NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
The Newport Beach Film Festival will hold events daily through Friday.
Films will be shown in four venues: Edwards Big Newport, 300 Newport
Center Drive, Newport Beach; Lido Theater, 3459 Via Lido, Newport Beach;
and Edwards Island 1 and 2, 999 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach.
Unless otherwise marked, tickets are $7 and may be purchased by calling
(949) 253-2880 or online at www.newportbeachfilmfest.com.
TODAY
11 a.m.
According To Spencer
Lido Theater
o7 United States, 2001
f7 Director: Shane Edleman
Screenwriter: Marissa Ribisi, Meridith Morton, Shane Edelman
Cast: Jesse Bradford, Mia Kirshner, David Krumholtz, Brad Rowe,
Marissa Ribisi and Giovanni Ribisi
Running time: 97:00
o7 Spencer rents a room in a ramshackle mansion owned by two hipster
doofuses -- budding filmmakers who continually disrupt Spencer’s life as
they busy themselves shooting their most personal movie. They ask Spencer
to play the lead in return for rent-free living and he agrees, only to
find out that he is the star of a porn film.f7
Short Films: A Short Look At Us
Edwards Island 1
The Dangerous Love of Alfie Zeegman
o7 Alfie’s imaginary friend AJ comes up with movie plot schemes to
“get the girl,” but when he tries to put them into action the plans end
in injury to others.
f7
Both of Them (Tous Les Deux)
o7 The symbolic story of our world. Our Love. Our hate.f7
Jitters
o7 A horny ladies’ man convinces his somewhat-sexually inexperienced,
soon-to-be-married, best friend that he needs one last wild escapade
before tying the knot. f7
Infidel
o7 Unable to get it on with both his mistress and his wife, Mike
discovers his most intimate desires are trapped by his own
superficiality.
f7
It’s A Shame About Ray
o7 Ray drops dead while watering his lawn, and it is discovered that
his records in the afterlife are incomplete. He must then endure an
interrogation to determine his fate.
f7
Eight
o7 Through a series of sometimes comic and sometimes bitter
vignettes, the lives of eight strangers collide.
f7
11:30 a.m.
The Trespasser (O Invasor)
Edwards Island 2
o7 Brazil, 2001
f7 Director: Reto Brant
Screenwriter: Marcal Aquino, Beto Brant, Renato Ciasca
Cast: Marco Ricca, Alexandre Borges, Paulo Miklos, Malu Mader
Running time: 97:00
o7 A story of power, friendship and betrayal set in Sao Paulo.
Estevao, Ivan and Gilberto have been friends and partners for more than
15 years when Estevao threatens to break up the partnership. Ivan and
Gilberto decide to eliminate their friend by hiring a professional
killer.
f7
1 p.m.
A Fine Balance
Lido Theater
o7 United States, 2002
f7 Director: Brad Alan Lewis
Running time: 97:00
o7 An uncompromising, honest look at what it takes to compete for a
place on the U.S. Olympic rowing team -- one that is preparing for the
2000 Sydney Olympic team.
f7
1:30 p.m.
Nynke
Edwards Island 1
o7 The Netherlands, 2000f7
Director: Pieter Verhoeff
Screenwriter: Pieter Verhoeff
Cast: Monic Hendrickx, Jeroen Willems
Running time: 106:00
o7 Nynke Van Hichf7 to7 um was the pen name for popular children’s
book writer Sjoukje Bokmade Boer. When the reality of her life catches up
with her, she breaks down in this period piece about the role of women in
society.f7
2 p.m.
Short Films: Docu-Short O’Rama
Edwards Island 2
Testimony of Triumph
o7 The Pariser family hid out for more than three years in
Nazi-controlled Poland, and during this time they had many close calls
and escapes from certain death.
f7
Still Life: The Humanity of Anatomy
o7 A humanist exploration of the unstated but powerful relationship
between medical students and their cadavers.
f7
Decibels
o7 Alexis Jameson is a young, vibrant, beautiful woman. There’s just
one thing that’s different -- she’s hearing impaired. f7
A Place at the Table
o7 Eight teenagers gather around the fire to share their family
histories. What emerges is a tapestry of diversity and pride.
f7
Tow Truck Attack
o7 A man loses his temper when his car is towed, landing him on
“Judge Judy.”
f7
3:30 p.m.
Obaachan’s Garden
Edwards Island 1
o7 Canada, 2001
f7 Director: Linda Ohama
Running time: 94:13
o7 At 25, Hiroshima-born Asayo Murakami boarded a ship to Canada to
marry a man she had never met. Running away from a secret past, she
arrives in Canada a picture bride. Delicately peeling back the layers of
her grandmotherf7 ‘o7 s life, Linda Ohama presents a searingly powerful
and at times heartbreaking portrait of the times, as she discovers
Asayo’s past. f7
The Cabbie (Yun Zhuai Shou Zhi Lian)
Lido Theater
o7 Taiwan, 2001
f7 Director: Zhang Hua-Kun, Chen Yiwen
Screenwriter: Zhao-bin Su
Cast: Tai Bao, Hsiu-Ying Cheng
Running time: 94:00
o7 When taxi driver Su Daquan has a gun held to his head, it makes
him think about his life and his relationships with his family. He comes
to the realization that he has fallen in love with a young policewoman,
and he commits every moving violation possible just to see her. f7
5 p.m.
Par 6
Edwards Island 2
o7 United States, 2000
f7 Director: Grant Heslov
Screenwriter: Candice Levenson
Cast: John Carroll Lynch, Jeffrey Jones, Stephen Tobolowsky, Dylan
Walsh, Valerie Mahaffey
Running time: 88:00
o7 Walt Hegelman receives a message from the Great Spirit to build
the most amazing golf course in Valhalla, West Texas. A Par 6 course
rising majestically out of the land lost to Walt and his twin sister 20
years ago, when they were forced to leave town.
f7
X
Edwards Island 1
o7 Japan, 1996
f7 Director: Rintaro
Screenwriter: Asami Watanabe, Nanase Ohkawa, Rintaro
Cast: Tomokazu Seki, Junko Iwao, Ken Narita
Running time: 98:00
o7 In this anime film, the future of the universe rests on one young
man who must either destroy the Dragons of Earth or the Dragons of
Heaven.f7
6 p.m.
Cherish
Lido Theater
o7 United States, 2001
f7 Director: Finn Taylor
Screenwriter: Finn Taylor
Cast: Robin Tunney, Tim Blake Nelson, Jason Priestley, Liz Phair and
Brad Hunt
Running time: 100:00
o7 Zoe Alder, a love-starved animator, spends countless hours
listening to Cherish radio, losing herself in a syrupy romantic
obsession. She ends up driving a hijacked car, mowing down a policeman,
and being put under house arrest for two years. Zoe sheds her
rose-colored glasses and becomes her own super hero when she realizes she
is being stalked.
f7 * Spotlight screening sponsored by Fine Line Features. $10.
7 p.m.
The Best in West Advertising
Edwards Island 1
o7 Is a 30-second commercial a very short film and a way to break
into features? Ridley and Tony Scott, Michael Bay, David Fincher and more
all came from the world of commercial advertising and leaped to the big
screen. Best in West explores iconic advertising from legendary shops,
including Chiat/Day and Weiden Kennedy.
f7 * Gala sponsored by Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego Ad Clubs to
be held at the Hard Rock Cafe afterward. $20. Casual dress.
Short Films: Did Someone Say ‘Shorts’?
Edwards Island 2
The Fountain
o7 An elderly man discovers a fountain of youth in his backyard
greenhouse. He gives some water to his bedridden wife, only to find
unexpected consequences.
f7
Faithful
o7 A mysterious letter implicating Robert in a lengthy extramarital
affair sparks a conflict among three women: his wife, her sister and his
alleged lover.
f7
Empty
o7 At the end of World War II, two boys escape the death marches for
an even deadlier journey -- finding a way home. But they are not alone.
f7
The Book and the Rose
o7 When John Barnes acquires an old book filled with intriguing
handwritten notes, he begins a correspondence with its previous owner --
and it promises to be more than just an exchange of letters.
f7
Arrested Soul
o7 The true story about a life or death turning point in a
drug-addicted young man’s life. f7
Dog
o7 A young boy longs for reassurance about how his mother died. To
protect each other, he and his father hold their pain inside, where it
festers.f7
8:30 p.m.
Short Films: There’s Something Fun in My Shorts
Lido Theater
Bored of the Rings
o7 Has the addition of all the new Olympic events left you bored of
the rings? Watch the U.S., Russia and Australia battle for gold in the
latest Olympic event, penmanship.
f7
Battleship Contempkin
o7 Parisian lovers, trapped in their Left Bank apartment on a rainy
afternoon, play a humorously perverse version of the popular American
board game.
f7
Farmer McAllister’s Thinkin’ Machine
o7 Down on McAllister’s farm, there is a haggard man, a shed, an evil
wife and a bucket-headed robot; not to mention, a lust that will test the
limits of marriage and metal fatigue.
f7
The Deadline
o7 Three animators struggle to make a film as the deadline looms.
f7
Peeping Tom
o7 Teetering just south of puberty, Thomas Harris wishes to finally
see his dream woman naked. Thomas’ wish comes true, and he stays up all
night watching her, but pays the price.
f7
eMale
o7 To win the grand prize for the Squat-n-Win.com contest, Dale must
be welded inside his apartment, alone, for a year living entirely off the
Internet.
f7
Get Skinny
o7 Finally sick of media standards, three friends hit critical mass,
kidnap a model and force her to do the unthinkable.
f7
I Pie (A Love Story)
o7 A look behind the scenes as a master pie-maker works at his labor
of love.
f7
Flush
o7 An over-the-top comedy that propels human ingenuity and human
frailty to new levels, all in the name of love and hygiene.
f7
Pearl Harbor II: Pearlmageddon
o7 It’s the day after the day that will live in infamy.f7
Boobie Girl
o7 The onset of puberty has a young girl praying for larger breasts.
f7
Safetyman
o7 A 2-dimensional icon comes to life in this animated short.f7
9 p.m.
Dogtown And Z-Boys
Edwards Island 1
o7 United States, 2001
f7 Director: Stacy Peralta
Running Time: 90:00
o7 The high-flying vertical style of skateboarding is now such a
defining element of international youth culture that it’s hard to believe
it wasn’t invented by a skateboard manufacturer. In fact, it was invented
in the street, in a place called Dogtown, “where the debris meets the
sea.”
f7 * Spotlight screening sponsored by Sony Pictures Classics. $10.
Dress style is skate wear.
9:30 p.m.
Bad Trip
Edwards Island 2
o7 Canada, 2001
f7 Director: Walter Viveriros
Screenwriter: Walter Viveriros
Cast: Kells James, Brian Frank, Emanuel C. Albino, Daniel Viera, Arene
Johnson and Sandra Jukic
Running time: 88:00
o7 When a skater opens the cover of an adults-only comic book, the
animation comes to life.f7
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