The Widescreen Film Festival Announces 5th Annual Celebration Of Wide Format Filmmaking, October 21-24, At CSULB
The Widescreen Film Festival Announces the 5th annual celebration of wide format filmmaking, October 21-24 at California State University Long Beachís Carpenter Center. Academy award-winning composer Elmer Bernstein to be honored. 25Tth Anniversary of Paramountís ""Chinatown"" celebrated. The festival schedule has been prepared for the 5th Annual Widescreen Film Festival (WSFF), presented by the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center and the Film and Electronic Arts Department at California State University, Long Beach. The Carpenter Performing Arts Center is located at 6200 Atherton Street in Long Beach. Now in its fifth year, the festival takes place Thursday, October 21 through Sunday, October 24, and consists of eight films shown over the course of the four-day event. In between screenings, a variety of filmmaking panels, held by many of the industryís top experts, will take place. On Sunday, October 24, just prior to the screening of ""The Great Escape,"" film composer Elmer Bernstein will be recognized for his contributions to the motion picture industry, and will speak about his career. The festival opens Thursday night, October 21 at 7:30pm, with a screening of Norman Jewisonís ""Fiddler On The Roof."" Produced in 1971, ""Fiddler On The Roof"" received the Academy award for cinematography, music and sound. The film also received nominations for best actor (Topol as Tevye), best supporting actor (Leonard Frey as Motel), best director, best picture and best production design/art direction. At 6:30pm, prior to the ""Fiddler"" screening, production designers Robert F. Boyle and Harold Michelson will share their archival renderings and sketches from the making of ""Fiddler On The Roof"" and other films in the Festivalís panel on production design. Production designer John Muto, a member of the WSFF executive committee will moderate the discussion. Fridayís screenings take place in the evening, with a brand new, remastered and enhanced print of George Millerís ""Mad Max"" being shown at 8pm. ""Mad Max"" officially launched Mel Gibsonís stellar career, and the WSFF is pleased to announce that the print screening on Friday, October 22, will have the original Australian track, featuring Mel Gibsonís voice. In 1979, when ""Mad Max"" was originally released in the U.S., the Australian voices, including Mel Gibsonís, had been dubbed over by American actors. It was originally felt Aussie accents would be unintelligible for American audiences. At 10:30pm, a late-night showing of Russ Meyerís ""Beyond the Valley of the Dolls"" begins. ""Beyond the Valley of the Dolls"" was directed by Russ Meyer and co-written by Meyer and famed film critic Roger Ebert. ""Beyond the Valley"" Isnít a sequel it's an over-the-top look at the sex, drugs and rock ën roll culture of Los Angeles, circa 1970, with fabulous costumes, big hair, bigger breasts and outrageous parties. Director Russ Meyer and members of the ""Beyond the Valley"" cast have been invited to take part in a brief question and answer session prior to the start of the film. Saturday, October 23, features a full day of cinematic experiences, beginning with a10am panel on cinematography, coordinated by the American Society of Cinematographers and the International Cinematographers Guild. At noon, the focus switches to discussion of wide screen format editing. This panel is presented in coordination with the Motion Picture Editors Guild and American Cinema Editors (ACE). Disneyís groundbreaking computer animation tale, ""Tron,"" is the first film in Saturdayís lineup, with a brand new 70mm print and a start time of 2pm. Starring Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner, ""Tron"" tells the story of a video game hot shot (Bridges) who is transported inside the computer world he created in order to retrieve his stolen software. Legendary for its never-before-seen look and its unprecedented use of computer generated images, ""Tron"" is as fast-paced and fun as it is fascinating. Immediately following the movie, members of ""Tron"" it's original visual effects team, in association with CSULBís Advanced Media Production (AMP) department, will hold a 90-minute CGI and visual effects seminar which will include an optional tour of AMP's facilities. At 6:00pm, Jackie Chanís newest Hong Kong film, ""Gorgeous,"" debuts theatrically in America. This will be Jackie fansí only opportunity to see his new movie on a big screen, since this comedy/action/romance (a big hit for Chan in China), will only be available on VHS and DVD in America. No theatrical releases are planned. ""A Shot in the Dark,"" one of the funniest and best of Blake Edwards' long-running ""Pink Panther"" series follows ""Gorgeous,"" with a start time of 8:30pm. Featuring the hilarious comic genius Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, his best-loved role, ""A Shot in the Dark"" is the second ""Pink Panther"" movie and also stars the beautiful Elke Sommer. Sunday, October 24, is the final day of this yearís Widescreen Film Festival. Academy award-winning composer Elmer Bernstein will be the special guest and the Festivalís honoree this year as the Widescreen Film Festival turns its focus to the music of the movies. Bernsteinís prolific career, spanning five decades and still going, has given the movie-going public well over 200 scores. His work will be recognized at 1pm, with a short question and answer period with Bernstein to follow. ""The Great Escape,"" for which Bernstein created the score, begins at 2pm. Directed by John Sturges, ""The Great Escape"" stars Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasance and so many more. Itís an unforgettable cast, an unforgettable score and an unforgettable story .One of the greatest escape movies of all time. The festival ends on a particularly high note this year with the screening of ""Chinatown"" in honor of its 25th anniversary. This popular and critically acclaimed film received 11 Academy Award nominations, and won the Oscar for its screenwriter, Bob Towne. Produced by Robert Evans, directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston, ""Chinatown"" remains a veritable primer on how to tell a cinematic story. A reunion panel for the cast, crew and creators of ""Chinatown"" is planned to precede the showing of the film, with noted critic and Time Magazine film writer Richard Schickel serving as moderator. The panel begins at 6:30pm, with the movie immediately following at 7:30pm. The Widescreen Film Festival was formed under the leadership of artistic director Gary Prebula, and has enjoyed continued success through the support and assistance of executive and advisory committees comprised of the film industryís leading production and preservation personnel. The executive committee is co-chaired by Fay Kanin and Gene Allen, AMI, both past presidents of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The festival is devoted to presenting, preserving and promoting wide format filmmaking. With projection capability for 16mm, 35mm and 70mm film, a 21í x 50í screen, full Dolby Digital sound and plush, comfortable seating for more than 1,000 patrons, the Carpenter Center is one of Southern California's premiere screening facilities. Tickets for the Widescreen Film Festival screenings are $7 for the general public; $5 for children, seniors, students, Carpenter Center Cinema Society (CCCS) members and those with CSULB ID. The Widescreen Film Festival Fest Pass is $40 ($35 for children, students, seniors, CSULB; $30 for CCCS members). All panels and guest discussions are free with admission to the corresponding film (no film admission is required for the Saturday morning or afternoon panels). Festival tickets and information for all Carpenter Center events can be obtained at the CSULB Arts Ticket Office. The Arts Ticket Office is open Monday-Friday, 11am-6pm, and Saturday, noon-4pm. For additional information call the Arts Ticket Office at (562) 985-7000.