Industry News :: Film festival offers something for everyone

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By: DEIRDRE NEWMAN - Staff Writer

TEMECULA ---- If you want to learn about blackjack, you could hang out at the Pechanga Casino and watch the pros. Or, you could shuffle on down to the Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival and learn about the art of the game from consummate character actor, Dorian Harewood. He played Simon Haley in the "Roots" series and Jesse Owens in a movie biography of the Olympic hero.

Harewood will be conducting a workshop Sept. 17 on his odyssey from Broadway theater to blackjack tables, culminating in the release of his instructional video "Strictly Blackjack (Winning Without Counting)."

While the festival workshops typically cater to those bent on getting a toehold in the cutthroat movie industry, this year's workshops aim to be far more inclusive, festival spokeswoman Shari Crall said.

"Usually, they're 'How to Get Your Script Accepted' and 'How to Produce a Movie,'" she said. "This year, we have things the general public would like."

One of the workshops even caters to children. The creators, writers, directors and producers of "Lilo and Stitch 2" will be on hand to share their techniques in "The Magic of Animated Disney" workshop Sept. 17.

The nine-day festival runs from Wednesday through Sept. 22, with most of the events staged at the Movie Experience theater at Tower Plaza, on Ynez Road just north of Rancho California Road.

The event is longer and grander than last year's, Crall said. It now runs for four extra days, and the closing, black-tie gala at Pechanga, will be a bigger, Hollywood-type extravaganza. The opening night festivities also will have a spiced-up flavor, as the Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance will be presented to Mary Steenburgen. Typically, opening night is an opportunity for the festival organizers to thank their sponsors, Crall said.

Over the nine days, the festival will be screening 150 films, including full-length features, shorts and documentaries. One of those films is "My Big Fat Independent Movie," a spoof of independent movies produced by Southern California filmmaker Chris Gore. The movie, and its producer, are making their way around the film festival circuit.

Festivals are a great way to gain exposure, get reviews and catapult careers, Gore said. He has been to the Temecula festival before and said he is looking forward to returning.

"I can't wait to come to Temecula," he said. "They really treat filmmakers well."

In addition to Steenburgen, other Lifetime Achievement Awards will be given out during the festival to film critic Leonard Maltin; composer Steve Dorff; "Saturday Night Fever" director John Badham; and producer Lucas Foster. And the American Film Institute will be receiving the festival's first Distinguished Institution Award for its tremendous contributions to the industry.

Music is a big part of the festival as well. This year's event will feature 12 performances as part of the MusicFest Showcase, which takes place Sept. 16 and 17. They will also be included in a compilation CD that will be for sale at the shows.

The showcases are designed to promote the musicians and the acts are critiqued by a panel, including Dorff, Crall said. Last year, one of the musical acts snagged a record deal around the same time as the festival and the judges were able to provide some advice, Crall said.

"The judges went over the contract with them and said, 'Watch out for this, I don't like this,'" she said.

One of this year's featured musical acts is the band Bobby Breakdown, based in Murrieta. The hard rock band is made up of Matt Foglesong, 17, who plays guitar and sings the lead vocals; Ryan Magdaleno, 18, on drums; and Jonathan Magdaleno, 15, who plays bass and sings back-up vocals. They are described as producing "ear-deafening rhythms" on the festival's Web site.

The band members are stoked to be playing at the festival, the younger Magdaleno said.

"It feels pretty good to be playing because we know it's a pretty big thing around here and we know it can attract a lot of people from the industry and whatnot," Jonathan Magdaleno said.

The band will be contributing its song, "We Are All the Same," to the compilation CD, he added.

If you go ...

The Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival runs Sept. 14 to 22. Here is the schedule of events:

Opening Night festivities

Details: Activities include an all-star mini parade, a movie premier, a music performance and a post-screening party.

When: 5 p.m. Wednesday

Location: Movie Experience at Tower Plaza

Admission: $25

General movie screenings

When: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Sept. 22

Admission: $7 per person, $5 seniors and students; or $15 for an all-day film pass

Location: Movie Experience at Tower Plaza

MusicFest Showcase

When: 7 to 11 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

Admission: $7 for individual band performance or $15 for a music pass

Location: Movie Experience at Tower Plaza

Black Tie Awards Gala

When: 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday

Admission: $95 per person for dinner and awards show

Location: Pechanga Resort & Casino

For information on closing night, master classes, workshops, panels or the festival marketplace, call (951) 699-5514 or log on to www.tviff.com

Contact staff writer Deirdre Newman at (951) 6 76-4315, Ext. 2623, or dnewman@californian.com.