City gives nod to film festival

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- The newly revived Newport Beach Film Festival received a

key endorsement yesterday when the City Council agreed to support the

idea and give it $7,000 to cover start-up costs.

The support of this new festival bodes well for its future survival

because strong community backing was an element the former Newport Beach

International Film Festival lacked.

Earlier this fall, the International Film Festival’s organizer, Jeffrey

S. Conner, shocked the community when he filed for bankruptcy.

Many involved with the former festival speculated that it fell apart due

to overambitious plans to draw international crowds and hold

celebrity-powered events, such as golf tournaments.

The revived festival has already announced plans to debut on March 30.

The scaled-down version of the annual event will run for one week in

Newport Beach.

The festival will feature films from around the world, including

features, documentaries and animations. In addition, it will host several

galas, industry seminars and sessions with filmmakers.

“We have already signed a handful of sponsors and this endorsement from

Newport Beach is a welcomed stamp of approval,” said Gregg Schwenk,

executive director.

Many local sponsors have stepped forward to support the effort, including

The Sports Club, The Mix 95.9-FM and Seagram Americas.