April 2008 Archives

This thing looks about as vast as Asia and the Pacific themselves. I can't begin to figure out how to navigate it. Below is as comprehensive a press release as I could get. Good luck.

24TH ANNUAL LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY HONDA
PRESENTS LINE UP
FOR MAY 1 - 8 WEEKLONG CINEMA BLOW OUT

VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS WILL PRESENT OVER 160 FILMS AND VIDEOS FROM
AROUND THE GLOBE IN THIS YEAR'S EXPANDED FEST INCLUDING WORLD
PREMIERES, PANELS AND A TRAVELING FESTIVAL PROGRAM ON A BUS - ALL
ABOARD!

Visual Communications (VC), the nation's premier Asian Pacific American
media arts center will host a program of extraordinary films at the
upcoming 24th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Presented by
Honda May 1 - May 8, 2008 at the Director's Guild of America (DGA),
Laemmle's Sunset 5 Theatres, ImaginAsian Center, The National Center
for the Preservation of Democracy, and the Aratani/Japan America
Theatre.

For ticket and program information, a complete listing of sponsors and
partners, and to purchase tickets, log on to www.vconline.org or
contact Visual Communications at (213) 680-4462 x68. Tickets are on
sale now.

Formerly the VC FilmFest, this year VC officially changes the festival
name to the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Known globally as
Southern California's largest and most prestigious film festival of its
kind, the fest launches the celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month
through this year's slate of over 160 films and videos from both Asian
Pacific, American and Asian international directors.

In this year's outstanding crop of films, Asian American female
directors are featured prominently throughout the fest, kicking off
with Oscar® winning director Jessica Yu's comedy PING PONG PLAYA and
closing with the Australian director Tony Ayres' moving drama THE HOME
SONG STORIES starring Joan Chen in an award winning performance. This
year's global cinematic spotlight is a unique program of visionary
films from the Philippines.

HIGHLIGHTED PROGRAMS

• OPENING NIGHT - Thursday, May 1 - DGA
PING PONG PLAYA - A Film by Jessica Yu - The Los Angeles premiere of
PING PONG PLAYA marks filmmaker Yu's comedy narrative feature debut
starring Jimmy Tsai, Roger Fan, Elizabeth Sung, Smith Cho, Andrew Vo,
Khary Payton, Javin Reid, Scott Lowell and Peter Paige

• CENTERPIECE FILM - Sunday, May 4 - DGA
KISSING COUSINS - A Film by Amyn Kaderali - Filmmaker Kaderali brings
his debut feature film to this year's festival starring Samrat
Chakrabarti, Rebecca Hazlewood, Gerry Bednob, Zack Ward, Jaleel White
and David Alan Grier

• CLOSING NIGHT - Thursday, May 8 - Aratani/Japan America Theatre
THE HOME SONG STORIES - A Film by Tony Ayres - Australian based
director Ayres brings a personal story starring the amazing Joan Chen
in one of her most powerful performances as a glamorous Shanghai
nightclub singer and a mother of two who migrates to Australia and
tries to begin a life for her family.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS
• THE XIN LU BUS TOUR OF L.A. - teaming up with local filmmaker and
longtime festival fave Ming-Yuen S. Ma, the Festival will present his
four part series the way it was always intended to be shown: as a
mobile bus tour of LA with the director.
• LA ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FEST FILMMAKER SEMINARS - this year panels
are open to filmmakers and to the general public that will include:
◦ TOKE 2: THE HAROLD & KUMAR STORY - join the writers/directors of
HAROLD & KUMAR: ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY - Jon Hurwitz and Hayden
Scholossberg - along with actor John Cho, as they discuss the films and
its franchise which has now achieved "classic" status amongst a new
generation.
◦ MEDIA MESSENGERS: ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICANS AND OUR POLITICAL VOICE -
meet the filmmakers, actors and media movers who have chosen to use
their craft and embraced the media tools and the internet to level the
political field and ensure that Asian Pacific American voices are being
heard.
◦ SUCCEEDING AT SCREENWRITING - Oscar® nominated film scribe Iris
Yamashita (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) will join renowned UCLA screenwriting
professors Kris Young and Weiko Lin in this screenwriters boot-camp
covering topics from pitching, choosing the right idea, character
sketches, treatments, structure, writing habits and other tools and
issues that help in developing a strong and successful script.
◦ VISUAL STORYTELLING - hailed cinematographer Matthew Libatique
(IRON MAN; REQUIEUM FOR A DREAM) is slated to be one of the guests on a
panel of visual geniuses featured in this panel of artists who have
mastered the lens to bring films to life visually.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: THE PHILIPPINES
This year, the global cinematic spotlight will be on the Philippines
with six films from Filipino international artists and two from
Filipino American directors. These new filmmakers are fast becoming the
"new wave of modern cinema" and the festival has cultivated some of the
best from these new visionaries:
◦ SLINGSHOT - Brilliante Mendoza
◦ FOSTER CHILD - Brilliante Mendoza
◦ TRIBU (TRIBE) - Jim Libiran
◦ YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS A CHILD OUTSIDE - John Torres
◦ NEO-LOUNGE - Joanna Vasquez Arong
◦ PHILIPPINE SCIENCE - Aureaus Solito
◦ SANTA MESA - Ron Morales
◦ THE SENSEI - Diana Lee Inosanto

2008 FEST HIGHLIGHT: ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALE FILMMAKERS
This year, an unprecedented number of 10 Asian American female
directors have feature films in our program. These include:

· PING PONG PLAYA - Jessica Yu
· NEVER FOREVER - Gina Kim
· YOURS TRULY, MISS CHINATOWN - Daisy Lin Shapiro
· OH SAIGON - Doan Hoang
· JOYFUL LIFE - Anita Chang
· WINGS OF DEFEAT - Risa Morimoto
· AGAINST THE GRAIN - Ann Kaneko
· LONG STORY SHORT - Christine Choy
· THE SENSEI - Diana Lee Inosanto
· CHANTS OF LOTUS - Fatimah Tobing Rony

FEATURE FILMS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

North America - USA and Canada:
• AGAINST THE GRAIN: AN ARTIST'S SURVIVAL GUIDE TO PERU (USA/Peru)
Dir: Ann Kaneko
• CONFESSIONS OF A SALESMAN (Canada) Dir: Ho Tam
• ETIENNE! (USA) Dir: Jeff Mizushima
• THE KILLING OF A CHINESE COOKIE (USA) Dir: Derek Shimoda
• KISSING COUSINS (USA) Dir: Amyn Kaderali
• LONG STORY SHORT (USA) Dir: Christine Choy
• NEVER FOREVER (USA/South Korea) Dir: Gina Kim
• OCEAN OF PEARLS (USA) Dir: Sarab Neelam
• OH, SAIGON (USA/UK/Vietnam) Dir: Doan Hoang
• OPTION 3 (USA) Dir: Richard Wong
• [OS] (USA) Dir: Ming-Yuen S. Ma
• PING PONG PLAYA (USA) Dir: Jessica Yu
• PRETTY TO THINK SO (USA) Dirs: Francis Hsueh, Steven Hahn
• SANTA MESA (USA/Philippines) Dir: Ron Morales
• SENSEI, THE (USA) Dir: Diana Lee Inosanto
• UP THE YANGTZE (Canada) Dir: Yung Chang
• WINGS OF DEFEAT (USA/Japan) Dir: Risa Morimoto
• YOURS TRULY, MISS CHINATOWN (USA) Dir: Daisy Lin Shapiro

International:
• BLACK HOUSE [Geom-eun jip] (South Korea) Dir: Shin Terra
• BLOOD BROTHERS (Hong Kong/Taiwan/PRC) Dir: Alexi Tan
• CHANTS OF LOTUS (Indonesia) Dirs: Nia diNata, Upi, Lasja F.
Susatyo, Fatimah Tobing Rony
• DRUMMER, THE (Hong Kong/Germany) Dir: Kenneth Bi
• FLOWER IN THE POCKET (Malaysia) Dir: Liew Seng Tat
• FOSTER CHILD (Philippines) Dir: Brilliante Mendoza
• FUCKIN' RUNAWAY (Japan) Dir: Motohashi Keita
• HAPPINESS (South Korea) Dir: Hur Jin-ok
• HOME SONG STORIES, THE (Australia) Dir: Tony Ayres
• JOYFUL LIFE (Taiwan) Dir: Anita Chang
• MADE IN KOREA: A ONE WAY TICKET SEOUL-AMSTERDAM (Netherlands) Dir:
In Soo Radstake
• NEO-LOUNGE (Peoples' Republic of China/Philippines) Dir: Joanna
Vasquez-Arong
• PHILIPPINE SCIENCE [Pisay] (Philippines) Dir: Auraeus Solito
• PLOY (Thailand) Dir: Pen-ek Ratanaruang
• QUICKIE EXPRESS (Indonesia) Dir: Dimas Djayadiningrat
• SLINGSHOT [Tirador] (Philippines) Dir: Brilliante Mendoza
• TRIBE [Tribu] (Philippines) Dir: Jim Libiran
• WIDE AWAKE [Riteon] (South Korea) Dir.: Lee Gyu-man
• YEARS WHEN I WAS A CHILD OUTSIDE (Philippines) Dir: John Torre

The American Film Institute's Directors Screenings series at the ArcLight in Hollywood has a real gem this Thursday: "Son of Rambow," Garth Jennings' bizarrely funny, exquisitely filmed and rather touching tale of a kid from an ascetic religious sect and the school bully trying to make their own action film in 1980s England. It opens commercially next week, but Jennings will be discussing it and answering questions following Thursday's 8 p.m. screening.

India has the largest film industry in the world, and a concentrated dose of all that's colorful, musical, dramatic and wacky about it hits the ArcLight Hollywood this week.

Here's the full press release and program list. Ticket purchase and other information is at the bottom.

6TH ANNUAL INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES
ANNOUNCES FULL SCHEDULE

FILMS ANNOUNCED INCLUDE FOUR WORLD PREMIERES,

THREE U.S. PREMIERES AND NINE L.A. PREMIERES

POPULAR BOLLYWOOD BY NIGHT SECTION
RETURNS FOR AN ENCORE

IFFLA RHYTHM VILLAGE PERFORMANCES ANNOUNCED

The 6th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) announces the full schedule of films for the 2008 edition of the popular festival which runs April 22-27, including four feature films making their world premiere, five features making their U.S. premiere, and nine features making their L.A. debut.

Celebrating its 6th anniversary, IFFLA has firmly established itself as the first and largest film festival in North America dedicated entirely to presenting the cinema of India by showcasing films by Indian and international filmmakers that cross boundaries to tell compelling stories of a global perspective. The six-day festival is set to open on Tuesday, April 22 at ArcLight Hollywood Cinemas with the LA Premiere of Richie Mehta’s AMAL, and close with the world premiere of MUMBAI CUTTING…A CITY UNFOLDS, a unique narrative collaboration of ten prominent Indian directors, all of whom will be in attendance at the red carpet gala on Sunday, April 27.

Among the highlights of the 2008 lineup are Shivajee Chandrabhushan’s critically acclaimed stark drama, FROZEN, Chris Smith’s THE POOL (a Sundance Jury Award winner and IFC Spirit Award nominee), Amyn Kaderali’s romantic comedy KISSING COUSINS, Liz Mermin’s documentary SHOT IN BOMBAY, which recently played at South By Southwest, Brahmanand Singh’s documentary about legendary composer RD Burman, PANCHAM UNMIXED: AN UNENDING JOURNEY, Sarah Singh’s THE SKY BELOW, Preeya Nair’s BAFTA nominated film QUAMAR, and R. Rohini’s compelling documentary on child actors, SILENT HUES.

Director Amyn Kaderali said that the inclusion of KISSING COUSINS into the Los Angeles based film festival was especially significant. "KISSING COUSINS is an LA movie through and through, from the locations to the crew to our hilarious and talented cast. As a result, we could not be more excited to debut KISSING COUSINS at IFFLA, a great festival that will showcase our film for the Indian American community as well as all of our LA supporters and friends," said Kaderali.

Highly anticipated this year will be the appearance of Tribute Honoree Madhuri Dixit, one of Indian cinema’s most significant and popular personalities, often described as the epitome of grace. IFFLA will highlight Madhuri’s talent and diversity by screening THE DEATH SENTENCE (MRITYUDAND) and MY HEART IS CRAZY (DIL TO PAGAL HAI). Madhuri will be in attendance on Friday, April 25 and will participate in a “Conversation with…” discussion reflecting on her career.

A successful addition to the programming lineup last year, IFFLA’s Bollywood By Night section returns with screenings of Raj Kapoor’s love story BOBBY, Sriram Raghavan’s noir thriller JOHNNY GADDAAR and Sudhir Mishra’s salute to one of Bollywood’s golden eras, LOST MOON (KHOYA KHOYA CHAND).

Another highlight will be the IFFLA Rhythm Village, presented by Rukus Avenue, which will feature free public outdoor entertainment at the ArcLight Hollywood Cinemas courtyard April 23 – 26. Among the scheduled performances are a Bollywood inspired DJ set from world-music chart toppers, the Bombay Dub Orchestra and an invigorating tabla performance by Gurpreet Chana. (Chana is featured in IFFLA’s Opening Night film AMAL.) Gingger Shankar will return to the festival with a live performance on the double electric violin and Raagapela will perform an acapella set of Bollywood standards and pop songs. In addition, Rukus Avenue’s Sandeep and CJ will perform Indian fusion music produced by Sammy Chand. Finally, Composer Mark Killan (RENDITION, TSOTSI and 2008 IFFLA selection BEFORE THE RAINS) will perform a live selection from the BEFORE THE RAINS film score.

IFFLA Festival Director Christina Marouda said the programming, industry events and special performances this year demonstrate an effort to offer a comprehensive cultural experience for the festival goer. “The Indian film industry is growing at a rapid pace and the culture itself is so diverse and vibrant that we find it vitally important to make all of it a part of our ever-growing film festival.”

Four feature-length films will be making their world premiere at IFFLA 2008. Those films include the narrative feature MUMBAI CUTTING…A CITY UNFOLDS, and documentaries PANCHAM UNMIXED: AN UNENDING JOURNEY, and SUPER 30. The film short MORNING RITUAL will also make its world premiere.

Three feature-length films will be making their U.S. premiere. That group includes the documentary THE GLOW OF WHITE WOMEN, and the narrative films, A HOME IN THE SKY and THE SEA WITHIN. The film shorts MIDNIGHT LOST AND FOUND and SILENT HUES will also make their U.S. debut.

Nine feature films will be making their Los Angeles debut. They include the narrative films AMAL, BEFORE THE RAINS, FOUR WOMEN, FROZEN, KISSING COUSINS, LOINS OF PUNJAB PRESENTS, THE POOL, and the documentaries SHOT IN BOMBAY, and THE SKY BELOW.

The IFFLA full festival lineup will showcase 21 features (16 narrative and 5 documentary) and 12 shorts for a total of 33 films representing 8 countries.

The 2008 IFFLA films (in alphabetical order) are:
AMAL – DIR: Richie Mehta (Canada)
Cast: Rupinder Nagra, Koel Purie, Naseeruddin Shah, Roshan Seth, Seema Biswas
An unassuming autorickshaw driver makes an indelible impact on a wealthy eccentric.
Hindi (English subtitles)

BEAST – DIR/PROD: Geeta Malik (USA)
**short
There’s more to the mousy Indian girl in the next cubicle than meets the eye.
English

BEFORE THE RAINS – DIR: Santosh Sivan (USA/India)
Cast: Linus Roache, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das, Jennifer Ehle
A taboo love affair has dire consequences for four characters during the final days of the British Raj.
English

BOBBY (1975) – DIR: Raj Kapoor (India)
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Pran, Prem Nath, Sonia Sahni
After their respective parents oppose their union, a rich boy and a poor girl passionately in love run away together leading to an action-packed climax in this rousing, trend-setting musical that re-wrote box office history in India.
Hindi (English subtitles)

THE DEATH SENTENCE (Mrityudand) (1997) – DIR: Prakash Jha (India)
Cast: Madhuri Dixit, Shabana Azmi, Om Puri, Ayub Khan, Mohan Agashe
Three women in a suppressive, rural society, sentenced to death for attempting to stand up for their rights, are left with no option other than to break through the shackles of tradition, finding themselves pitted against an imposing, united, but threatened enemy in the form of their men-folk.
Hindi (English subtitles)

FOUR WOMEN (Naalu Pennungal) – DIR: Adoor Gopalakrishnan (India)
Cast: Nandita Das, Padna Priya, Geethu Mohan Das, Manju Pillai
Four stories about women in Kerala straining against the roles society has placed upon them.
Malayalam (English subtitles)

FROZEN – DIR: Shivajee Chandrabhushan (India)
Cast: Danny Denzongpa, Gauri, Angchuk, Raj Zutshi, Yashpal Sharma, Shakeel Khan, Shilpa Shukla
Lasya and her family's calm village life in the remote Himalayas is unsettled by mounting debts and the arrival of an army unit setting up camp just yards from their doorstep.
Ladhaki (English subtitles)

THE GLOW OF WHITE WOMEN – DIR: Yunus Vally (South Africa)
Sex and politics mix in this funny and personal account of growing up Muslim in Apartheid South Africa.
English

A HOME IN THE SKY – DIR: Bipin Nadkarni (India)
An 11-year-old boy has trouble coping with the changes that follow his parents divorce.
Marathi (English subtitles)

JOHNNY GADDAAR – DIR: Sriram Raghavan (India)
Cast: Neil Nitin Mukesh, Dharmendra, Rimi Sen, Vinay Pathak
An over-ambitious stock speculator double-crosses his partners on a job as the body count piles up in an effort to conceal the traitor's identity in this noir thriller.
Hindi (English subtitles)

KISSING COUSINS – DIR: Amyn Kaderali (USA)
Cast: Samrat Chakrabarti, Rebecca Hazlewood
A bachelor enlists the help of his attractive cousin to fool his friends into believing he's capable of a relationship.
English

LOINS OF PUNJAB PRESENTS – DIR: Manish Acharya (USA)
Cast: Shabana Azmi, Ajay Naidu, Ayesha Dharker, Darshan Jariwala
A motley cast of characters descend on a New Jersey hotel to compete in an Indian singing competition.
English

LOST MOON (Khoya Khoya Chand) – DIR: Sudhir Mishra (India)
Cast: Shiney Ahuja, Soha Ali Khan, Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak
A rising actress and a filmmaker confront their past while sharing a passionate relationship in the tumultuous world of the 1950s Hindi film industry.
Hindi (English subtitles)

THE LOST RAINBOW (Haravilele Indradhanush) – DIR: Dhiraj Meshram (India)
**short
Sameer returns to his village after twenty years and recalls a petty squabble with his brother that has plagued him with guilt ever since.
Marathi (English subtitles)

LOVE STORY – DIR: Amit Gupta (UK)
**short
A young girl asks her father, “Why do you love Mummy?” As he considers this innocent question, memories of how he came to meet his wife show what one man would do for the woman he loves.
English

MIDNIGHT LOST & FOUND – DIR: Atul Sabharwal (India)
**short
Caged behind iron bars at his lonely late-night convenience stand, Arvind develops a relationship with a Mumbai prostitute who stops by each night to buy condoms.
Hindi (English subtitles)

THE MORNING RITUAL – DIR: Ritesh Batra (India)
**short
A young boy goes on a comic journey to relieve himself that takes him across the city and towards an unexpected destination.
Hindi (English subtitles)

MUMBAI CUTTING…A CITY UNFOLDS (India)
DIRS: Sudhir Mishra, Anurag Kashyap, Rahul Dholakia, Ruchi Narain, Revathy, Kundan Shah, Shashank Ghosh, Jahnu Barua, Manish Jha, Rituparno Ghosh
Cast: Soha Ali Khan, Jimmy Shergil, Neetu Chandra, Ranvir Shorey, Raima Sen
An anthology of short narrative films by ten of India's finest directors about Mumbai, one of the most vibrantly complex cities in the world.
Hindi (English subtitles)

MY HEART IS CRAZY (Dil To Pagal Hai) (1997) DIR: Yash Chopra (India)
Producers: Yash Chopra, Aditya Chopra, Uday Chopra, Pamela Chopra
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor, Akshay Kumar
When his star injures herself, a director replaces her with a classical dancer, re-writing his play to mirror his heart-breaking love story after falling in love with his new lead.

PANCHAM UNMIXED: AN UNENDING JOURNEY – DIR: Brahmanand Singh (India)
A portrait of R.D. Burman, perhaps the most famous film composer in an industry where the music often outshines and outlives the films themselves.
Hindi, English and Bengali (English subtitles)

THE POOL – DIR: Chris Smith (USA)
Cast: Nana Patekar, Venkatesh Chavan, Jhangir Bhadshah, Ayesha Mohan
A young hotel attendant obsessed with a swimming pool of an empty house finds his life turned upside down when he attempts to meet the mysterious owners.

QUAMAR - WORKING TO LIVE – DIR: Preeya Nair (UK/India)
**short/doc
Ten-year-old Quamar wants to go to school, but her family's poverty forces her into dangerous and monotonous work making bangles
Urdu (English subtitles)

THE RETURN (Vaapsi) - DIR: Srinivas Sunderrajan (India)
**short
Srinivas Sunderrajan, a 2007 IFFLA Grand Jury prize winner for his short, TEA BREAK, delivers this stunning, introspective look at a struggling actor's pursuit of fame and fortune on Mumbai.
Hindi (English subtitles)

REWIND – DIR: Atul Taishete (India)
**short
Told entirely in reverse, a group of thieves play Russian Roulette to determine who gets to keep all of their heist money.
English

SARI (W)RAP – DIR: Alex Smith (USA)
**short
Comedienne Rasika Mathur celebrates the famous fabric from India with some infamous musical genre spoofs.
English

THE SEA WITHIN (Ore Kadal) – DIR: Shyamaprasad (India)
Cast: Mammootty, Meera Jasmine, Narien, Remya Krishna
A renowned economist casually enters into an extra-marital affair with a housewife but soon finds the relationship becoming increasingly complex.
Malayalam (English subtitles)

SHOT IN BOMBAY – DIR: Liz Mermin (UK)
A behind the scenes look at the making of a Bollywood action/thriller based on actual events…all of which take a back seat to the real life drama unfolding in the courtroom and in the media for the film’s leading man.
English

SILENT HUES – DIR/PROD: R. Rohini (India)
**short/doc
Children from various social and economic backgrounds attempt to break through as child artistes in the Indian film industry, some out of choice, and some coerced to become bread-winners for their families.
English and Tamil (English Subtitles)

THE SKY BELOW – DIR: Sarah Singh (Pakistan/India)
First person accounts from the time of Partition serve as a reminder of the interwoven history and culture if India and Pakistan as well as shedding fresh light on the far-reaching impact that the resulting conflict ushered in.
English

STARS ON EARTH (Taare Zameen Par) – DIR: Aamir Khan (India)
Cast: Aamir Khan, Darsheel Safary, Vipin Sharma, Tisca Chopra
Due to his parents' ignorance and inability to understand his frustration, a talented, dyslexic young boy is shattered after being sent off to boarding school where he encounters a special friend who helps him rebuild his broken home.
Hindi (English subtitles)

SUPER 30 – DIR: Christopher Mitchell (UK)
As students around India prepare for the Indian Institute of Technology entrance exam, a selected group of thirty talented and impoverish students live and study in hopes of a better future.
Hindi (English subtitles)

THREE OF US – DIR: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni (India)
**short
A couple worries about the future of their forty-year old son who is disabled and confined to his metal cot.

UNDER THE AHMEDABAD SKY (Sotto Il Cielo Di Ahmedabad)
DIRS/PRODS: Francesca Lignola, Stefano Rebechi (Italy)
**short/doc
A look at the beautiful annual kite festival in Ahmedabad and the economics and rituals behind it.
English and Gujarati (English subtitles)

Tickets are on sale at ArcLight Hollywood Cinema’s box office located a 6360 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, and online at www.arclightcinemas.com For more information on IFFLA please go to www.indianfilmfestival.org.

Can't tell you anything about the quality of entries in this weekend film festival, but the whole show has a nice, egalitarian vibe to it. And any fest that starts off with a movie called "Dirty Country" has got to be some kind of fun, right?
So head to their website and check the stuff out. Or come to their kickoff party Thursday night where, unlike at snootier film fests, anyone can get in and rub elbows with filmmakers and such - for a nominal fee.

LOS ANGELES UNITED FILM FESTIVAL
A UNITED SHOWCASE OF ART AND CREATIVITY
APRIL 18th-20th, 2008
Fine Arts Theatre – 8556 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211

The Los Angeles United Film Festival (LAUFF), bringing art and creativity together to create a united film community, will be held at the prestigious Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills on April 18th – 20th with a kick off party on April 17th at the Gibson Musical Instruments Showroom. The festival's focus is to bring together talented filmmakers from diverse backgrounds, thus creating a "United" showcase of creative energy and talent. This is a film festival for everyone, a place where art and community converge.
A Tulsa native filmmaker, Jason Connell and his production company Connell Creations founded
Los Angeles United Film Festival and recently completed their first feature length film "Strictly Background." This heartfelt and compelling award-winning documentary is based on the trials of 10 movie extras trying to make it big in Hollywood. Although he now lives in LA, Connell continues to run Tulsa United Film Festival (TUFF) – now entering its 6th year – and launched New York United Film Festival (NYUFF) in '07. The rich tradition of screening humorous, touching and sometimes provocative films is reaching even more people than ever. This is one film festival you won't want to miss!
LAUFF is proud to present an amazing list of Award-Winning Documentaries & LA Premieres. "Dirty Country" and "The Union: The Business Behind Getting High" with personalities such as comedian Joe Rogan will kick off the festival, followed by the weekend line-up: "From the 50 Yard Line", "Darius Goes West" with appearances by William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman, "Wiener Takes All", "Strictly Background", "Red Hot Chili Peppers: Untitled Documentary", "Fish Call Flea", "The Jesus Guy", "Finding Kraftland" with appearances by world famous composers Danny Elfman & Alan Menken, "Row Hard, No Excuses", concluding the festival with "Piece of Mind."
*Seating is limited, so get your tickets today!
**All screenings are $10.There will be a Q&A with the filmmakers & cast after each of these films.
All films will be preceded by a block of amazing short films (20 min) to be announced online soon.
For more information please visit the official festival website www.launitedfest.com.

LAUFF Kick-Off Party:
April 17th, 2008 (Thur), 7pm-Midnight
Beverly Hills Gibson Musical Instruments Showroom
9350 Civic Center Drive, Suite 130, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Tickets are $5 and will cover open bar and lite fare.

LAUFF WEEKEND FILM LINEUP

Friday, April 18th, 2008

"Dirty Country" (70 min) - 7:00pm
America's raunchiest country music singer, Larry Pierce, attempts to thrust his dirty songs out of obscurity and into the spotlight with the help of a young band with dirty songs of its own.
www.dirtycountrymovie.com

"The Union: The Business Behind Getting High" (104 min) - 9:10pm
BC's illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into a business giant, dubbed by those involved as 'The Union.' Commanding upwards of $7 billion Canadian annually. With up to 85% of 'BC Bud' being exported to the United States, the trade has become an international issue.
www.theunionmovie.com

* The film contains many personalities including hilarious insight from comedian Joe Rogan.
Saturday, April 19th, 2008

"From The 50 Yard Line" (94 min) - 11:15am
The emotional story of two high school marching bands, one an Ohio championship show band, the other a Los Angeles band reborn after 18 years of silence due to cutbacks.
www.fromthe50yardline.com
"Darius Goes West" (94 min) - 1:50pm
Darius Weems, a 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and a group of young college students traveled across the country in a wheelchair-accessible RV to test accessibility in the United States. Their ultimate goal was to reach Los Angeles and convince MTV's hit show, "Pimp My Ride," to customize Darius's wheelchair.
www.dariusgoeswest.com
* The film also has appearances from famous actors William H. Macy & Felicity Huffman.

"Wiener Takes All" (87 min) - 4:25pm
A behind the scenes glimpse at the surprisingly political world of competitive wiener dogs. This film unleashes the truth as it tracks America's sexiest and fastest weenies on the professional dachshund circuit.www.wienertakesall.com

"Strictly Background" (84 min) - 6:50pm
A Tulsa native filmmaker, Jason Connell and his production company Connell Creations founded Los Angeles United Film Festival and recently completed their first feature length film "Strictly Background." A heartfelt film that explores the charm and determination behind some of Hollywood's hardest working actors, professional "extras". Following ten background actors, the film examines life on and off set as they attempt to make a living as a face in a crowd.
www.strictlybackground.com

"Red Hot Chili Peppers: Untitled Documentary" (72 min) - 9:15pm
Unlike the current trend of brooding portraits of rock bands on the fringe of creative or mental bankruptcy, this is a joyous celebration of the production of three music videos created for the Chili Peppers recent CD Stadium Arcadium.
www.surreel.wordpress.com

* The film also has an appearance from famous comedian Chris Rock.

Sunday, April 20th, 2008

"Fish Kill Flea" (50 min) - 11:30am
Once thriving, a dead mall in upstate New York is now home to a ragtag flea market,
living proof that the American Dream is in perpetual decay.
www.fishkillflea.com

"The Jesus Guy" (66 min) - 1:30pm
The film covers the mystical journey of America's "Barefoot Evangelist."
www.thejesusguy.com

"Finding Kraftland" (66 min) - 3:35pm
After the death of his brother, a Hollywood film music agent drags his son through an obsessive quest to recapture his own childhood transforming their home into "Kraftland," a shrine to Disneyland and American Consumer Culture.
www.findingkraftland.com

* The film also has appearances from world famous composers Danny Elfman & Alan Menken.

"Row Hard, No Excuses" (88 min) - 5:40pm
This film chronicles the voyage of the only American entry in a rowing race across the Atlantic Ocean. It is both an exciting sports-adventure story and an intimate portrait of the two-man crew that explores masculinity, midlife and ambition.
www.lanternfilms.com

"Piece Of Mind" (60 min) - 8:10pm
Follow the lives of 4 graffiti artists in Los Angeles as they evolve from street tags to graffiti
bombing to canvas art to gallery showings.
www.myspace.com/pieceofmindthemovie

Unlike some bloggers I could name, I see no point in writing anything about Britney Spears.
But when I interviewed Neil Patrick Harris for "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" - and he plays drug fiend "Neil Patrick Harris" in the April 25 sequel even more hilariously than he did in the first "H&K" movie - I figured what the hell, ask him how Brit was when she guest-starred on a recent, highly hyped episode of his sitcom "How I Met Your Mother."
"I have no idea how she is now," Harris said. "The week she spent with us was very unique. But she was very quiet throughout the whole week. It's a concerted effort, it seems, on her part to reinvent herself, so she was on very good behavior. Everyone on her team was very protective of her and her behavior. So . . . I wish I had horror stories to share, but . . . She certainly boosted our ratings, and if we can get more people to tune into our show, that's good for us."
So there it is. My contribution to the vital subject. Hope you enjoyed it. There won't be more.

Can't say I was ever a big fan of Charlton Heston's acting or his politics. Just not in movie critics' DNA (yes, it's true: most of us are heathens, and Democrats).
But I've gotta tell ya, I loved the guy. I interviewed him three or four times in my career, usually on the phone when a colleague of his bit the dust. He always had raunchy, utterly unsentimental stories about the individual that never made it into print, but they amused the hell out of me.
And the last time I spoke to Heston face-to-face was a truly incomparable pleasure. It was for the restored re-release of Orson Welles' film noir classic "Touch of Evil," in which he incongruously played a Mexican detective. His language and anecdotes were salty as always, but the real joy was hearing the star of all those overproduced biblical blockbusters speak about his contribution to one of Hollywood's great works of guerilla art.
``One of the things I'm most proud of in my career was persuading a studio to provide the maker of `Citizen Kane' with the last film he made in America,'' Heston told me. ``I was hunting in Michigan during Christmastime, and I took a couple of scripts along to read. One of them was called `Badge of Evil' [the title of the pulp detective novel on which the film was loosely based]. When someone from the studio called to ask what I thought, I told him I was interested and asked who was directing.
``They said, `We don't have a director yet. But we have Orson Welles to play the heavy.' I said, `He's a pretty good director, y'know.' Then there was an `Um - yeah - ``Citizen Kane.'' Interesting idea. We'll get back to you.'
``I know, when I hung up, they didn't say `Gee, that Chuck Heston is so smart.' They probably went, `Oh Christ, stupid actors. Well, we don't want him to get sore ["The Ten Commandments" had just made Heston Hollywood's biggest star]. How bad can it be?' ''
I'd always known Heston wasn't just the fire-breathing reactionary the media painted. He was born in my hometown, Evanston, Illinois - could that have something to do with the fact that we both cuss at least once every two paragraphs? - and went to college at Northwestern there.
My mother would often tell the story of how, before I was born and he was in movies, Heston came to a party she and my dad threw. He wasn't really a friend of theirs, probably came with another guest; anyway, the famously shy young Charlton spent the entire evening in the kitchen talking to the help. Mom was always charmed that that's where this handsome, charismatic actor felt most comfortable.
I think the last time most of us saw Heston was in Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine," where the docu-provocateur somehow wangled an invite into Heston's home and proceeded to make a fool of the National Rifle Association president, then in the initial stages of the dementia that would consume him. I generally agree with Moore's views, less often his methods, and I thought both men came off pretty badly in the sequence. When I wrote about the film, I included a statement from one of Heston's representatives to the effect that the actor hadn't seen the movie. I get along fine with Michael Moore, but when one of his reps called me hoping that I had some connection through which they could harass the ailing star under the guise of inviting him to a screening, I could only tell them to go to hell.
I've always felt good about that. Of course, I haven't spoken to Heston or anyone around him since then. But some remarkably fond reminders have manifested of late.
When "I Am Legend" came out last December, I recalled just how weird and perverse and good Heston's earlier version of the same story, "The Omega Man," was. I saw a re-release of "El Cid" in January; like most of Heston's epics, not a great movie, but a surprisingly comforting one, due mainly to the actor's one towering gift, his naturally heroic presence.
Somehow, I missed "The Ten Commandments" on TV this year, one of the few times that terrible but utterly mesmerizing movie hasn't forced me to watch until Moses' final fade. But "Planet of the Apes" - which had the best movie ending any adolescent boy had ever seen! - popped into my mind a few days ago. Why, I have no idea. Maybe God wanted to tell this heathen something. Maybe not. Whatever; it reminded me again that, whatever else there was to say about him, Charlton Heston brought pleasure.