The Beverly Hills Film Festival, which is designed to link the world of premiere independent cinema with the community of Beverly Hills, opened with the film House of D, written and directed by David Duchovny. POWER was there to cover the opening of the hopeful and spirited drama, which proved to be a huge hit. The film's talented cast included Robin Williams, Tea Leoni, Duchovny himself, Anton Yelchin, Erykah Badu, Frank Langella and Zelda Williams. In his directorial debut, the skillful Duchovny was able to capture the spirit of youth in the film, which uncovers the humor and heartache of a boy's coming of age.
The Beverly Hills Film Festival featured numerous other screenings at the Clarity Theatre, the site for nightly theme parties, seminars and a charity benefit. The festival concluded with a black tie awards ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel, attended by leading independent filmmakers and actors. The award-winning films were selected by distinguished jurors including Nino Simone, the festival's president. Simone said, "We selected the best seven features, seven documentaries and 40 short films out of 1,800 submissions to be featured at the Beverly Hills Film Festival this year. The festival is a competition recognized for discovering new, independent filmmakers. The 2005 award-winners represent the diversity of genres and style of filmmaking feature at this year's film festival."
The Golden Palm Award, which goes to the best film in all categories, was given The Aryan Couple, directed by John Daly. The feature tells the story of German/Jewish industrialist in occupied Hungary who, in an effort to guarantee his family's safe escape out of Germany, is forced to surrender his business to the Nazis.
Amongst many other awards given on the final evening of the festival, the Golden Palm Screenplay Competition Award went to Behind the Curtain, a short film written, directed and produced by Alvaro Ron. In this piece, reality and fiction collide when a pleasant evening between a patient and podiatrist turns into a dangerous game. The jury award for Best Documentary went to Sixty Spins around the Sun, a story about Randy Credico, a stand-up-comic-turned-activist, who initiates a street movement to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Law and prompts the release of seven inmates.
The jury members include Mark AMin, Lions Gate Films, chairman; Matt Brandt, Trans-Lux Corporation, chairman and CEO; Paul Haggar, Paramount Pictures, executive vice president post-production; Lawrence Kubik, producer. Laura Lucio, Emmy award-winning journalist; Sarah Jo Marks, producer, film festival programmer, consultant and contributing editor to International Documentary Magazine; Steven P, director (Call Back), producer (2003 BHFF Documentary Award Winner Life in a Basket).
Overall, the BHFF was a tremendous success in the community of Beverly Hills as well as for the movie industry everywhere. |
