Special Programs
| Opening Night Gala Link to PDF THURSDAY,
MARCH 23, 2006 World Premiere of Edmond. Directed by Stuart Gordon, Written by David Mamet, Starring Willliam H. Macy EDMOND boasts an all-star cast, including William H. Macy in the title role, along with Joe Mantegna, Rebecca Pidgeon, Bai Ling, Lionel Mark Smith, Mena Suvari, Denise Richards, Dylan Walsh, Bokeem Woodbine, Debi Mazar and Julia Stiles. Following the 7:30 pm premiere screening, join the filmmakers, members of the cast and friends for the Opening Night Gala party at Hollywood’s hippest nightspot, Spider Club, at the Avalon.
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| Centerpiece Gala Link to PDF SATURDAY,
MARCH 25, 2006 Official Los Angeles Festival Premiere of The Great New Wonderful. Directed by Danny Leiner, Starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Edie Falco. This wonderfully acted ensemble piece stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, Edie Falco, Tony Shalhoub, Olympia Dukakis, Judy Greer and Tom McCarthy in a dramedy about New Yorkers just trying to go about their daily lives in the wake of large-scale disaster. After the screening, please join us for a gala party starting at 10:00PM at LACE, one of LA’s premier visual arts venues. Cocktails,music, DJs, and more great wonderful fun than you can imagine. Time to kick up your heels and party the night away!
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| Filmmaker of The Year Award Link to PDF SUNDAY,
MARCH 26, 2006 The 2006 Spirit of Silver Lake Filmmaker Award recipient, Rob Nilsson, embodies the quintessential virtues of self-sacrifice, modesty, open collaboration, emotional sincerity and the pursuit of truth that define the pinnacle of true independent filmmaking – something very rare in this era of celebrity and super-sized egos. Especially rare is his ability to remain prolific despite an absence of media worship, mass distribution or an easily digestible brand of genre identification. Nilsson’s films are his own or, better put, are the culmination of artistic creativity inputted by everyone that works with him, which form a distinct perspective and vision unlikely to resemble anything you might find in the typical art-house circuit, let alone the big budget, high-concept amusement parks of the megaplexes. His attitude (not to mention his improvisational tone) towards filmmaking reminds one of John Cassavetes—not surprising, given that Rob Nilsson was a close friend and colleague, always willing to listen carefully to any advice Cassavetes might have thrown his way. Early in his career Rob Nilsson achieved an overwhelming amount of recognition for his work. He won the Camera d’Or at Cannes for NORTHERN LIGHTS in 1978 and the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for HEAT AND SUNLIGHT in 1987. In between those two films he made what is now regarded as a landmark film, SIGNAL 7, in 1986 (showing at this year’s SLFF), that was the first small format video feature blown up to 35mm film and distributed around the world, a novelty at the time that has now become a standard in the independent film world. Living in San Francisco, Rob Nilsson has taken the spirit of community-based filmmaking from impractical idealism to concrete pragmatism. He is currently working on the ambitious 9@Night film series – nine dramatic feature films about the lives of 50 inner city inhabitants. These films are cast from an acting workshop he created in 1991 called the Tenderloin yGroup, which gives intensive training to homeless, inner city residents and professional actors alike. The first film produced using the actors from this group was CHALK in 1996. He has since completed his sixth film in the cycle, our feature presentation, NEED.
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Artist of The Year Award Link to PDF THURSDAY,
MARCH 30, 2006 This year’s recipient of the Spirit of Silver Lake Artist of the Year Award is one of the most fucked-up artists anyone has ever come across, and that’s saying something. His career stretches all the way back to the dawn of LA punk (circa 1977) where, as a T-shirt designer working with AOR artists such as Fleetwood Mac and Kenny Loggins, he stumbled across some punk rock dives in Costa Mesa and soon began designing all the artwork, including logos, album covers, posters and merchandise, for bands like Social Distortion, TSOL, Circle Jerks and, for a period that lasted from 1982 to 1992, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His reputation spread to the point where, to date, Otis has worked with hundreds of performers globally. Otis was also a member of two legendary bands from that period, The Panty Shields and The Brown Sound. In the early 1990’s Otis designed and published the True Life Murders trading cards, causing a fervor all around the nation for politicians to use as an example of our culture’s moral decline. A long legal battle that included the confiscation of artwork and merchandise from his own home resulted in much of his work being censored and illegal to possess. None of this discouraged Otis from continuing his own personal vision. As an artist, he is well-known for his paintings and sculptures that reflect his twisted sense of humor and sly social criticism of America’s standards and mores. He has shown in many galleries worldwide. His attention now is fully enmeshed in filmmaking. His films reflect an uncompromising vision that hold fast to his obsessions, his convictions and his vision, no matter how unconventional or disturbing those may be (I told you, he’s really fucked up). Silver Lake Film Festival is proud to hand over an award to an artist that shares much of our same qualities…at least in spirit (we’re not that fucked up…).
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| Film Heritage Series Link to PDF Tribute
to Roscoe 'Fatty Arbuckle In 1921, you couldn’t get bigger than Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. The quintessential Fat Man of Film - whose girth and, but more importantly, comedic talent would go onto influence several generations of actors from Jackie Gleason to John Belushi and John Candy - was at the zenith of his considerable career. With more than 100 films already under his belt, Arbuckle’s only rivals were the other three great comedic talents of the era, Charlie Chapliln, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. And a friendly rivalry it was, all of them working at one time for Mack Sennett’s Keystone (as in Kops) Film Company, based in Silver Lake. Then, like one of the slapstick schticks that frequented his films, disaster struck Arbuckle right smack in his face. A chance encounter with a film bit player named Virginia Rappe at a party at San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel in September of that year resulted in his arrest and prosecution on rape and murder charges. Never mind that from the outset, his innocence was never seriously in doubt. The hero of our comedic story suddenly found his life turned upside down. There’s even a snidely villain to round out the cast of characters, none other than Randolph Heast who milked the scandal –really, Hollywood’s first great sex scandal – for every dime that a newspaper could buy In the end, Roscoe Arbuckle (his friends never called him “Fatty”) was completely exonerated in court but his career was ruined. Now forever emblazoned in the public’s mind as the huge beast that attacked the ingénue, Fatty was not funny anymore. In short, he had become blacklisted. Fortunately, he was more than just a pretty face, having produced, directed and written many of his own films. Under the pseudonym William Goodrich, he would direct a score of comedies and educational films in the 1920s. With great irony, Roscoe Arbuckle had just signed a contract with Paramount Pictures in 1933, which after a decade-long absence would have put him before the camera again, when he died suddenly of a heart seizure. This program, curated by Paul E. Gierucki and our friends at Mackinac Media (www.mackinacmedia.com), presents a selection of some the actor’s most critically-acclaimed works, including THE ROUNDERS (1914), directed by and costarring Charlie Chaplin, as well a couple in which Arbuckle directs himself, THE WAITER’S BALL (1916) and FATTY’S TINTYPE TANGLE (1915). As an added bonus, the film MY STARS, directed by “William Goodrich,” concludes the program.
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| Celebrity Guest Curators Link to PDF Three
of our favorite multi-hyphenate artists - John Doe, K.D. Lang John
Doe We
asked the former frontman for X and now indie film icon John Doe, “What’s
your favorite film?” He didn’t hesitate in answering, BRING
ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA (1974). Now, if you don’t know Sam
Peckinpah’s masterfully directed blackcomedy thriller –
that includes two gay gringo hit men and a couple of Hell’s Angels 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,
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 afterscreening Q&A with the audience. Comedy’s
Wild Man recently directed his second theatrical feature, the soon-to-bereleased
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), proclaimed by the august Boston
Globe as “’the Citizen Kane’ of alcoholic clown movies.”
See Bobcat in person at the ArcLight to discuss his magnificent directorial
debut. |
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Foreign Film Series Beyond
The Diaspora - Armenian Films Link
to PDF New
Croatian Films Link
to PDF Fusion Asian isn't wasabi on your mahi-mahi. This year’s Fusion Asian Cinema program at the Silver Lake Film Festival 2006 on March 24th – 26th includes nine features, eight documentaries, and five short films from nine countries. These superb Asian films are blurring the lines of national borders within the transcultural wave—films whose universality of themes and images make them readily accessible to an American audience. Stay tuned for events, art openings, and parties in Little Tokyo in downtown LA.
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MP4-Fest Link to site Information coming soon. |
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Political and Social Program Series Green Films – Environmentalism in the urban landscape Link to PDF Executive
Curator: Eric Garcetti, president, Los Angeles City Council ReelPolitik – Politics and filmmaking mix it up Link to PDF
The American labor movement is at a crisis: Fifty years ago, 1 in 3 Americans belonged to a labor union; today, that number is only 1 in 12. American corporations haven’t been this rabidly anti-union since the 1930’s, and outsourcing work to foreign shores has astoundingly become within the realm of acceptable business practice. But with the moral priorities of the present presidential administration turning social progress on its head—tax breaks for the wealthy, public programs for working people and the poor being obliterated right and left—organized labor has more than ever become a critical component in the striving to achieve a just and equitable America. What has wrought this change? What must unions do to engage and embrace new membership? And what is the dance between history and the labor movement which has drawn the attention of Hollywood filmmakers in depicting this important facet of American life? SLFF 2006 presents State of the Union, a curated program of important films from the past and present and a panel discussion with political and labor leaders that capture the struggle of the labor movement to stay relevant in our changing times. |
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| Genres Queer
Films Link to PDF Silver Lake Stories Link to PDF Silver
Lake Film Festival was never conceived as belonging only to the small
geographic area in Los Angeles that bears our name. Rather, it was always
more about a sensibility that Silver Lake represents: multi-cultural,
creatively edgy, irreverent. All that said, we get jazzed as much as
anyone when we see films that use Silver Lake and the neighboring Eastside
communities as their backdrops. So while the films in this series could
have been folded into the festival line-up, we thought it might be fun
to look in the mirror and catch a glimpse of some of the best of the
locally grown crop. SCAB PERVERT! HOLLYWOOD
UFO Dance Link to PDF Dance Camera West, celebrating its fifth year, brings dance films from around the world to Los Angeles at its annual June festival and in special partnerships such as this one with Silver Lake Film Festival. During SLFF 2006, we are delighted to present two exhilarating dance films that smash the boundaries to redefine both dance and film. For upcoming screenings, please see the group’s web site: www.dancecamerawest.org.
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Panel Discussions State
of the Union panel: The State of the Union program comprises not only films but also a panel discussion devoted to exploring the power of film to create social change, especially equality in the workforce, both here and abroad. The panel moderator is California State Senator Gloria Romero, author of legislation addressing women’s equality, Wal-Mart and international trafficking of sex workers. Along with Oscar-winning actress Sally Field, the panelists include a stellar group of political and labor leaders: Panelists: ·
Two-time Oscar-winning actress Sally Field Green
Films Panel: This first-of-its-kind panel examines the future of our city's planning from a wide range of environmental views. We are proud to have Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti as our executive curator panel moderator, and we expect a lively, multi-angled discussion that covers environmental planning from social, scientific, and economics points of view. Our special symposium panel will by led by Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti. This distinguished panel will also include: ·
Bernadette Del Chiaro, director, Environment California’s
Clean Energy Program Industry Panels This year Silver Lake Film Festival is hosting four different panel discussions geared specifically to independent filmmakers. Get in the know and the now of what’s happening in the industry! Can't
I Just Sign This? Avoiding Legal Disasters in Filmmaking Are you interested in learning about the legal pitfalls that could prevent you from making and selling your movie? The panel of attorneys from Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton - Ann Clark (one of the Hollywood Reporter's Next Generation Class of 2005), Alexis Garcia and Greg Slewett - will guide you through the nuts and bolts of legal issues in filmmaking from protecting your rights in your script to securing shooting locations, and more. All three attorneys have been responsible for legal work on features such as "Brokeback Mountain", "Mrs. Henderson Presents", "Lord of War," and "Ultraviolet," as well as films currently in production: "Miss Potter" and "Hollywoodland". Machinima! Panel Sunday, March 26th, 9:00 pm; ArcLight Cinemas The Machinima panel will run 9 – 9:30 pm on Sunday, preceded during the same program (starting at 7:15 pm) by two series of short films. The first is called Technologized Bodies/Embodied Technologies, new works by international artists that explore the relationship of human bodies and technology. The second, called Machinima!, presents films that lift characters and environments from videogames to create brand-new narratives. Following these two sets of short films is a panel discussion that will explore Machinima as a production method, as well as discuss how it is slowly becoming a medium unto itself. Panelists: ·
Paul Marino, Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences
(moderator) Digital
Distribution: New Alternatives For Independent Filmmakers
Moderator: Allison Dollar, CEO, ITVA An expert panel reveals how new content delivery options affects distribution and forever alters the biz as we’ve known it. Through show-and-tell, executives engaged in creating new media content demonstrate and discuss what digital delivery means for the creative community. Video on Demand, mobile phones, IPTV, the Internet, Digital Cinema and more—is this an opportunity or a nightmare? How does content morph to accommodate the range of platforms? What are the opportunities in a cross-platform distribution model? What kinds of software and production tools help filmmakers working with an eye on digital environments? What are the implications of these technological advances in terms of programming acquisition, economics, rights and the creative/production process? Panelists: ·
Movielink, Bruce Anderson, SVP Engineering and Operations
Get
To Know the Guilds Just because your film isn’t being financed by a studio is no reason you can’t use professional talent! Get tips, advice and information from top-notch representatives of the WGA, DGA and SAG indie arms on their low-budget agreements with indie filmmakers. Find out how you can use them to not only survive but thrive in today’s markets. Jon Larson from the Directors Guild of America, Kay Schaber from the WGA Independent Film Program and Scott Garner, SAGIndie, will tag team together to illustrate how your low-budget film can benefit from Guild coverage under their indie programs. Don’t miss this opportunity to find out what the guilds can do for you. Panelists: ·
Scott Garner serves as SAGIndie’s rep at film
festivals across the country and at conferences and events to help spread
the word about the Screen Actors Guild’s Modified Budget Agreements
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