Other Venice Film Festival

The sixth annual Other Venice Film Festival might be less international than Italy’s version, but it’s no less prestigious. Past Maverick Spotlight Award recipients include Werner Herzog and Roger Corman, and now, the enfant terrible of American cinema, Oliver Stone, is a proud honoree. Stone’s artistic achievements are honored with an 18th anniversary screening of his rock biopic, The Doors, which chronicles the roots of the enduring creative spirit of Venice Beach.

– Tanja Laden

The Other Venice Film Festival’s Abbot Awards® Announced!

by Naomi Wiggins

With a huge crowd and a sense of nervous anticipation permeating the building, the 4th Annual The Other Venice Film Festival came to an impressive and tearful close Sunday light with the festive and celebratory Abbot Awards® ceremony.

Beginning the end was the staged reading of Riding the Pine, a screenplay by Gary Ellenberg, festival producer and coordinator. Giving the festival their support, Camryn Manheim, Steven Weber, Chris Mulkey, Paul Johannson, Will Wallace, Ben Parnillo, Sean Fenton, Zachary Kinter and other noted actors ran through the script before an audience in the upstairs theater of the Electric Lodge. Upon completion of the strengths and weaknesses of the Riding the Pine script. Here’s to hoping writer Gary Ellenberg has thick skin!

Following the reading was a cocktail hour during which the anxious filmmakers began to arrive. The Modeens took to the stage to dazzle with their musical innovation but the shiny trophies glistening persistently on the side of the stage
continuously reminded the crowd of the award ceremony to come.

Before diving into the awards, previous Local Maverick Spotlight Award winner Chris Mulkey stepped up to the mic to deliver this year’s Local Maverick Award. After a brief introduction, Tony Bill came to the stage, followed closely by his two young daughters. This Oscar®-winning Hollywood Maverick (producer of 1973’s The Sting) gave a hearty thank you to the town that had long given him inspiration and graciously accepted his award.

As Bill took his seat, Festival Producer AJ Petrala took over the microphone and the awards began.

Winning far Best Short was A Better Life. Executive Producer Louie Fazzari, Writer/Director Luis Fernandez Reneo and Producer Alex Bovicelli accepted the award with loud shouts and humble tears. Executive Producer Louie Fazzari choked up, professing how honored and happy he was to simply be able to make this poignant and meaningful short.

Best Short Audience Choice went to Available Men. Writer/Director David Dean Bottrell didn’t make the ceremony but caught up with IFA afterwards. This marked the 13th festival award for Available Men, a successful run by any standard.

The award for Best Documentary Short went to Downwinders: The People of Parowan. Director Jake White took the Issue of nuclear weapons testing to the courts. With the money he received from the government, White then made a documentary (chronicling the lasting and fatal ramifications of nuclear testing on the town of Parowan in Southern Utah.

Best Documentary Feature went to Behind the Mask. Director Shannon Keith came to the stage and made an impassioned plea for the awareness of the sensitive issue around which her Film revolves – animal rights.

A story of star-crossed love and the hullaballu surrounding big weddings, Cake: A Wadding Comedy proved to be an audience favorite on Sunday night, winning for Best Feature Audience Choice. Writer/Director Will Wallace accepted the award, an infectious grin splashed across his face.

Writer/Director Kevin Keresey had passed on several offers for his screenplay The Rat Thing, choosing instead to make the movie himself, to make the movie he wanted to make. It seems sticking to your gut can pay off for The Rat Thing won for Best Feature overall.

The final award of the night, Best Music Video Audience Choice, The Libra Project – Bridge. An excited and eclectic group, The Libra Project poured onto the stage with passion, gratitude and joy quipping that it pays to have all your friends come and vote for you.

Thus ended the 4th annual The Other Venice Film Festival. IFA extends a hearty congratulations to all the winning filmmakers and other entries. Good luck in all your future endeavors!

This week, check out the fourth annual Other Venice Film Festival, and enjoy a community event that included the work of more than 90 filmmakers, 60 world premiere films, Q&A sessions, art, parties, live music, and performances. Highlights include actors Camryn Manheim, Steven Weber, Chris Mulkey, and many others in the festival’s first live staged reading, featuring the coming-of-age comedy Riding the Pine, at 4 p.m. March 18.

The 4th Annual Other Venice Film Festival Highlights and Schedule 90 Films, 60 World Premieres, Live Music, Art and Parties

OVFF is dedicated to screening full-length, short and animated films that embody the spirit, energy and diversity of Venice, CA – an epicenter for LA artists and filmmakers who continue to pave the way toward expanding the language of underground, alternative cinema. The OTHER VENICE FILM FESTIVAL bridges the community of Venice and that of greater LA together in a wild, exciting, fun-filled weekend of movies, music and mayhem.

To find out more about this festival we interviewed two of the festival organizers, Gary Ellenberg and AJ Peralta.

Gary Ellenberg – Festival Co-Founder, Programming Director Aside from working on the festival, he currently shoots and edits webcasts for Fox All-Access, including artists Chris Brown, Nelly Furtado, Good Charlotte, Sean Paul and Train. He has directed music videos for Soccermom and Sugar Bitch. Gary also directs a vast array of corporate videos. Clients include Warner Bros. Music and Nestle Crunch Hot Shots basketball camp with Shaquille O’Neal. Gary received his B.A. in drama at the University of California at Berkeley and earned his MA in Directing at the American Film Institute. His thesis film NO QUARTER competed in over 20 national and international film festivals. Gary also directed the feature GRINDERS as well as TED, an explosive comedy about the Unabomber. TED garnered six festival awards including Audience Choice at the San Francisco Indie Film Festival. Go to
Gary’s website at www.itchyyellowhouse.com.

AJ Peralta – Festival Co-Founder – A Los Angeles native, AJ Peralta is an entrepreneur and creative executive for entertainment and technology companies. As a consultant, AJ has been working with clients including Coca-Cola, FuseTV,
Nokia, Motorola, Mattel, and Ogilvy on a range of strategic initiatives from game development to youth branding programs. Prior, AJ was President of Digital Brandcasting, Inc., a management company with clients including pop icons such as Will Smith, Savage Garden, Deftones, Trisha Yearwood, and Live. AJ also co-founded Green Galactic, Inc., a bi-coastal youth marketing company, and while living in Japan, he co-founded Lamuz, Inc., a leading commercial media production and software publishing company.

Cinema Without Borders: Please tell us about the history of the Other Venice
Film Festival.
AJ Peralta: The OVFF started four years ago by friends who live in the Venice area and have a love for film. Venice is an area, historically, where film found its roots in Los Angeles – before there ever was a Hollywood. And even today, Venice is full of creative artists and working industry professionals who love the business but opt for the more relaxed style of the beach. The film festival is a chance to tap into this energy and celebrate it. That it’s grown so quickly as a festival in light of all the other local festivals (with more glam, hype or celebrities) is a testament to the local community.

CWB: Venice as beach city has its own character and soul, does the Other Venice Film Festival follows the characteristic of the city?

AJ: In many ways, yes. Great filmmaking is about telling a simple story in a new way or expressing a new idea in some fantastic manner. This is a lot like Venice, itself.

CWB: Does Experimental Cinema has a place in the festival? The Other Venice Film Festival seem to be a supporter of “the other cinema”? Is this true and if so, what is your interpretation of the other cinema?

AJ: Well “The Other” in our name originally comes from the fact that there is already a Venice Film Festival – in Italy, the original festival. So our name is just a play on that. We thought about calling it the Venice Beach Film Festival (and we have this
name tied up already!) but “The Other” also pays homage to the independent spirit that makes film great. So yes, each year we feature experimental and avante garde films, among many others.

CWB: Tell us about the kind of the crowd attending the festival.

AJ: We get a pretty diverse crowd actually. Because of the range in programming, each screening often draws a very different crowd from another. Of course, there are a lot of locals – but really this includes all of Los Angeles. Mostly, it’s 20 and 30 somethings, young professionals with an indie streak for art and creativity.

CWB: What are the events of the 2007 the Other Venice Film Festival?

Gary Ellenberg: The 2007 OVFF is proud to present the work of more than 90 filmmakers (up from 75 last year, 40 in 2005 and 17 in the inaugural 2004 season), including 60 world premieres – more than ever before. Please seethe complete schedule of film screening events, art show, live music and parties at www.othervenicefilmfestival.com.

Some non-film screening events of note this year include:
“From Under My Bed,” an exhibition or artworks by long-time Venice local, actress
and artist Karen Landry-Mulkey makes its debut on OVFF’s opening night, March 15, and will be up through April 15 at the Electric Lodge.

OVFF is pleased to present its first-ever live staged reading of the screenplay “Riding The Pine” – a coming-of-age comedy about a guy who fails in sports, but succeeds in life and love with humor on his side — at 4 pm on Sunday, March 18. Participating actors include Steven Weber in the leading role along with Camryn Mainheim, Chris Mulkey, Lee Arenberg, Ben Parrillo, Will Wallace, Mike Wiles, Chris Leary, Karen Landry-Mulkey, Ameila Mulkey, Elizabeth Mulkey and Jessie Gilbert.

CWB: Do you expect any guest filmmakers attending the festival?

Gary: We expect the majority of filmmakers showcasing their work to attend this year’s OVFF. A Q&A with the filmmakers follows each screening event. We also have a very talented group of actors participating in our first live staged reading of the screenplay RIDING THE PINE at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 18 – and many of them have made their own indy films. For instance, Steven Weber of TV’s “Studio 60″ and “Wings” will be reading the lead role on Sunday in addition to having his short film “Embrasse” participate in our opening night Short Film Section One on Thursday, March 15. There may also be a surprise filmmaker guest at the closing Abbot Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 18– to be announced.

CWB: Do you show any movies from the international cinema at the Other
Venice Film Festival?

Gary: Yes, definitely, and it’s getting stronger each year. In fact, this is the best and most diverse collection of films we’ve ever presented. Half of our participating filmmakers live west of the 405, and the others hail from as far and wide as Austria, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Korea, Poland, across the U.S. and even the Valley.

CWB: Are there any awards given away to the best movies participating in
the festival?

Gary: Closing out the OVFF is its annual Abbot Awards Ceremony (named in honor of Venice, CA’s founding father, Abbot Kinney) at the Electric Lodge from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, March 18, which is FREE and open to the public. For the first time ever, an Abbot Award will be presented for the most excellent documentary short and feature, alongside the established Abbot Awards — most excellent overall short and feature; and Audience Choice awards for short, feature and music video. Local Venice alt rock band The Modeens (www.TheModeens.com) will perform a live set of music during cocktail hour from 6-7 p.m. before the awards ceremony starts at 7 p.m.

CWB: What are your future plans and dreams for the Other Venice Film Festival?

AJ: We are amazed that we are able to pull it off each year as a volunteer run annual community event. The festival is growing very quickly, nearly doubling in size each of the last four years. I think our short term dream is to be able to keep doing this and having the community come out and support us each year. We have been getting a fair amount of favorable recognition as being a really different festival from all the rest of what’s out there. We think this has been drawing better and better talent each year. This is our goal – to keep drawing the best talent – like making cognac from wine (then drinking it!).

Other Venice Film Festival screens independent films with Venice twist

The Venice Film Festival has been a tradition in Italy since 1932, but local residents Kris Ellenberg, Gary Ellenberg and Reuben De La Casas believed that the other Venice — Venice, California — should have one, too.

Now in its fourth year, the Other Venice Film Festival will take place Thursday through Sunday, March 15th to 18th, at the Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice, and at Switch Studios, 316 Venice Blvd., Venice. Tickets are $10 to $20 per festival event.

This year’s festival features 90 film screenings, 60 premieres, live music, art and parties with an emphasis on underground and alternative cinema. All of the films shown either involve local Venetians, were shot in Venice or in some way exemplify the spirit, energy and diversity of the artsy coastal community, according to Kris Ellenberg.

Festival highlights include an independent film competition, a children’s film program, DJs, live music and music video screenings, short film screenings and question-and-answer sessions with film directors.

A staged reading of the screenplay Riding the Pine, with local actors Camryn Manheim, Steven Weber, Chris Mulkey and Lee Arenberg is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday, March 18th.

Featured film screenings at the festival include Novel Romance, directed by Emily Skopov and starring Traci Lords, Sherilyn Fenn, Mariette Hartley and Paul Johansson, about a “top-shelf literary editor who publishes a struggling writer in exchange for his gifted sperm.”

Jam, directed by Craig Serling, tells five interwoven stories about travelers who get in a car collision trying to avoid a dog in the road.

The Death of Captain Pilecki, directed by Ryszard Bugajski, is about a Polish underground soldier, who voluntarily walked into a trap to be sent to Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp, so he could try to help liberate its prisoners.

Cake: A Wedding Comedy, directed by Will Wallace, is about two star-crossed lovers whose wedding plans go awry and pit two groups of families and friends against each other.

The Rat Thing, by local director Kevin Keresey, is about two down-and-out friends who hatch a get-rich-quick scheme that involves one of them being bitten by a rat in a major supermarket with the hope of winning a huge settlement.

Behind the Mask, directed by Shannon Keith, is a documentary about people who risk life and freedom for the liberation of animals.

Welcome 2 the Hen House, directed by Harlan Steinberger and Tucker Stilley, shows Ray Manzarak, Fishbone, John Densmore, Boom Shaka and Trulio Disgracious, who frequent the Hen House music venue with various creative projects.

The Southland’s BEST Film Festivals

By David Geffner

Southern California may be the center of the movie industry, but it wasn’t until roughly a decade ago, right after Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival began attracting cinema buffs in the tens of thousands, that local film festivals really began to take off. Hey, if screening a few hundred independent and foreign movies could bring people to Utah in January, who wouldn’t want to visit Newport Beach in April?

Nowadays, the Southland has a film festival for every demographic and taste. Movie lovers can ring in the New Year with Brad Pitt under Coachella Valley date palms or sip pinot noir at a party for a nature documentary in Santa Barbara. Sponsored by corporate donors and produced by local nonprofit film societies and volunteers, Southern California’s film festivals

are truly grassroots events where even press-shy movie stars let down their guard to celebrate cinematic art. Sold-out screenings don’t just support local businesses. They also warm the hearts of all those independent direcvtors whose films (given the skyrocketing costs of distribution) may never get beyond a festival premiere. Here are our favorite local festivals, broken down in “reel” detail, and 10 others that will satisfy every niche and interest.

The Other Venice Film Festival
This festival, which showcases local work from a vibrant Venice Beach arts and music scene, is casual and friendly–its name is meant as an antidote to that “other” film festival in Italy, known for its celebrities and dealmaking.