technology, as well as community gardens, forgotten spaces and local watering holes. The bike ride will be simulcast on the website. o FamilyFest – In collaboration with Silver Lake Community Church, FringeFest presents an evening of short films that the whole family can enjoy, including films by local independent filmmakers and film students from John Marshall High School. FringeFest is curated by Joan Valencia. Festival Information Tickets to Silver Lake Film Festival screenings and related programs are $11 at the ArcLight Cinemas and $10 at all other venues, unless otherwise designated. Advance tickets to screenings and additional information about the festival, including addresses of venues and screening times, are available at the festival website at www.silverlakefilmfestival.org. About
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SILVER LAKE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES CALL FOR ENTRIES The 6th Edition of Los Angeles’ Leading Independent Film Showcase Unspools March 23-31, 2006 August 15, 2005- LOS ANGELES – The organizers of Silver Lake Film Festival, Los Angeles’ leading showcase for independent film, have announced its sixth annual edition will be held March 23-31, 2006 with the ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood once again serving as the primary venue. The deadline for submission of films in all categories is December 15, 2005. In 2004 Silver Lake Film Festival screened more than 285 feature, documentary and short films, including the national premiere of United Artists’ “The Yes Men” and the world premiere of David O. Russell’s documentary “Soldier’s Pay.” Laura Dern, Mark Ruffalo and Curtis Harrington were honored with Spirit of Silver Lake Awards for career achievement in independent cinema. The 2006 festival will spotlight through special showcases and seminars a wide range of topics including Asian Cult Cinema, environmental-friendly alternative lifestyles, contemporary propaganda films (agitprop), the global consciousness movement, the influence on fashion by independent film since the ‘70s, the changing labor movement and Latino-American filmmakers. FringeFest, the experimental arm of Silver Lake Film Festival, returns with a series of exhibits and lectures on digital technology. Dubbed “MP4Fest,” the program will present the latest in digital video shorts designed for wireless technology including computers, communications and gaming devices. Additional Fringe Fest programming, including art exhibits, lectures and performance art, will be held at locations throughout Los Angeles’ Eastside communities. MusicFest, the live music component of Silver Lake Film Festival, will be held at The Knitting Factory in Hollywood and clubs throughout Silver Lake and surrounding neighborhoods. The 6th annual Silver Lake Film Festival is under the direction of Kate Marciniak, Roger M. Mayer and Greg Ptacek. For more information, visit www.silverlakefilmfestival.org/submissions
SILVER LAKE FILM FESTIVAL LAUNCHES MONTHLY FILM PROGRAM August 10, 2005 – Los Angeles – Silver Lake Film Festival, Los Angeles’ leading independent film festival, announces the launch of “Silver Lake Shorts,” a monthly program of short films by local filmmakers, on Sunday, August 21, 8 pm, at Akbar, located at 4356 W. Sunset Blvd. (at Fountain). The initial program will present an evening of short films entitled “9 Artists / 17 videos,” curated by Darin Klein. From the narrative to the abstract, from the haunting to the hilarious, the videos were chosen without regard to thematic parameters. “Cohesion is meant to emerge through the arrangement of the work. The moods and tones that become apparent take inspiration from different movements in classical music: overture, toccata, intermezzo, scherzo and fugue,” said Klein. Subsequent programs will beheld at Akbar on the third Sunday of every month, at 8 pm. Local filmmakers are encouraged to submit films for screening consideration. Visit the film festival’s website for details as well as upcoming programming information: www.silverlakefilmfestival.org/shorts Silver Lake Film Festival is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide a showcase in Los Angeles for independent filmmakers. “Silver Lake Shorts” is under the direction of Jason Dollar.
LOS ANGELES ’ SILVER LAKE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES "UBER INDEPENDENT ” ONLINE AUCTION, MAY 15-30 Fundraiser Offers Lunch with Henry Jaglom, Internship with Allison Anders, Walk-On Part For ‘The Dead Zone,’ Signed Tony Hawk Skateboard, Lithograph by Joni Mitchell, Guitar Lesson with Devo’s Bob Mothersbaugh, Film Musical Score By Faith No More’s Roddy Bottum, Jam Session with The Adicts, Fashions by Trina Turk and Maggie Barry, and Much More! Los Angeles – May 9, 2005 – L.A’s hippest annual entertainment event – Silver Lake Film Festival – will host its first annual online auction May 15- 29, featuring a wild, wooly and wicked selection of creative items and edgy experiences. The public is invited to bid on more than 250 items available at http://silverlakeauction.cmarket.com. From music and movie memorabilia to tattoos and piercings, from a vacation in Machu Picchu to trapeze lessons with The Secret Circus, and from a signed “Raging Bull” movie poster to a Disney’s “Snow White” animation cel, Silver Lake Film Festival’s “Uber Independent” online auction promises to be like no other. A preview of the auction items is available now at the official auction website. “We wanted to create an online auction that reflected the ‘uber’ independent spirit of the Silver Lake, a community in Los Angeles that’s always had an anything goes reputation,” said Greg Ptacek, who along with Roger M. Mayer, directs the film festival. Established in 1999, Silver Lake Film Festival screened more than 285 feature, documentary and short films in 2004. It was recently named by L.A. Weekly as one of L.A.’s “Top 5” film festivals. All proceeds from the “Uber Independent Online Auction” will go toward funding the operations of Silver Lake Film Festival, an IRS tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) nonprofit arts organization established in 1999.
SILVER LAKE FILM FESTIVAL NOMINATED FOR PRESTIGIOUS INDUSTRY ART AWARD 2004 Festival Poster A Finalist in The Hollywood Reporter Annual Contest LOS ANGELES - April 1, 2005 - Silver Lake Film Festival has been nominated as a finalist for the film industry's highest honor in graphic design, The Annual Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards. The award honors excellence in movie marketing and advertising. Silver Lake Film Festival was nominated for its 2004 poster in the "Film Festival/Market Posters" category along with four other finalists: American Film Market, L.A. International Short Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Festival and San Sebastian Film Festival. Silver Lake Film Festival's nominated key art was designed by Shoolery Design, Inc. and features a Loch Ness -like creature emerging from the Silver Lake reservoir as dark and stormy clouds gather overhead. "Mark Shoolery and his team deserve congratulations for their wonderfully eccentric design that captures the independent and yes, at time, irreverent spirit of Silver Lake in specific and independent film in general," said Greg Ptacek. who shares the title of festival co-director with Roger M. Mayer. "Shoolery Design was incredibly generous in presenting us with 16 possible designs, but when we saw 'Nessie' in the Silver Lake reservoir, we burst out laughing and new that had to be the one." The Hollywood Reporter, the entertainment industry daily newspaper, established the Key Art Awards in 1972 to recognize the impact of creative marketing on a film's success. The term "key art" is common in the field, referring to singular, iconographic image that is the foundation for a movie's marketing campaign. "In its 34th year, The Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards program is bigger than ever before," said Robert J. Dowling, editor-in-chief and publisher of The Hollywood Reporter. "Like the films it promotes, movie advertising seeks to make an emotional connection with viewers... We are pleased to honor the movie advertising community and its tremendous achievements." |
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