Film festival, take two

Greg Risling

NEWPORT BEACH -- If the saga of the Newport Beach International Film

Festival had been made into a movie, the full-length feature would be

reaching its crescendo right about now.

After suffering a bout with bankruptcy, the upcoming eight-day

extravaganza now has the opportunity to be remembered for its successful

rebirth rather than a fade to black.

The festival’s new leadership group, comprising local business owners and

educators, recognizes the importance of the revitalized event’s debut

next month.

But they also say they are up to the challenge.

“There is a great deal of pressure to succeed, but also a great deal of

excitement,” said Gregg Schwenk, the festival’s new executive director.

“It’s critical for the community and businesses to come together for the

benefit of the festival. Our goal for this year is to exceed the

expectations of our filmmakers, sponsors and community as a whole.”

As such, organizers have dedicated themselves to promote a festival that

boasts high-quality films and a beautiful backdrop -- one that’s close to

the hub of the movie industry.

They have shrugged off the stigma of the old festival, which appeared to

be headed in the right direction until founder Jeffrey Conner filed for

bankruptcy last September. Schwenk said some people have asked about the

operation.

“There has been some concern about who is involved with the festival, but

it melts away,” he said. “Those involved in the old festival feel we are

light years ahead of the past model.”

With Conner gone, the 20-member board of directors has taken a different

approach. The festival will be scaled back from 10 days to eight and all

of the films will be shown at Newport Beach venues. In past years, some

of the movies were shown throughout Orange County.

Perhaps the most significant change is the grade of film attendees can

expect to see this year. While organizers will stick to its menu of

independent and international films, the competition to gain entry is a

bit tougher.

“I think a lot of films chosen in previous years won’t make it this

year,” said Robert Cano, one of the four programmers reviewing hundreds

of submissions. “It’s not about being more commercial, but having a

better quality of films. It’s quite a nice dilemma to be in, really.”

Several group members, including Cano, attended the star-studded Sundance

Film Festival last month in Park City, Utah. There they spoke with

directors and actors about their hometown festival.

Cano said they have received 16 films that were shown at Sundance, but

eight of the entries have been turned down.

One of the films scheduled to be shown in Newport Beach, “Long Night’s

Journey Into Day,” was the winner of Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize. The

movie explores injustice in South Africa, a country torn apart by

apartheid for more than half a century.

Does than mean the new philosophy will squeeze out the lesser-known

films?

“We aren’t trying to eliminate anyone,” Cano said. “We are trying to find

another way that some of those films can be shown.”

There will be about 50 features and 100 short films selected for the

festival. Several have been tentatively scheduled already, including “A

Lesser Evil,” a film about four friends who were responsible for a

22-year-old murder, and “Six Days in Roswell,” which looks at the

infamous town known for its UFO sightings.

The final list of films will be released next week.

“I think we have a stronger representation of independent films than in

past years,” Schwenk said. “You have only one opportunity to remake

yourself. We want to make the first step a good one.”

FYI

* WHAT: Newport Beach International Film Festival

* WHEN: March 30 to April 6* WHERE: Edwards Theatres in Fashion Island

and the Orange County Museum of Art* LOG ON TO:

o7 www.newportbeachfilmfest.comf7