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We are now accepting submissions for the Mailing address only: Bob Sharka Director of Programming Pacific Palisades Film Festival 845 Via de la Paz, Suite 13 Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Fifth Annual Pacific Palisades Film Festival March 6 - 8, 2008
OPENING NIGHT FILM FIELDS OF FUEL, directed by Josh Tickell Thursday, March 6, Theater Palisades 941 Temescal Canyon Road, Pacific Palisades 7pm
Opening Night FIELDS OF FUEL Screening Only
Tickell (VEGGIE VAN VOYAGE) returns to the Pacific Palisades Film Festival! Most Americans know we have a problem: an addiction to oil that taxes the environment, entangles us in costly foreign policies, and threatens the nation's long-term stability. But few are informed enough to do much about it. Enter Josh Tickell, an expert young activist who, driven by his own emotionally charged motives, shuttles us on a revelatory, whirlwind journey to unravel this addiction - from its historical origins to political constructs that support it, to alternatives available now and the steps we can take to change things. - Carloline Libresco, Sundance Film Festival Programmer
OPENING NIGHT VIP PARTY For Filmmakers, Invited Guests and Festival Pass Holders only following FIELDS OF FUEL film screening Special Location Pacific Palisades
Festival Opening Night PartyVIP passes - include all screenings and VIP party
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD PRESENTATIONS TO
Robert Guillaume
Seymour Cassel
THE PIXAR STORY, directed by Leslie Iwerks Friday, March 7, 8pm, Theatre Palisades
Oscar nominee Leslie Iwerks (RECYCLED LIFE) returns to the Pacific Palisades Film Festival! PIXAR STORY takes audiences behind the scenes of the groundbreaking company that pioneered a new generation of animation and forever changed the face of filmmaking. Using never-before-seen footage from the Pixar library, along with historic archival animation and first hand accounts by animators, studio executives, directors, producers and voice performers, Iwerks tells the riveting story of a Bay Area start-up that revolutionized Hollywood. FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE!
Sat. March 8, 10:15am Palisades Library
In their third season, the Harlem Hellfighters try to prove that they deserve to become Harlem's high school football team, providing a path to college and to maturity. The Harlem Hellfighters, organized by Coach Duke, a former NFL player, is made up of young men who attend different high schools in Manhattan. They have to struggle to obtain funding, to gain permission to play in the city league, to exist at all. HELLFIGHTERS demonstrates what football can mean in adolescent dreams and adult realities. The boys and their parents weep and laugh as the season unfolds and their tough talking coach can only hope that his methods will compensate for mixed results.
Sat. March 8, 1pm, Palisades Library
Two middle-aged American men set out to win the "world's toughest race" — three thousand miles across the Atlantic in a rowboat — is it a noble quest or an ill-fated nightmare?
FATHER G AND THE HOMEBOYS, directed by John Bohm and Pete Tapia Sat. March 8, 3:30pm, Palisades Library
Narrated by Martin Sheen, Father G and the Homeboys chronicles the lives of four Latino gangbangers as they redirect their lives in a wartorn area of Los Angeles known as Boyle Heights, at one time, the street gang capital of the world. For over twenty years father Gregory Boyle (Father G) and his non-profit organization HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES have helped kids plan for their futures not their funerals.
FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE!
SHORTS PROGRAM Sat. March 8, 12:30pm, Theater Palisades
- PILGRIMAGE, directed by Tad Nakamura
PILGRIMAGE tells the inspiring story of how an abandoned WWII concentration camp has been transformed into a current-day symbol of retrospection and solidarity in the aftermath of 9/11. FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE!
produced by Basel Action Network
The photo-documentary report entitled “ The Digital Dump: Exporting High-Tech Re-use and Abuse to Africa,” exposes the ugly underbelly of what is thought to be an escalating global trade in toxic, obsolete, discarded computers and other e-scrap collected in North America and Europe and sent to developing countries by waste brokers and so-called recyclers. www.BAN.org
directed by Sheila Laffey co-producers Sheila Laffey and Geoffrey Pepos
This 24 minute documentary tells the true story of the high profile controversy involving poor farmers and their supporters, including celebrity tree sitters, the developer and the City of Los Angeles over the South Central Farm, the largest and most bio-diverse urban farm in the U.S. The film focuses on farmer leaders Rufina Juarez and Tezozomac, as well as celebrity tree sitters such as Daryl Hannah, Joan Baez, John Quigley and Julia Butterfly Hill, and other supporters such as Martin Sheen and Willie Nelson who brought international attention to the issue. KPFK host Lila Garrett, head of a committee dealing with race issues at the farm, speaks movingly at a press conference. Others interviewees include Green Party leader and former Santa Monica Mayor, Mike Feinstein, on roller blades during a colorful farm parade in Santa Monica and Don White, human rights spokesperson. Other supporters include Linda Piera-Avila, Marion Nestle, author of “Politics of Food.” Includes footage by Daryl Hannah and Academy Award winner Haskell Wexler. FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE!
Sat. March 8, 3pm, Theater Palisades
BAM 6.6 transcends geopolitical differences with a simple message of love and hope amidst tragedy, unfolding through the story of two young American victims of this devastating earthquake. Set against a backdrop of death and destruction, BAM 6.6 captures the indomitable will of the human spirit and the pervasive and altruistic culture of Iranian hospitality, kindness and generosity.Veteran film producer/director Jahangir Golestan-Parast, visually captures the horrendous destruction that took 50,000 lives and left tens of thousands injured, orphaned and homeless. Eschewing a sterile narration, Golestan tells the story of tragedy and resurrection through sequential and emotional interviews that allow viewers to draw their own conclusions on a first-hand basis.
Sat. March 8, 5:30pm Theatre Palisades
For nine generations, the Rosaire family has entertained audiences all over the world with their legendary animal acts. From lions and tigers, to bears, horses and chimpanzees, the Rosaires are renowned for their unique and respectful way of training and performing with animals. At the height of their fame, they headlined shows for royalty, presidents and legions of fans with their spectacular feats. Today they are struggling to survive in the modern age of entertainment. Major declines in audience attendance, and increasing concern for animal welfare have significantly impacted the Rosaires way of life. Jobs are scarce in the circus, and living the life of gypsy performers is taking its toll on the family. The Rosaires are acutely aware that their traditional way of making a living is slowly dying. However, they continue struggling to keep it alive because it’s in their blood and it’s all they know. Their livelihood and future are at risk as they attempt to carry on the family tradition.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
ADJUST YOUR COLOR: THE TRUTH OF PETEY GREENE directed by Loren Mendell Sat. March 8, 8pm Theatre Palisades
Narrated by Don Cheadle. Mendell returns to the Pacific Palisades Film Festival! The unlikely story of America's first shock-jock, a black man in a white man's world who battled the system and his own demons during a time of civil unrest in our nation's capital. FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE!
Venue Locations:
Theatre Palisades 941 Temescal Canyon Road, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Pacific Palisades Library 861 Alma Real Drive, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Opening Night Party Special Location, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
May 17-19, 2007
"It gives me great pleasure to announce our 2007 program including our new programmer Valerie Belt's selection for a social justice program with distinguished panelists at a second venue this year at our fourth annual event," says Friends of Film's founder/executive director, Bob Sharka.
OPENING NIGHT FILM Thursday, May 17, 7pm Theater Palisades 941 Temescal Canyon Road Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
LA BLUES
Written/Directed by Ian Gurvitz
(Gurvitz of Wings, Becker and the recently published "Hello, Lied the Agent, and other Bullshit you hear as a Hollywood TV writer") LA Blues is an FILMMAKER/CAST IN ATTENDANCE!
With the short film SERVED
Directed by Philip Zlotorynski PZ returns to the PPFF with his follow-up to the indi hit, My Big Fat Independent Movie A man who serves subpoenas for a living comes home one afternoon to Filmmaker in attendance!
OPENING NIGHT PARTY and presentation of the FRIENDS OF FILM LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD to Dick Van Patten
following screening at a beautiful Pacific Palisades residence!
************************************************************************ Friday, May 18 7:30pm Theater Palisades BAD BOYS OF SUMMER
Produced/Directed by Tiller Russell and Loren Mendell
Filmmaker Loren Mendell returns to the Palisades Film Fest, this time with his crowd favorite from the SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL this year! FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE!
with the short film
MORBID CURIOSITY
Directed by Cindy Baer Baer returns to the Pacific Palisades Film Festival with her follow-up to the film festival favorite and PRISM AWARD nominee PURGATORY HOUSE. A woman's videotaped confession reveals a lifelong struggle to control her deadly ability. FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE!
Saturday, May 19 1pm Theater Palisades
BUDDY: THE RISE AND FALL OF AMERICA'S MOST NOTORIOUS MAYOR
A feature documentary - narrated by James Woods - about the rise and fall of one of America's most successful and notorious politicians. “Buddy”, the documentary, paints a complex portrait of the often contradictory and always audacious public figure who became the youngest man and the first Italian-American to become mayor of Providence, and a Republican who unseated a Democrat stronghold of more than thirty years. From his early promise as an attorney prosecuting organized crime to his success overseeing Providence's "renaissance," the film tracks Cianci's entanglements with city council opposition, union skirmishes, personal scandals, and criminal indictments. The result is a fascinating study of American local politics and a surprising tale of a man who, in the words of one commentator, "has a city as his mistress." FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE!
*******************************************************************
Saturday, May 19 3:15pm Theater Palisades
Directed by Jesse James Miller and Pete McCormack Narrated by Kevin Spacey
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Saturday, May 19 5 pm Theater Palisades
THE THIRD MONDAY IN OCTOBER
Director/Producer Vanessa Roth,
A multiple award-winning film on the festival circuit! Blending the passion and honesty of the kids in the film, Spellbound, with the real life situations behind the comedy, Election, and the political insight of The War Room comes this quirky, spirited and moving documentary.
Vist the web-site to view the trailer
*********************************************************************** CLOSING NIGHT FILM Saturday, May 19 Theater Palisades 7pm
MOJAVE PHONE BOOTH
Directed by John Putch
Putch returns to the Pacific Palisades Film Fest with his follow-up to the indie cult hit, BACHELORMAN. In the middle of the Mojave desert, rests an abandoned phone booth, riddled with bullet holes, graffiti, its windows broken, but otherwise functioning. Its identity was born on the internet, and for years travellers would make the trek down a lonely dirt road and camp next to the booth, in the hopes that it might suddenly ring, and they could connect with a stranger (often from another country) on the other end of the line. FILMMAKER/CAST IN ATTENDANCE
WITH THE SHORT FILM TRANSGRESSIONS
CLOSING NIGHT PARTY at BEECH STREET CAFE 863 Swarthmore Avenue Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 310.573.1940 ************************************************************************
Additional screenings added for Saturday, May 19
Friends Of Film presents a program of social justice films
Saturday, May 19th at the Palisades Elementary School Auditorium 800 Via de la Paz, Pacific Palisades
Please join us for an informative and thought-provoking series of films starting at 12:00pm . Each film will be followed by discussion and Q&A panels made up of highly regarded professionals and activists involved in making a difference.
12:00pm Stolen Childhoods
Narrated by Meryl Streep, Stolen Childhoods depicts the scourge of child labor affecting more than 200 million children in our world today. In extraordinary footage, child slaves and laborers from seven countries (including the United States ) tell their own stories. The film profiles a range of practical global solutions that are working to end child labor.
Panelists Moderator: Peggy Callahan - co-founder and Executive Producer & Director of Communications at FREE THE SLAVES, a non-profit organization working to end slavery worldwide. She has produced 3 documentaries about modern day slavery that have aired nationally and are being broadcast in 20 other countries.
Imelda Buncab has a BA in Sociology and is the Outreach & Training Director for Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) in Los Angeles , a non-governmental human rights organization exclusively dedicated to serving survivors of trafficking. Besides being involved in program management, training, outreach, technical assistance, mentoring and capacity building for other anti-trafficking projects, she has conducted trainings and presentations locally, nationally and internationally. Ms. Buncab is also the Western Region Coordinator for the Freedom Network Institute on Human Trafficking, a national training project collaboratively presented by CAST and six nation-wide Freedom Network USA members. She is a member of the Los Angeles Metro Task Force on Human Trafficking and also chairs the Law Enforcement Training Committee.
Karen Chan is the Co-Coordinator at the Polaris Project Los Angeles, which brings together community members, survivors, and professionals to fight trafficking and slavery in the spirit of a modern-day Underground Railroad. Ms. Chan directly manages cases of those who have been trafficked and is also involved in victim outreach projects that empower individual survivors of trafficking while creating long-term social change.
Marta Gonzalez is a graduate student at CSUN whose parents, grandparents and previous generations were themselves child laborers while growing up in Guatemala. Marta feels fortunate that her parents chose to stop this cycle with their own children. As an undergraduate, Marta did research on child labor in the U.S. and was one of 5 students chosen to present her findings at a Cal State University competition. She is currently an advocate who brings awareness to the community about the realities of child labor and its impact on children, families and the community.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2:00pm Beyond Closed Doors
Sandgrain Films’ first documentary, Beyond Closed Doors, goes behind the rhetoric and politics of agriculture to confront issues in animal welfare that have the potential to affect all Americans. Interviews with scientists, veterinarians, farmers, professionals, welfare groups and consumers illuminate important issues rarely covered in the mainstream media.
Panelists Moderator: Karen Dawn has worked as a news researcher and writer for various Australian publications and on ABC’s nightly news magazine, “The 7:30 Report.” In 1999 she founded DawnWatch (www.dawnwatch.com) which monitors animal issues in the media and encourages activists to respond. Her opinion pieces have appeared in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, New York’s Newsday and the UK Guardian. As a spokesperson for the movement, Karen Dawn has appeared on MTV, and she has lectured at animal rights conferences since 2001.
Hugh Dorigo is the writer and producer of Beyond Closed Doors and comes from a family with a long history in animal agriculture, dating back to the 1930s in New Jersey. He formed Sandgrain Films LLC in 2004 to begin work on this film, with the objective of gathering the most credible voices concerning the politics, science and ethics of modern day agriculture.
Dr. Marc Bekoff Ph.D. appears in the film and is a Professor of biology at the University of Colorado . In 2000, Dr. Bekoff and Jane Goodall co-founded Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (www.ethologicalethics.org). Dr. Bekoff is a leader in the field of cognitive ethology and has published many books and essays, including his most recent book, titled The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy - and Why They Matter. This book will be available for purchase at the event, and Dr. Bekoff will also be doing a book signing after the panel discussion.
Armaiti May, D.V.M. is a veterinarian and an animal rights advocate who chose to become a vegan and activist as a student at UC Berkeley. As a student at UC Davis, Dr. May helped coordinate a surgery “wetlab” training for fellow vet students as a humane alternative to the school’s terminal surgeries. During vet school she volunteered with Rural Area Veterinary Services to provide free care and sterilization surgeries for dogs, cats, and horses in economically disadvantaged communities. Dr. May is currently a practicing dog and cat veterinarian in the LA area and through her activism has become very familiar with factory farming practices. She plans to eventually have her own vegan-friendly veterinary practice.
Gene Baur is co-founder and president of Farm Sanctuary, America’ s leading farm animal protection organization. He holds a masters degree in agricultural economics from Cornell University and has conducted hundreds of visits to farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses to document conditions. His pictures and videotape, exposing factory farming cruelty, have been aired nationally and internationally, educating millions. Gene has testified in court and before local, state and federal legislative bodies, and has initiated groundbreaking legal enforcement and legislative action to prevent farm animal abuse. He played an important role in passing the only laws existing in the U.S. that prohibit cruel farming methods – including the Florida ban on gestation crates, the Arizona ban on veal and gestation crates, and the California and Chicago bans on foie gras. His efforts have been covered by leading news organizations, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, National Public Radio, ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4:00pm Thirst
As global corporations buy up local water supplies, communities suddenly lose control of their most precious resource. Using footage from the Kyoto World Water Forum, Thirst reveals how water is the catalyst for explosive community resistance to globalization, resulting in conflicts between public stewardship and private profit in such places as Bolivia, India and Stockton, California, where Stockton ’s citizens have battled to resist privatization of their water works.
Panelists Moderator: Conner Everts is the Executive Director of the Southern California Watershed Alliance and works with community groups on watershed and conservation programs across the Southern California Bight, from above Santa Barbara to Ensenada, Mexico. He serves on 8 Boards, including chair of POWER, Public Officials for Water and Environmental Reform, Water for California , and is senior advisor for the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water. He was elected to the Casitas Municipal Water District and is president of the Ojai Groundwater Basin Management Agency. He was on the State Desal Task Force and is on the Prop. 50 Desal advisory group.
Susan and Bill Loyko are members of the Steering Committee of the Concerned Citizens Coalition of Stockton , which has been challenging the legality of the privatization of Stockton ’s municipal utilities. The Loykos have been involved in the legal battle that is portrayed in the film and that continues to the present day.
Adam Scow is the California Organizer for the Water for All Campaign at Food and Water Watch . He helps communities overcome and prevent the privatization of their water systems and institute local and democratic control. Previously, Adam researched California irrigation subsidies and water transfers. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from U.C.Berkeley.
Janine Hamner (tentative) is a board member of Corporate Accountability International, a membership organization that protects people by waging and winning campaigns that challenge irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the world. Janine is currently the Development Director for A Place Called Home, a youth enrichment center in South Los Angeles. Over the past 15 years, she has worked with Neighbor to Neighbor, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights and California-based Coalition for Clean Air (CCA).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6:00pm Money Talks
Writer/director Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau’s Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety is a straight shooting documentary that explores drug industry influence through interviews with key opinion leaders and gives an in-depth, academic perspective on the questionable marketing tactics of the pharmaceutical industry.
Panelists Jerome Hoffman, MD appears in the film and is a Professor of Medicine / Emergency Medicine at UCLA, where he has been on the full-time faculty since 1979. Dr. Hoffman received his BA from Princeton University, and has advanced degrees from Columbia University and the University of California. He directed the UCLA Doctoring Program for a decade, where medical students were taught about issues related to their interactions with the pharmaceutical industry, and his research focuses not only on areas related to Medical Education, but also on Clinical Decision Making and Health Services Research.
Warren Chow studied at MIT and UC Berkeley before starting medical school at UCLA. He has organized conferences for universal health care, worked with legislators in Sacramento and Washington DC to discuss expanding health care and secure funding for medical training, and has coordinated and participated in health fairs and free clinics to provide health care to the uninsured in Los Angeles. During his first two years at UCLA he was the Director of the Health Policy Action Committee for the American Medical Student Association and organized Pharm Free lectures, panel discussions and movie screenings. He encourages colleagues to reject “gifts” from the pharmaceutical industry and continues to maintain his “Pharm Free” pledge.
Karen Barth Menzies is a partner of the Los Angeles based law firm of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei, Goldman & Menzies. She has been at the forefront of antidepressant litigation for more than a decade and has been advocating for better warning labels on antidepressants for many years. While handling thousands of antidepressant injury and death cases over the years, she has also testified before the California State Senate and three times before the FDA regarding the risk of suicide in children, adolescents and adults taking antidepressants. As a result of her advocacy work, Karen has received several state and national legal awards. She has authored many articles on the subject of antidepressants and Big Pharma's tactics and is a frequent speaker at legal and medical conventions.
Social Justice Program:
Individual tickets $5
Pass for 2 or more films $10
Third annual Pacific Palisades Film Fest Line-up Opening Night Film
FILM PROGRAM 1 Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 7:15pm
THE LOS ANGELES PREMIERE!
CROSSING ARIZONA
Directors: Joseph Mathew and Dan DeVivo 97 minutes Tension along the Mexican/American border is one of the most rapidly escalating issues in the country today. Joseph Mathew's intimate and invaluably comprehensive documentary, Crossing Arizona, offers a balanced, up-to-the-minute look at the current crisis as it is developing at its hottest point the Arizona/Sonora border. Heightened security along the Texas and California borders funnels an estimated 4,500 undocumented migrants every day through the deadliest landscape in the countryArizona's Sonora desert. The journey can take four days on foot, and the death toll is rapidly mounting. Crossers who survive often tap the resources of citizens and property owners in the area, triggering a range of impassioned responses and conflicted feelings about human rights, culture, class, and national security. Focusing on personal stories of local people on both sides of the border whose lives are directly affected by Washington policies, Mathew follows a dynamic array of individuals: the U.S. Border Patrol, the citizen border-patrol group, Minutemen, Latino activists, and the emigrants themselves. Crossing Arizona is not only essential viewing to understand how a majestic corner of the country has transformed into a political hotbed and deadly immigration flashpoint; it also creates an opportunity to contemplate and question larger issues about the American society in which we live. - Shari Frilot, Sundance Film Festival Programmer
with the short film INTELLIGENCE Director: Allen Martinez 18 minutes After discovering secret details of detainees tortured at Guantanamo Bay, Collins , a young cocky reporter returns to the U.S. via Miami, to interview a hot lead. Instead, he finds a man with more "intelligence" than Collins had imagined.
FRIENDS OF FILM OPENING NIGHT PARTY and LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD presentation to DOM DeLUISE
at CHEFMAKERS COOKING ACADEMY 862 Via de la Paz Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
TIX to Opening Night Party are $50 which includes screening. Film only, $10.
"Chefmakers hosted a sensational Opening Night Party for us last year............great kitchen, fabulous food, wonderful staff, it was first class, all the way. This year, we'll be breaking out the red carpet with hosted bar provided by our generous sponsors below! Learn to cook with the professionals at CHEFMAKERS in a hands-on atmosphere! Look for their new location coming soon at Metlox in Manhattan Beach!" - Bob Sharka, Friends of Film
FILM PROGRAM 2 FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2006, 5pm
Childrens/Family Program Tickets are $5
HER MAJESTY
Director: Mark Gordon 104 minutes
Set in 1953, HER MAJESTY is a widely appealing coming of age story about a young girl who realizes her lifelong dream when Queen Elizabeth comes to visit her small hometown. Carefully woven into this deceptively simple tale is a rich and engaging tapestry of universal themes and ideas tolerance and truth, love and friendship, courage in the face of adversity. The delightful result is a timeless parable about race relations and identity which seamlessly transcends age, gender and culture. Elizabeth's true character is tested when she must choose between marching in the ceremonial parade of her dreams with a chance to personally meet the Queen and her loyalty to Hira, whose defiant insistence on maintaining and defending her home against all odds, teaches Elizabeth the importance of standing up for what she believes in.
FILM PROGRAM 3 CENTERPIECE FILM Friday, May 12, 7:30pm
Tix for screening are $10
Sponsored by
 SPECIAL ED
Director: Jeffrey Phelps 108 minutes What happens when the doctor who saves everyone finds the one man he can't, and the one man he won't? Dr. David Edwards is a cancer specialist, and his life is his work. He has no family, and only one friend, who happens to be his psychiatrist, Lou Rosen, 73. Lou is also his patient, but at his age, his chances are slim. Still everyone deserves a chance, or at least thats what David thought before 40 year-old Sonny, a man with serious attitude walks into his office, a prime candidate for an experimental procedure.
COURTNEY'S AMAZING RACE Director: Courtney Zinszer 21 minutes A few days in the life of Courtney Zinszer and her family as they deal with breast cancer and participate in the Avon Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk. Courtney was a two time survivor of breast cancer by the age of 35.
Official Sponsor and Host of Friday Night Party!
15327 Sunset Blvd. Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Tickets for the screening and party are $20 Film screening only, $10 "It's no secret that I could use a few more classes at this place........ but they made me feel right at home from day one.....Daily classes from level one (me) to the human pretzel types, right in the heart of the Palisades Village." - Bob Sharka
FILM PROGRAM 4 SATURDAY, MAY 13, 2006, 10am Childrens/Family Program Tickets are $5
ALWAYS WILL
Director: Michael Sammaciccia 90 minutes "Always Will" centers on the tumultuous years of a high school adolescent who discovers a time capsule that allows him to achieve the kind of popularity that every teenager yearns for.
FILM PROGRAM 5 Saturday, May 13, 12:15pm SHORTS PROGRAM
Tix are $10
MOMMA'S BOY Director: John Bryant 16 minutes A young man brings his fiance home for Thanksgiving dinner and bad things happen.
IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Director: Michael Ruscio 12 minutes After forty years, a mother meets a daughter for the first time, a daughter finds a sibling rival, and a husband wonders what he missed. Over the course of a long afternoon, this reunited family gets a glimpse of what might have been.
Directors: Christopher Dreyer and Jonah Markowitz 9 minutes A man clones himself and falls in love with "himself" but is the feeling mutual?
THE ZIT
Director: Mike Blum 4 minutes Timmy, a young boy preparing for the big school dance, is forced to deal with his first pimple problem--and what a problem it is! Every attempt he makes to rid himself of the ever-growing dilemma only succeeds in making the situation worse. Timmy hatches an ingenious plan to rectify his situation but can't anticipate the surprising consequences of his actions. And neither will the audience.
COST OF LIVING
Director: Jonathan Joffe 10 minutes How much would you pay to live forever?
THE DEATH OF SALVADOR DALI
Director: Delaney Bishop 19 minutes Based on an actual encounter where the flamboyant Salvador Dali drops into the office and headspace of Sigmund Freud. The unsuspecting doctor is subjected to chaos, madness, and the deceptive schemes of an enigmatic series of visitors.
FILM PROGRAM 6 WOMEN'S SHORTS Saturday, May 13, 2:30PM
SHORTSTOP Directors: Fanny Veliz and Risa Machuca 16 minutes Two young Latinas discover they are sleeping with the same man. They confront each other as they reflect on the discovery they are about to make all in the front seat of a car.
PURPLE BINS
Director: Susan Deming 6 minutes The City of Los Angeles has created the ultimate waste removal solution.....a convenient and confidential alternative to funerals.
THE CHRISTMAS TREE Director: Najla Zaidi 8 minutes THE CHRISTMAS TREE is a portrayal of the cultural and religious conflicts between a traditional Muslim father and his American raised daughter in the mid 70s. Alina is prohibited from having a tree and feels left out at Christmas time. When her classroom tree becomes available at school break, she takes matters into her own hands and brings it home.
THE BIG EMPTY Directors: J Lisa Chang and Thomas Sigel 21 minutes Gynecologist after gynecologist cannot help Alice figure out and cure the hurt she feels. Finally one of her coworkers refers Alice to a specialist. Though fed up with doctors, Alice gives the specialists a chance. What does the specialist discover? Nothing. Alice is completely empty. In fact, she is so empty, her vagina is as empty as the Arctic Tundra. Amazed, the specialist takes Alice on tour to show the world how empty she is. But Alice still hurts..that is until one person comes along.The Big Empty is a short story about completing oneself through finding love.
RECYCLED LIFE Director: Leslie Iwerks 38 minutes Iwerks returns to the PPFF (THE HAND BEHIND THE MOUSE) A journey into Central America's largest and most toxic landfill, the Guatemala City Garbage Dump, where thousands of adults and children have been living, eating, and working over the last sixty years.
FILM PROGRAM 7 INDEPENDENT SECTION Saturday, May 13, 5pm
Tix are $10
HALF EMPTY Director: Robert Peters 83 minutes Writer/director/producer Robert Peters returns to the PPFF directing his first feature, a low budget independent film! After learning that he has not sold a single copy in the U.S., motivational speaker and corporate happiness counselor Bob Patterson sets off to Germany with the excitement that his self help book NORTH STAR ("Finding your one constant in a world of inconsistency"), has been embraced by the Germans! After he arrives and is met by bitter German publisher liaison Greta Hagemann, Bob soon discovers that there may have been a mistake but in the end, the slight too happy-go-lucky Bob, armed only with his philosophical index cards and his guitar he cant play, brings a new perspective to the Germans, and more importantly, himself.
SERVING SANTINO
Director: Bill Kelman 16 minutes After accidentally killing their boss at his restaurant, two hapless waiters dispose of the body in a clever way.
FILM PROGRAM 8 CLOSING NIGHT FILM Saturday, May 13, 7:30pm
Tix are $10, film only
IN MEMORY OF MY FATHER Director: Christopher Jaymes 96 Minutes A multiple award-winning film on the festival circuit, IN MEMORY OF MY FATHER is an unfeigned look into second generation Hollywood royalty. Don't let the title fool you, this is no sad movie. IMOMF is a day-in-the-life of three brothers coming to terms with their own quandaries, flaws and failings amidst a bribe-driven documentation of their retired film producer father's wake. A portrait of a self proclaimed legend conveyed by the observation of his resulting, equally confused offspring on the day of his death. The last thing on anyones mind is mourning as there are so many more important things going on within our own lives at the moment, right?
Writer/director Jaymes stars alongside a remarkable ensemble cast featuring Jeremy Sisto and Judy Greer in a movie with disarming power and grace, exposing a generation of young adults lacking the tools necessary to deal with emotional circumstances in and adult-like manner.
THE DO OVER
Director: Dave West 16 minutes Dave West returns to the PPFF with a more serious piece in his follow-up to the crowd favorite comedy, PUDDLEJUMPER. If you could change one action or moment in your life, not knowing whether the outcome would be better or worse, would you do it? That's the choice an over-worked, over-stressed event planner must take when a mysterious stranger agrees to let him "DO OVER" his last moments with his friend.
CLOSING NIGHT PARTY Official Sponsor and Host, Beech Street Cafe 863 Swarthmore Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
"From its beautiful brand new interior to its Euro-chic outdoor patio, one of the top hangs in the Palisades!" - Bob Sharka, Friends Of Film
Pacific Palisades Film Festival Lifetime Acheivement Award recipient Dom DeLuise with Friends of Film Executive Director, Bob Sharka, and long-time friend Burt Reynolds at 2006 Pacific Palisades Film Festival. - photo by Gayle Goodrich
Pacific Palisades Opening Night Party at Chefmakers. Festival Director, Bob Sharka with Broadway the Golden Age filmmaker Rick McKay and Friends of Film Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, Nanette Fabray. (Photo by Gayle Goodrich)
Centerpiece Film MY BIG FAT INDEPENDENT MOVIE gang with Brian Krow, Chris Gore, Philip Zlotorynski, and Paget Brewster fielding a tough question at the post screening Q+A. (photo by Gayle Goodrich)
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