Banking on a good time

Last year, it brought “The Sting” and “Sexy Beast.” This year, the

third annual Newport Beach Film Festival will open Thursday with a

premiere rather than a retrospective, bringing Australia’s “The Bank,”

starring Anthony La Paglia, to Newport’s shores.

Among the highlights of the eight-day festival are a tribute to film

composer Elmer Bernstein, a reception for former Akira Kurosawa

cinematographer Shoji Ueda, a tribute to hometown success McG and an

evening with director/writer John Waters.

The films for the fest range from “Wild Flowers” or “Kytice,” a visual

stunner that reinvents Czechoslovakian fairy tales, to “Dog Town and

Z-Boys,” a documentary about the vertical style of skateboarding. Korea,

Latvia, Germany, Tanzania, Canada, Venezuela and the Philippines are just

a few of the countries the films come from.

Among the name actors who play roles in these, mostly independent,

releases are Armand Assante, Lisa Kudrow, John Stamos, Dan Aykroyd,

Brenda Blethyn, Shirley Jones, Johnathan Silverman and Alan Rickman.

Best of all, you never know who will show up. At many of the

screenings, someone from the cast or crew -- whether a director,

producer, screenwriter or cinematographer -- will be there to discuss the

film. Then, of course, there’s the free weekend series, “The

Collaborative Art of Filmmaking,” which sits you down with a panel of

creative experts.

Check the Pilot daily, starting Thursday, for film festival news,

reviews and a schedule. No matter what you like -- short films, long

films, sad films, funny films -- there is something for you in Newport’s

theaters this week.