RECENT STORIES

Large businesses calculate their carbon footprint ( Atineh Haroutunian )
Burn, baby, burn - 'Fahrenheit 451' goes onstage ( Gayle Bartos-Pool )
Caduceus Club makes Disney encounter ( Celine Petrossian )
Armenian Genocide descendants sue British company ( Diane Rumbaugh )

share a story | more postings »

YourHub.com \\ Glendale \\ Stories \\ Entertainment \\ Movies

Local filmmaker wins Abbot Award

e-mail to a friend | print this | link to this

NEXT › ‹ PREVIOUS

Contributed by: Kris Ellenberg on 3/20/2007

The Other Venice Film Festival (OVFF), a community event dedicated to screening full-length, short and experimental films that embody the spirit, energy and diversity of Venice, celebrated its fourth season showing 90 films, including 60 world premieres, March 15 to 18 to sell-out crowds at two screening venues in Venice - the Electric Lodge and Switch Studios.

Oscar(r) winner Tony Bill (Best Picture, "The Sting," 1973) received
the Local Maverick Spotlight Abbot Award (named after Venice, CA
founding father, Abbot Kinney) from the inaugural recipient, actor and
Venice local Chris Mulkey in front of a packed house at the Electric
Lodge at the festival's closing ceremonies on Sunday.A celebrated
constituent of the Venice art community, Tony is a member of the
Producer's Guild of America Hall of Fame, and is known for his work as
director, producer and actor. He joined previous Local Maverick
Award-winners Roger Corman, Stacy Peralta and the aforementioned
Mulkey.

"Nothing pleases me more than being dubbed a maverick - I like to
think I still am," said Bill on receiving his Abbot Award."When I
first came to Venice 30 years ago, there was no one to be seen on the
boardwalk - it was completely empty, which shows you how much Venice has changed."

Bill went on to thank his family in the audience, including wife Helen
Bartlett (who produced NORTH COUNTY in 2006 which, coincidentally,
co-starred Mulkey) and brought his two young daughters on stage to
help him present Myrna Loy Awards from the Venice Community Trust to four student filmmakers from Venice High School:Jesse Enriquez, who won a new skateboard; and Lauren Oei, William "West" Fort and Nancy Melchor who received cash prizes.Named after the star of THE THIN MAN and many other classic films who attended Venice High School, the Myrna Loy Award is just one way the Venice Community Trust supports its mission of nurturing creativity through arts and education.

Mark Antonio Grant, the Venice Deputy, presented the Other Venice Film Festival and its Co-Founders, Gary Ellenberg, AJ Peralta and Ruby DeLaCasas, with a Certificate of Recognition on behalf of the Los
Angeles City Council and Council Member Bill Rosendahl in recognition of their contributions to the local arts and culture scene over the
last four years.

Then it was time to celebrate the filmmakers.This year for the first
time, the OVFF awarded Abbots in a new competitive category for
documentary films.The Most Excellent Short Documentary Abbot went to the World Premiere film DOWNWINDERS: THE PEOPLE OF PAROWAN by Jake White of Larchmont Village.The film takes an intimate look at the effects of nuclear weapons testing in many southern Utah towns. White was inspired to make the film after discovering the circumstances surrounding his father's death at age 53 in his hometown of North Platte, NE. Another World Premiere film won Most Excellent Feature Documentary honors -- BEHIND THE MASK by Shannon Keith, an animal rights attorney and filmmaker of North Hollywood, for her film highlighting the true stories and gripping undercover video of animal liberations.

Shannon Keith was born and raised in Studio City, where she still maintains an office, and now lives in nearby North Hollywood. Here's what she had to say about the OVFF and her Abbot win:

"I was so thrilled and excited to win! This was the movie's and my
first festival win, so it has a special place in my heart. All of the OVFF
volunteers were so great, as well as the people I met who put the
festival together. I was impressed with the brave choice of films and the diversity and social consciousness of the films exhibited in your festival. Because of those choices, the OVFF will be a favorite festival among
filmmakers, also for it's commitment and dedication to the independent
filmmaker. I am grateful that my film was recognized, particularly because I know that it is not easy to watch at times, but as you recognized, the importance of its message outweighs any uncomfortable feeling people might have in watching the abuse the our animal friends endure every day. This Award is dedicated to the animals whose voices this movie expresses."

In the short film category, the Audience Choice Abbot Award went to
AVAILABLE MEN by David Dean Bottrell a native of Louisa, KY who lives in West Hollywood and is known for his reoccurring role as the creepy "Lincoln Meyer" on BOSTON LEGAL.The Most Excellent Abbot Award went to writer/director Luis Fernandez Reneo of Studio City for his touching film based on the true story of three siblings crossing the
U.S. border from Mexico entitled A BETTER LIFE.

The Audience Choice Abbot Award for music video went to Silver Lake
directors Jethro Rothe-Kushel and James Naish for BRIDGE, the debut
single by up-and-coming LA hip hop collective THE LIBRA PROJECT, which made its World Premiere at the OVFF.

The Audience Choice Abbot Award for feature film went to the World
Premiere of CAKE: A WEDDING COMEDY by actor, producer, director and writer Will Wallace, a native of Austin, TX who resides in Beverly
Hills.

The Most Excellent Feature Abbot Award went to THE RAT THING
( www.TheRatThing.com) directed by native New Yorker and 20-year Venice resident, Kevin Keresey who also wrote and stars in the film along side Michael McGee, also of Venice (by way of St. Paul, MN). The pair play two down and out friends living in Venice, CA who hatch a wild "get rich quick" scheme involving one of them being bitten by a rat in a major supermarket in hopes of winning an outrageously huge
settlement. What transpires is a perfect example of "the best laid
plans of mice and men" going astray in one comic turn after another
until finally, depravity gives way to humanity.

A highlight of this year's OVFF was the first 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
featuring Steven Weber of STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP in the leading
role along with Camryn Manheim, Chris Mulkey, Paul Johannson, Ben
Parrillo, Will Wallace, Mike Wiles, Chris Leary, Sean Fenton, Karen
Landry-Mulkey, Zak Kintner, Jason Manns, Chris Bouffard, Isaiah
Mustafah, Ameila Mulkey, Elizabeth Mulkey and Jessie Gilbert.OVFF
also featured the one woman art show -- "From Under My Bed" -- an
exhibition or artworks by long-time Venice local, actress and artist
Karen Landry-Mulkey, which will be up through April 15 at the Electric
Lodge.

More than 90 filmmakers showed their work at this year's festival up
from 75 in 2006, 40 in 2005 and 17 during the sell-out inaugural 2004
season.

Venice, CA has always been 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 Los Angeles
together in a competitive, fun-filled weekend of movies and mayhem.
Art direction for the 2007 Other Venice Film Festival was provided by
Miyuki Takazono ( www.takazono.com). Abbot Award photography was
provided by Danelle Rondberg ( www.danellephoto.com). For more images
and information The Other Venice Film Festival and its co-founders
Ruby De La Casas, Gary Ellenberg and AJ Peralta, go to
www.othervenicefilmfest.com .

[Report this as objectionable content.]

SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above story