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THE RIGHT STUFF
Scott
Wilson
From his spectacular motion picture debut in 1967 in two of the motion
picture industry’s classic films, In the Heat of the Night for director
Norman Jewison and In Cold Blood for Richard Brooks, Scott Wilson has
consistently achieved the highest industry and critical response. The key to
Wilson’s success has been the careful selection of material and his
association with many of the film industry’s most illustrious directors. Such
perceptive directors as Ridley Scott, Tim Robbins, Walter Hill, Steve Kloves,
Phil Kaufman, Jack Clayton, William Peter Blatty, Sydney Pollack, Robert
Aldrich, Dale Rosenbloom and Krzysztof Zanussi have cast Wilson in important
roles. Wilson will soon be seen in The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise
directed by Edward Zwick and Monster with Charlize Theron and Christina
Ricci directed by Patty Jenkins. Wilson lives in Los Angeles and has been
married for 26 years to his wife, Heavenly, attorney, artist and writer.
Veronica Cartwright
Born in England, Veronica is the older sister of popular Television child
actress Angela Cartwright. In her early career, she was cast in a number of
popular films such as The Children's Hour (1961), Spencer's Mountain
(1963) and Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). As such, she was cast as
Jemima Boone in the popular Television series "Daniel Boone" which ran from
1964-66. Her career after "Boone" may have been influenced by Hitchcock as she
appeared in both the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
and the horror classic Alien (1979). On Television, she would appear
sporadically as the Lumpy's younger sister, Violet Rutherford on "Leave It to
Beaver (1960)" and have a small role in the Television movie "Still the Beaver
(1983)". She would also appear in "Robert Kennedy & His Times (1985)", "Tanner
'88' (1988)" and have a recurring role on "L.A. Law (1986)". Her big screen
features would include The Right Stuff (1983), Flight of the
Navigator (1986) and The Witches of Eastwick (1987). Veronica would
work on the stage in "Electra", "Talley's Folly", "Homesteaders", "Butterflies
are Free" and "The Triplet Connection". Alternating between Television and big
screen movies in the 90's, she appears in such films as Hitler's Daughter
(1990) (TV) and Candyman 2 (1995).
Donald Moffat
RADA alumnus Donald Moffat made his London stage debut in 1954, playing the
First Murderer in MacBeth. On stage, the wiry, angular Moffat excelled
in the plays of Ibsen and Moliere; on screen, he has since carved his niche in
eccentric, unpredictable roles. He has also sparkled in authoritative
characterizations, both bombastic (a tantrum-tossing LBJ in 1981's The
Right Stuff, a fascistic Colonel Ruppert in the 1991 TV movie Babe Ruth)
and cool-headed (the fictional U.S. president in 1993's A Clear and Present
Danger, Kennedy in-law Hugh Auchincloss in the 1982 video presentation
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy). In addition, Moffat has brightened many a
Robert Altman production, most prominently as the ubiquitous bike-riding tax
collector in Popeye (1980). Donald Moffat's TV-series resumé includes
such roles as an immigrant Scandinavian minister in The New Land
(1974), a lovable android in Logan's Run (1977), and all-knowing Dr.
Marcus Polk on the ABC daytimer One Life to Live. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie
Guide
STONE READER
Dow Mossman
Author of the Stones of Summer, and surprise guest at
Ebertfest,
Dow Mossman is enjoying the belated success and celebrity of his his first
book, published in 1972!
Mark Moskowitz
Mark Moskowitz is known for his issue-oriented media, including more than
three thousand political spots for hundreds of races nationally and worldwide.
He has been awarded “Pollies,” political media’s highest award, for five
consecutive years. Besides his political work, Moskowitz has created
promotional media for high profile athletes, musicians, CEOs, and others in
the public eye. For over twenty years he’s specialized in telling reality
stories by bringing amateurs to life on-camera. Moskowitz has also worked as a
strategic communications consultant to blue chip companies as well as produced
media for leading technology centers such as Lawrence Livermore National Labs,
and the new National Constitution Center project. His recent film on the issue
of nuclear stockpile stewardship is being used internationally by the U.S.
Department of Energy. His network public-image commercials for both the PGA
Tour and National Basketball Association were hallmarked as the first of their
kind.
Jeff Lipsky
Jeff Lipsky is a 28 year veteran in the independent film world. Co-founder
of both October Films and Lot 47 Films, Lipsky is prominently featured in
books about Oscar nominated writer/director Mike Leigh and filmmaker Spike
Lee. Among the more well-known of the 235 films he has shepherded into the
marketplace are My Life as a Dog, which earned Lasse Hallstrom his
first two Academy Award nominations, Jim Jarmusch’s first film Stranger
Than Paradise, and the film that introduced actor Gary Oldman to the
world, Sid & Nancy.
Lipsky’s distribution career began at the age of 21 with the literal start of
the independent distribution business when he set sail with his mentor
actor/writer/director John Cassavetes distributing A Woman Under the
Influence, which, in 1974, became the very first specialized film ever to be
distributed nationally bypassing the archaic and obsolete sub-distribution
network.
In 1979 Lipsky became General Sales Manager at New Yorker Films where he
distributed Wayne Wang’s first film Chan Is Missing, Louis Malle’s
My Dinner With Andre, R.W. Fassbinder’s The Marriage of Maria Braun,
and Jean-Luc Godard’s Every Man For Himself. In 1983 Lipsky became Vice
President of Distribution for Samuel Goldwyn Films where he distributed
Dance With a Stranger, 3 Men and a Cradle, Gregory’s Girl,
The Care Bears Movie, and the Jarmusch film.
Tom Skouras hired Lipsky as President of the Motion Pictures Division of
Skouras Pictures in 1987 where he distributed Mission: Impossible screenwriter
David Koepp’s first film Apartment Zero, My Life as a Dog, and
High Hopes, the movie that introduced Mike Leigh to the U.S. and that
forged a second mentor relationship for Lipsky, this time with Leigh’s
long-time producer Simon Channing-Williamns.
In 1990 Lipsky co-founded October Films which immediately rose to the ranks of
the most highly regarded independents, releasing films such as Leigh’s Life
Is Sweet, Gregg Araki’s The Living End, Alain Corneau’s Tous les
matins du monde, and John Dahl’s The Last Seduction.
In 1995 Lipsky wrote and directed Childhood’s End which New York Times
film reviewer called, ‘The Graduate without guilt. A refreshing change from
the dumb brat-pack stereotypes mewling through a typical Hollywood
coming-of-age fantasy. Savvy dialogue.’ It received an Official Invitation to
compete in the San Sebastian Film Festival, and screened at the Stockholm,
Montreal, Hamburg, and Seattle International Film Festivals.
After a two year return to Goldwyn, where he released Adrian Lyne’s
controversial Lolita, Lipsky co-founded Lot 47 Films in 1999. Some of
Lot 47’s releases include Tim Roth directorial debut The War Zone,
French multiple Academy Award winning comedy-drama and Audrey Tautou’s debut
film, Venus Beauty Institute, Im Kwon-Taek Cannes competition entry
Chunhyang, Michael Cuesta’s L.I.E., and the best reviewed film of
2002, Zacharias Kunuk’s The Fast Runner (Atanarjuat).
Robert Goodman
Robert M. Goodman is an Emmy-nominated director and award-winning
writer/producer with broadcast, documentary and feature credits. His
nonfiction work includes: Meantime, Going Digital; Art in the Hotel Patee;
The Road Taken; America’s Dream Highway; From Seed to Flower;
and Philadelphia Green. As one of 20 nonfiction producers in North
America selected for IFFCON, a prestigious international co-production market,
Goodman was featured on John Pierson’s Split Screen series about independent
filmmaking and filmmakers which airs on Bravo. He is an acknowledged expert on
digital production and has conducted workshops on production and post at the
major film festivals in the U.S. for AIVF, IFP, ITVA, SMPTE, Sony, and Women
in Film. One of the industry’s preeminent journalists Goodman's articles and
books have helped make technology more understandable to filmmakers for over a
decade. He recently coauthored Editing Digital Video, a creative and
technical guide about how to tell stories with any editing tool and is one of
the authors of the American Society of Cinematographer’s Video
Manual. Goodman also works as a consultant for independent filmmakers on
production and post.
THE GREY AUTOMOBILE
THE DIRECTOR
Claudio Valdés Kuri, theatre director
Mexican Theatre director Claudio Valdés Kuri made his international debut with
his first production, Becket or the Honour of God by Jean Anouilh. This staging
earned him several awards, including Best Director of Exploratory Drama and Best
Group Theatre Director. Following this success, Valdés Kuri wrote and directed
the internationally acclaimed play "De monstrous y prodigies, la historia de los
Castrati" with the National Theatre Company of Mexico, the most relevant in its
field. His work has been seen in important theatre festivals such as the Kunsten
Festival des Arts in Brussels, the International Hispanic Theatre Festival in
New York and Miami, The International Mexican Cervantino Festival, Grec Festival
in Barcelona, Temporada Alta in Gerona, Festival Iberoamericano in Cadiz,
Granada Abierta, Festival Iberoamericano in Bogotá, Caracas International
Festival, and Puerto Rico International Theatre Showcase, among others.
Mr. Valdés Kuri graduated with honours from the Centro de Capacitación
Cinematográfica (Mexican Centre of Film Training). His documentary films have
been screened in Mexico and at international festivals. Claudio's training as an
actor began at an early age in 1976, under the leadership of Susana Wein. He
participated in countless productions with her company for the next seventeen
years. From 1996 to 1999 he belonged to the Carpa Theater of Austria. He was
member and co-founder of the early music ensemble Ars Nova, which is mostly
dedicated to renaissance and Latin American baroque music. Over the last fifteen
years, this group has toured Mexico Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, South
America, the United States, and the Caribbean.
THE PERFORMERS
Irene Akiko Iida, actress
Iida was born to Japanese parents living in Mexico City. Upon finishing high
school in Mexico City, she moved to Osaka, Japan to enroll at the Music School
of Takarazuka (Takarazuka Ongaku Gakko), and was the first Latin American
student ever to be admitted In 1981, upon graduation, Iida joined the Takarazuka
Musical Revue Company as an actress. There she made her debut with the artistic
name of Irene Sachikaze. Her theatrical career with Takarazuka, a legendary
Japanese institution founded in 1914, comprises more than 60 musical
productions.
In 1987, while continuing with her theatrical activities, she entered the
150-year-old Hanayagi School of Traditional Japanese Dance to deepen her
knowledge of Japanese culture. Under the instruction of Rokuharu Hanayagi, Iida
adopted the name of Irene Hanayagi. In 1991 she passed the school’s examination
and obtained the title of teacher/master (Shihan) of the Hanayagi School of
Traditional Japanese Dance In 1997, Iida debuted on the Mexican theatre scene
with Juan, el Momótaro, a musical theater production she wrote, directed and
produced for the Centenary of Japanese Migration to Mexico. Since then she has
taught traditional Japanese dance and has presented at many conferences
throughout the country.In 2001, she appeared in The Sunset of the White Stork, a
theatrical production created in homage to Master Seki Sano.
Enrique Arreola, actor
Recognized as one of the best Mexican actors of his generation, Enrique Arreola
studied acting with Luis de Tavira at the Center for Theater Studies/ Casa del
Teatro and studied Dramatic Literature at the National University of Mexico. In
1997-98, he continued his professional studies with master teachers such as
Ludwik Margules, Hector Mendoza and Jose Caballero. Arreola has performed in
over 30 plays to date, among them Miller’s The Crucible, Ibarguengoitia’s The
Struggle with the Angel, and Brecht’s Threepenny Opera. In 1997, he participated
in the Mexican-Argentinean project ¡Vieja el ultimo!, appearing in a bilingual
version with the 55 Group at New York’s Brooklyn Academy Music.
Arreola made his international debut in Becket or the Honour of God, directed by
Claudio Valdés Kuri, for which he received a citation as best supporting actor.
He soon joined the National Theatre Company of Mexico, appearing in plays such
as Roberto Zucco and Three plays of Copi in Mexico, both under the direction of
the French director Catherine Marnas. In the area of film, Arreola has appeared
in Walter Doenher’s The Blue Room as well as several short films for the CCC and
the CUEC. In 2000, he received a scholarship from the National Council for the
Culture and the Arts for research on vocal training. In addition to his work as
an actor, he has served as director’s assistant to Claudio Valdés Kuri for The
Grey Automobile.
Ernesto Gómez Santana, pianist
Born in Mexico City, Ernesto studied music and piano at the National University
of Mexico’s Music School and subsequently under Piano Program Chairman James
Gibb at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama of London.As an accompanist, Gómez
Santana has participated in long runs of several music theater productions and
has performed with well-known instrumentalists and singers such as Lourdes
Ambriz, Lucía Gómez Santana, Jesús Suaste y Encarnación Vázquez. As a soloist,
he has participated in Concert Masters seasons sponsored by the National
University of Mexico. Mr. Gómez Santana appeared in the play Los empeños de una
casa by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz at the Seville Expo '92 and at the Cadiz
Ibero-american Festival, both in Spain. In 1994, he was invited by Pro-música
Ensenada to perform Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, in a new edition by Schott for
two pianos and percussion orchestra.He was invited to participate in the II, III
and IV Magno Festival Palafoxiano of Puebla from 1994 to 1996, appearing at the
Luis Cabrera Hall and Teatro Principal. In January 2001 he participated in the
INSAP III (Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena) International Congress held at
Palermo, Italy, accompanying vocalist Encarnación Vázquez singing his own work.
In June 2001, Santana appeared in New York and Miami as both actor and pianist
in Claudio Valdés Kuri’s De monstruos y prodigios, la historia de los Castrati,
at the XVI International Hispanic Theatre Festival.
Igor Lozada, executive producer
Born in Mexico City, Igor Lozada is known in the Mexican theater arena as an
outstanding producer thanks to his work in nationally and internationally
acclaimed projects like Becket or the Honour of God and De Monstruos y Prodigios,
la historia de los Castrati. He studied Communication Sciences in the National
University of Mexico and acting in its Center for Theatre Studies. He widened
his artistic knowledge with diplomas from the Casa de Teatro and the National
Arts Center, studying with professors such as Richard Schechner, Luis de Tavira
and José Caballero.Lozada’s work has represented Mexico at several international
festivals: Kunsten Festival des Arts in Brussels, the International Hispanic
Theatre Festivals in New York, Miami and Puerto Rico, The International Mexican
Cervantino Festival, Grec Festival in Barcelona, Temporada Alta in Gerona, Cadiz
Ibero-american Festival, Granada Abierta, Bogotá Ibero-american Festival, and
the Caracas International Festival, among others. In addition to his
collaborations with director Claudio Valdés Kuri, Lozada has served as producer,
actor and director’s assistant with artists such as Luis Mario Moncada, Pablo
Mandoki, Rubén Ortiz, Susana Wein and Miguel Angel Gaspar. Lozada also served as
Technical Coordinator of the Caribbean Festival and Technical Director of the
National Theatre Showcase. At present, he is working as the Executive Producer
and Theatre Coordinator of the Cervantino International Festival.
YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
Neil LaBute
LaBute was educated at Brigham Young University, a Mormon college. He later
attended graduate school at the University of Kansas and NYU. He also
participated in workshops at London’s Royal Court Theater and attended the
Sundance Institute’s Playwright’s Lab at NYU. His first movie, In the
company of men, 1997, won him the Filmmaker Trophy for Best Dramatic
Feature at Sundance. Your friends and neighbors, 1998, received solid reviews
and established him as a new talent. His next film, Nurse Betty, 2000,
starring Renee Zellweger and Morgan Freeman became a respectable box-office
success. He has also directed several plays. LaBute lives in Fort Wayne, IN,
with his wife and two daughters.
BLOOD AND WINE
Bob Rafelson
Bob Rafelson is one of American cinemas leading figures, having distinguished
himself over the past three decades as a director, writer and producer of a
unique collection of award-winning and ground-breaking films. He was born in
New York City and educated at Dartmouth and the University of Benares in
India. Rafelson began his career in television and shortly thereafter started
his own company which went on to create and produce the original Monkees.
Their television show and pop recordings garnered phenomenal international
success, including the Emmy for Best Television Show. He is best known as the
director of the 1970 classic film, FIVE EASY PIECES, starring Jack
Nicholson. He co-wrote and co-produced the movie. FIVE EASY PIECES,
considered to be one of the most important films in the history of cinema, was
nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Original
Screenplay, Best Actor (Nicholson) and Best Supporting Actress (Karen Black).
MEDIUM COOL
Haskell Wexler
Haskell Wexler has earned two Oscars and five Academy Award nominations for
best Cinematography. He was the fourth cinematographer to ever receive a star
on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Amongst a wide array of movies he worked on
Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf 1966, American Graffiti, 1973, and
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975. Wexler’s documentaries, such us
Medium Cool, 1969 and Latino, 1985 are vehicles for him to
express his activism.
WHAT'S COOKING?
THE BLACK PIRATE
Alloy Orchestra
L.627
Bertrand Tavernier
French director Tavernier quit law school to write film criticism for
CAHIERS DU CINEMA and other major journals, worked as an assistant
director and publicist and authored two books on American cinema before making
his first feature, The Clockmaker (1973). It won a Special Jury Prize
at the 1974 Berlin Film Festival, the Prix Louis Delluc in France, and
established Tavernier's reputation. Tavernier's other noted films include
Clean Slate (1981), a bold adaptation of Jim Thompson's Pop. 1280,
set not in the US South, but in French North Africa, and Round Midnight
(1986), a smooth, pseudo-biopic of a black-American jazz musician in 1950s
Paris.
GOLDEN AGE OF SILENT
COMEDY
Silent Movie Theater
Charlie Lustman and Dena Mora
The Silent Movie Theater in Los Angeles is the only theater in the country
that is solely dedicated to silent movies. Movie fanatics John and Dorothy
Hampton founded the theater in 1942, after they moved from Oklahoma to LA. The
theater lived through many turbulent years and was finally shut down because
it became a murder site. Songwriter Charlie Lustman took over the theater in
1999 and has restored it to its old glory. Lustman is now showing silent
movies all over the globe.
SHALL WE DANCE
David Bordwell
David Bordwell is Jacques Ledoux Professor of Film Studies at the University
of Wisconsin--Madison, where he teaches film history and analysis. He is a
lifelong lover of movies. When he was 14, he began collecting 8mm film and
projected BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN and THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI on his bedroom
wall. As an undergraduate at SUNY-Albany, he ran a film society and wrote film
criticism for the student daily. After finishing his PhD at the University of
Iowa, he moved to Madison, Wisconsin--where there were 22 film societies
screening dozens of films weekly. Since then he has written books on
Hollywood and Hong Kong film, as well as studies of Ozu, Eisenstein, and
Dreyer. With his wife Kristin Thompson he has also written two textbooks, FILM
ART: AN INTRODUCTION and FILM HISTORY: AN INTRODUCTION. He is advisor to the
Wisconsin Cinematheque, the department's film society, and director of the
Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research. Each summer he goes to Europe
to watch movies.
CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES
Eric Byler
Bi-racial writer-director Eric Byler grew up in Hawaii and California before
graduating from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. His short film Kenji's
Faith (1995) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win six
festival awards, as well as a nomination for "The Student Academy Awards"
sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His first
feature Charlotte Sometimes (2002) received the "Audience Award for
First Films Narrative" at the South by Southwest Film Festival, and the
"Special Jury Award for Narrative Filmmaking" at the Florida Film Festival.
Theater directing credits include Texas and Laughter, Joy &
Loneliness & Sex & Sex & Sex & Sex.
Jaqueline Kim
Jacqueline Kim attended the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago and performed
in Chicago and New York before becoming a company member at the prestigious
Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Her theater roles include several of the
greatest heroines of the classical stage, including Sophocles' Electra,
Nina in The Seagull, and Cordelia in King Lear. Jacqueline's
feature films include Brokedown Palace, Volcano, Disclosure,
Star Trek: Generations, The Operator, and The Hollywood Sign.
Her television roles include celebrated guest appearances on E.R., West Wing,
and Xena: The Warrior Princess. She recently completed In Search of Cezanne,
where she starred and shared writing credit with two-time Oscar winning
documentary filmmaker Allan Miller.
Michael Idemoto
Charlotte Sometimes marks the return to the big screen for
actor/filmmaker Michael Idemoto, and the follow-up to two breakout
performances that jump-started the Asian-American independent film movement in
1997 and 1998. Idemoto was born in Freedom, CA where he made a collection of
short films on Super 8 film starting at the age of 16. His camera experience
paid off in 1997 with the release of Sunsets, the acclaimed Asian American
feature film directed by Idemoto and Giant Robot front-man Eric Nakamura. With
a celebrated festival run and a renegade visual style, Sunsets is best
remembered for Idemoto's charismatic performance as a college-bound criminal
roaming the streets of a California farming town. Idemoto also starred in and
directed parts of the feature O.B.I.T.S..
John Manulis
Currently the CEO and lead producer of Visionbox Media Group, a production,
post-production and technical solutions company dedicated to producing films
and television more efficiently and with greater creative freedom through
digital technology.
The company’s Visionbox Pictures division has produced, acquired, or
represented films for distribution worldwide, including double Independent
Spirit Award nominee Charlotte Sometimes, Harry Shearer’s Teddy
Bears’ Picnic; multi-festival award winning Falling Like This; and Noah
Stern’s The Invisibles (Sundance ’99, Laemmle’s Independent Series ‘01)
starring Portia de Rossi and Michael Goorjian.
Mr. Manulis began his career directing theater offBroadway, later segueing
into producing television and film. As the Head of Filmed Entertainment for
Samuel Goldwyn Films, he supervised the production or acquisition of such
films as The Madness of King George, Lolita, The Chambermaid on the Titanic,
American Buffalo, Angels and Insects, I Shot Andy Warhol, Bent, The Preacher's
Wife, Big Night, Kissed and The King of Masks.
Mr. Manulis' career as an independent producer includes Tortilla Soup,
starring Hector Elizondo, Elizabeth Peña, Raquel Welch and Paul Rodriguez;
The Basketball Diaries starring Leonardo di Caprio and Mark Wahlberg;
Swing Kids starring Christian Bale, Noah Wyle and Ken Branagh; Foxfire,
starring Angelina Jolie, Heddy Burress and Peter Facinelli; Daybreak starring
Cuba Gooding, Jr., Omar Epps and Moira Kelly; and the offBroadway and Los
Angeles sensation The Umbilical Brothers’ THWAK . He has executive
produced projects including the acclaimed CBS series Comedy Zone, which he
also created, V.I. Warshawski starring Kathleen Turner, Blind Side starring
Rutger Hauer and Rebecca DeMornay and the 38-share CBS MOW Intimate Strangers.
Mr. Manulis received an A.B. degree from Harvard University, is a member of
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Writers Guild of America,
East and serves on the Advisory Board of The Digital Coast Roundtable and
Board of Directors of The Liberty Hill Foundation.
13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
ONE THING
Jill Sprecher
After toiling for a dozen years in the New York film industry, Jill Sprecher
broke through to the ranks of writer-directors with the independent feature
Clockwatchers (1997). Raised in Madison, WI, Sprecher stayed close to home
for college, studying philosophy and literature at the University of
Wisconsin's Madison campus. Relocating to New York City after college,
Sprecher earned a graduate degree in cinema studies at N.Y.U. and got her
start in the movie industry as a production assistant on the cult favorite
Liquid Sky (1983). Remaining an avowed New Yorker, Sprecher worked as a
production manager and/or production coordinator on a number of New York-based
independent and studio productions, including Enemies, A Love Story
(1989) and Where the Heart Is (1990). A contemplative, personal work
interweaving five stories about fate and human connections, 13
Conversations About One Thing garnered good reviews at festival screenings
in 2001 and again on its release in 2002.
Karen Sprecher
Karen is a licensed clinical social worker and received her Masters degree
in the field from New York University. Before entering the film business, she
counseled teenagers in an independent living program in Chicago, as well as
adults and children at a community mental health facility in New York City.
Karen has worked as a production coordinator on independent features and
afterschool television specials, and has taught screenwriting at the Scarsdale
Young Writers’ Conference. In addition to co-writing Clockwatchers she
served as the film’s co-producer. Thirteen Conversations About One Thing,
which she co-wrote with her sister Jill, was named one of the ten best films
of 2002 by the National Board of Review.
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
Donald O'Connor
A bubbly, youthful teenaged lead of minor Universal musicals in the 1940s,
Donald O'Connor, an excellent dancer and eager clown, later co-starred
opposite Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds in the now classic Singin' in the
Rain (1952). He also starred with a trained mule in the Francis the
Talking Mule series. His high-energy style, boyish manner earned him
success in adult roles in the 50s. Most modern audiences noticed O'Connor for
his role in Barry Levinson's lavish Toys (1992), as the toy mogul
father of Robin Williams' character.
Cyd Charisse
She has been called the definitive female icon of American dance. Her
unforgettable contributions to the Golden Age of MGM Hollywood musicals
include such favorites as Silk Stockings, The Bandwagon,
Brigadoon, and the classic Singin’ In The Rain. She starred
alongside two of the greatest male dancers in film history, Fred Astaire and
Gene Kelly. Her innovative approach to the dance coupled with her sensuous
appeal has made her an all-time audience favorite. She has been married to
singer Tony Martin since 1948. In 2000 Cyd was presented with the very first
Nijinsky award for her lifelong contributions to the world of dance.
OTHER FESTIVAL GUESTS INCLUDE:
Michael Barker
Michael Barker is the Co-President and Co-Founder of Sony Pictures Classics -
a company that distributes, finances and produces independent films from
America and around the world. Recent successes include CROUCHING TIGER,
HIDDEN DRAGON, POLLOCK, SWEET AND LOWDOWN, ALL ABOUT MY
MOTHER and THE TAO OF STEVE. Previously he co founded Orion
Classics in 1983. He and his partners have been associated with films that
have been nominated for a total of 67 Academy Awards, winning 17. Born in
Nuremberg, Germany, Mr. Barker holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the
University of Texas.
Lorr Kramer, Director of Special Technical Projects at Digital Theater
Systems (DTS). Lorr Kramer joined DTS in 1996 where he serves as Director,
Special Technical Projects, working with both engineering and marketing
departments supporting entry into new technical areas, as well as lending
technical support to a variety of marketing activities.
Brand Fortner, Senior Research Scientist, Applied Physics Laboratory,
Johns Hopkins University.
Dusty and Joan Cohl, founder of Toronto Film Festival and Floating Film
festival.
Steve Garfinkel, Regional Account Manager of Feature Films for Kodak
(US East).
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas is a film critic for "Variety" and "Indiewire.com." A graduate
of the USC School of Cinema-Television (where he served three proud years as
film-section editor of the Daily Trojan newspaper), his writing has also
appeared in "Cinema Scope," "Cahiers du Cinema" and the "L.A. Weekly." In
2003, he served on the short films jury at the Sundance Film Festival.
Chris Gore
Chris Gore has built a solid reputation as the hilariously honest and
down-to-earth founder of the legendary Film Threat (www.filmthreat.com).
He is also the author of “The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide,” which
has fast become the bible for filmmakers hoping to launch careers on the
festival circuit. In addition to being a noted speaker and author, he has been
featured as a commentator on numerous television shows including the E! True
Hollywood Story, the FOX Network, MTV, the Independent Film Channel, and he is
currently the host of “Festival Pass with Chris Gore” for Starz. Having
attended over 100 film festivals since the age of 12, Chris is a
self-described Film Activist and a champion of independent films.
Larry Meistrich
CEO, Film Movement
Lawrence Meistrich, age 35, is the Chief Executive Officer of Film Movement,
LLC. Meistrich founded and served as CEO of Shooting Gallery, a premier
independent film studio and entertainment production company, from its
inception in 1990 until 2001. He has been involved in the production of more
than 100 films, commercials and music videos. At Shooting Gallery Meistrich
also created Gun for Hire, a comprehensive production and post-production
operation with facilities in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Toronto and
Vancouver. He has served as producer on numerous award-winning and nominated
films, including the 1996 Academy Award winning film, Sling Blade, and
the Academy Award nominated You Can Count On Me.
Films produced by Shooting Gallery won more awards than those of any other
independent film studio (including Academy for Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences and the Sundance, Cannes, Venice and Montreal Film Festivals) over
its eleven-year history, including You Can Count On Me, Sling Blade,
The Minus Man, Henry Fool, Niagara Niagara, and Laws
of Gravity. Meistrich also created the Shooting Gallery Film Series, the
groundbreaking, first-ever commercially launched film series, which included
films such as Croupier, Judy Berlin and A Time for Drunken
Horses.
Meistrich received the 1998 Crain's Small Business Award and the 1999 Ernst &
Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in New York. He currently serves on the
board of the New York Production Council.
Lisa Nesselson
Lisa Nesselson is the Paris-based correspondent for Variety and other
publications.
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