A schedule of events through Monday. Films...

A schedule of events through Monday. Films will be shown at six

venues: Edwards Big Newport, 300 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach;

Lido Theater, 3459 Via Lido, Newport Beach; Edwards Island Cinemas

(two theaters, designated either Blue or Gold), 999 Newport Center

Drive, Newport Beach; Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente

Drive, Newport Beach; Adventures at Sea Theaters, 3101 West Coast

Highway, Newport Beach. Unless otherwise marked, tickets are $8 and

can be purchased at the box office or online at www.newportbeach

filmfest.com. For more information, check the web site or call (949)

253-2880.

*Denotes special event

SUNDAY

11 a.m.

TRIBAL JOURNEY: CELEBRATING OUR ANCESTORS

Edwards Island -- Gold

United States 2003

World Premiere

A film by Scott Macklin

Attended by Director, Producer

* RUNNING TIME: 66:00

Twenty ocean-going dugout canoes representing 25 Indian nations

from the United States and Canada voyage from Vancouver Island, Puget

Sound and Washington’s Olympic Coast. We follow the canoes as they

meet at Neah Bay and continue down the coast to the Quinault Nation

in Tahola, host of this year’s journey.

THE MAGIC BOX (LA BOITE MAGIQUE)

Lido Theater

France, Tunisia 2002

DIRECTOR: Ridha Behi

SCREENWRITER: Ridha Behi

CAST: Marianne Baster, Abdelatif Kechiche, Hichem Rostom, Lotfi

Bouchnak, Medhi Rebii

RUNNING TIME: 90:00

Tunisian filmmaker Raouf finds that his marriage to a French

woman, Lou, is increasingly on the rocks with the cross-cultural

tensions that have risen between the once happy couple. Lou develops

a drinking problem amidst her loathing of life in Tunisia. Raouf is

then removed from his family when a European television network

commissions him to go on location and film a retrospective about the

influence of cinema on his childhood. This project causes Raouf to

reflect deeply on his youth.

THE HARRIMAN ALASKA EXPEDITION RETRACED

Orange County Museum of Art

United States 2002

Southern California Premiere

DIRECTOR: Lawrence Hott

SCREENWRITERS: Ken Chowder, Diane Garey

Attended by director, producer

RUNNING TIME: 110:00

A century ago, railroad tycoon Edward Henry Harriman decided to

take a little vacation -- one of the most ambitious expeditions ever

to be staged in America. Harriman invited 25 scientists, writers and

artists on a 9000-mile exploration of the coast of Alaska. In the

summer of 2001, a similar group of scientists, writers and artists,

retraced Harriman’s route, exploring some of the issues Harriman

faced, and some he couldn’t even imagine.

11:30 a.m.

PHYLANTHROPI (FILANTROPICA)

Edwards Island -- Blue

Romania 2001

DIRECTOR: Nae Caranfil

SCREENWRITER: Nae Caranfil

CAST: Mircea Diaconu, Gheorghe Dinica, Mara Nicolescu, Viorica

Voda

RUNNING TIME: 110:00

Ovidiu, 35, single, and still living with his parents. Although a

literature teacher, he gets no respect from his Mercedes-driving

students. He meets a TV spokes model Diana and presents himself as a

successful novelist, convincing her to go out with him.

Unfortunately, one night clubbing with Diana costs him an entire

month’s wages. Help arrives in the form of a “foundation,” run by the

mysterious Don Pepe. Overnight, the middle-aged teacher finds himself

“married” to Miruna, Pepe’s own assistant. With the cash thus earned,

Ovidiu begins running back and forth between fancy nightclubs and

slums, Ovidiu leads an exhausting double life.

12:30 p.m.

THE BURIAL SOCIETY

Edwards Island -- Gold

Canada 2002

DIRECTOR: Nicholas Racz

SCREENWRITER: Nicholas Racz

CAST: Rob Labelle, Jan Rubes, Allan Rich, David Paymer, Seymour

Cassel

RUNNING TIME: 95:00

Three kindly members of the Chevrah Kadisha, the traditional

Jewish society that prepares bodies for burial, welcome Sheldon when

he offers his services. The old men set about indoctrinating him into

their world, teaching him their ways. Sheldon has a different agenda

and soon sets in motion a complex scheme involving the theft of $2

million and the staging of his own death.

GOTHAM FISH TALES

Orange County Museum of Art

United States 2002

A film by Robert Maass

RUNNING TIME: 83:00

Stalwart fisherman, scientists, environmentalists, historians,

community organizers, and government enforcers all contribute to this

story. All manner of fish species from sharks to tuna to tropical

fish pass through the city. This remarkable story is told through

characters whose knowledge, humor and pathos make them people we care

about and remember.

1 p.m.

OT: OUR TOWN

Lido Theater

United States 2003

* DIRECTOR: Scott Hamilton Kennedy

* SCREENWRITER: Scott Hamilton Kennedy

* CAST: Teachers & Students of Dominguez High School

* RUNNING TIME: 76:00

A documentary about a Compton high school’s first theatrical

production in 22 years. With no money and limited resources, the

students at Manuel Dominguez High School tear into Thornton Wilder’s

1938 play “Our Town.” A powerful documentary that shows one tough

school’s ability to find strength and rejuvenation through an

American classic.

2 p.m.

A DREAM IN HANOI

Edwards Island -- Blue

United States 2002

Southern California Premiere

* DIRECTOR: Tom Weidlinger

* SCREENWRITER: Tom Weidlinger

* RUNNING TIME: 91:00

Two theatre companies, one American, one Vietnamese, came together

to stage the first performance in Vietnam of Shakespeare’s play “A

Midsummer Night’s Dream.” “A Dream in Hanoi” follows the actors,

directors, producers and technicians from both countries as they

struggle to overcome the obstacles of language, culture, ideology and

a history of war, on their journey to opening night at Hanoi’s famous

Opera House.

SHORTS (S20): What Wonderful Shorts

Orange County Museum of Art

* THE NISEI FARMER

A Japanese American farmer at a crossroads in his life.

* TOYO MIYATAKE: INFINITE SHADES OF GRAY

An elegant portrait of a photographer’s quest to capture the

beauty and dignity of everyday life.

2:30 p.m.

SHORTS (S9): HAWAIIAN SHORTS

Edwards Island -- Gold

* KAMEHAMEHA: A LEGACY RENEWED

A portrait of Kohala and the art conservator whose life was

changed by the people, the place and the statue they hold dear.

* KAHO’OLAWE-THE BREATH OF OUR ANCESTORS

An action group’s efforts to expand erosion control programs and

establish Kaho’olawe as the spiritual center of Hawai’i.

* KAMEHAMEHA: THE GREAT REVOLUTIONARY

Kamehameha, the first ruler to unite and conquer the Hawaiian

islands, will bring changes to his land and set the stage for

foreigners through his leadership.

* THE BIRTHING OF IOSEPA

The students and community of Ko’olauloa cooperate in the carving

of Iosepa, a 57 ft. double hulled Hawaiian Voyage canoe.

OUTPATIENT

Lido Theater

United States 2002

* DIRECTOR: Alec Carlin

* SCREENWRITER: Alec Carlin

* CAST: Catherine Kellner

Attended by producers, composer, director of photography,

principal cast

* RUNNING TIME: 109:00

Morris Monk writes a murder mystery while locked up in a mental

institution. His writing in part leads to his release. A new

therapist, Dr. Patricia Farrow, makes progress delving in to Morris’

past unlocking his secrets and thus seemingly fueling new chapters

for his manuscript. Eventually, Dr. Farrow realizes that Morris is

obsessed with her and that he is writing his story as his reality is

unfolding.

3:30 p.m.

LOLITA: SLAVE TO ENTERTAINMENT

Orange County Museum of Art

United States 2003

A film by Timothy Gorski

* RUNNING TIME: 60:00

When two species collide in the icy waters of Puget Sound, a storm

of epic proportions is unleashed: man versus nature; a barbaric hunt

leads to the death of five marine mammals and destroys the lives of

countless others. Six young orcas ripped away from their families,

sold to marine parks and shipped across the world enter into a life

of slavery. Three decades later, only one survives and she just

happens to be Miami’s biggest performer.

4 p.m.

IN JULY (IM JULI)

Edwards Island -- Blue

Germany 2000

* DIRECTOR: Fatih Atkin

* SCREENWRITER: Fatih Atkin

* CAST: Moritz Bleibtrau, Christiane Paul, Idil Uner, Mehmet

Kurtulus, Branka Katic

* RUNNING TIME: 99:00

A mild-mannered schoolteacher with no ambition for adventure meets

a beautiful and free-spirited girl at the local Hamburg flea market.

She convinces him that the women of his dreams will be carrying a

symbol which matches he one she gives him. Obsessed with this notion,

he embarks on a journey for Istanbul to find her.

4:30 p.m.

TIBET: CRY OF THE SNOW LION

Lido Theater

United States 2002

* DIRECTOR: Tom Peosay

* SCREENWRITER: Sue Peosay, Victoria Mudd

* RUNNING TIME: 100:00

The snow lion, a mythic beast of Tibetan legend, is emblazoned on

the Tibetan flag. An unprecedented wealth of spectacular footage has

been combined with provocative interviews, poignant personal stories

and shocking images to document the story of Tibet.

5 p.m.

THE BOOK OF STARS

Edwards Island -- Gold

United States 2000

* DIRECTOR: Michael Miner

* SCREENWRITER: Tasca Shadix

* CAST: Mary Stuart Masterson, Jena Malone, Karl Geary, D.B.

Sweeney, Delroy Lindo

Attended by director, producer, principal cast

* RUNNING TIME: 110:00

Mary Stuart Masterson stars as a woman who has given up on life

and seeks out the oblivion of prostitution and drugs. Her sister

(Jena Malone) is on the cusp of womanhood, but because of cystic

fibrosis will never grow to be an adult. In her attempt to save her

sister from slow suicide, she imagines a romantic world peopled by

magical characters, some of whom actually enter their lives.

SHORTS (S18): IRONCLAD SHORTS

Orange County Museum of Art

* LOCAL 40

While Americans mourned the loss of the World Trade Center,

hundreds of unnamed heroes stayed behind in the wreckage dismantling

the very buildings that many of them had helped build. This is their

story.

* STEEL HUG (CELICNI ZAGRLJAJ)

The rich and haunting history of Vinkovci, a German railway

station, as seen through the eyes of its retired railway workers.

6 p.m.

SHORTS (S8): THERE’S PRIDE IN OUR SHORTS

Edwards Island -- Blue

* NO PROM FOR CINDY

Gender issues run amok in this bizarre and hilarious short that

answers the burning question, “Can a shy young girl who’s really an

older gay man find love amid the emotional battleground that is high

school?” -- Marc Savlov

* CLAY PRIDE

A film about coming to terms with being clay. Or something like

that.

* ROCK BOTTOM

A lonely man and a young street hustler find themselves in a

sometimes tender, sometimes tense game of trust.

* BEND ME (DOBLAME)

A distant love story between unreachable women.

* BURL’S

The story of a 10-year-old boy’s experience with sexual confusion

when he encounters three flamboyantly dressed transvestites.

* SEX MARRIAGE, AND CHILDREN

A sexual fantasy turned reality leaves a marriage and friendship

in jeopardy.

* THE DRESS

Hard Kora prepares herself for a reunion date with her

ex-boyfriend while her clumsy roommates, Chinchita and Barbie-Q,

cause last minute problems.

* BREAKING UP REALLY SUCKS

A love affair that would make a sailor blush soon becomes a

relationship where sex becomes a no letter word.

* SIZE ‘EM UP

Teen jock Samantha finds herself in the unlikely hands of the “bra

ladies” who help her discover new things about breasts, femininity,

sexuality and how to improve her soccer game.

6:30 p.m.

SONG OF A JEWISH COWBOY / A HOME ON THE RANGE: THE JEWISH CHICKEN

RANCHERS OF PETALUMA

SONG OF A JEWISH COWBOY

Lido Theater

United States 2002

Southern California Premiere

* DIRECTOR: Bonnie Burt

* RUNNING TIME: 18:00

An intimate portrait of Scott Gerber, an unlikely mix of Yiddish

and cowboy cultures. (precedes “Home on the Range”)

A HOME ON THE RANGE: THE JEWISH CHICKEN RANCHERS OF PETALUMA

Lido Theater

United States 2002

Southern California Premiere

* DIRECTORS: Bonnie Burt, Judith Montell

Attended by director, producer

* RUNNING TIME: 52:00

This is the little-known story of Jews who fled the hardships of

Eastern Europe and traveled to California to become chicken ranchers.

Meet the idealistic group of Eastern European Jews and their

descendants as they confront obstacles of language and culture on

their journey toward becoming Americans. Jack London, California

vigilantes, McCarthyism, the Cold War and agribusiness all come to

life in this quintessentially American story of how a group of

immigrants found their new home, a home on the range.

PIPE DREAMS

Orange County Museum of Art

United States, Canada, Chile 2003

West Coast Premiere

* DIRECTOR: Enzo Mileti

* SCREENWRITER: Enzo Mileti

* CAST: Joe Pack, Ricky Bower

* RUNNING TIME: 105:00

For a few glorious days during the 2002 Winter Olympics, dreams

became reality. Following Ricky Bower, U.S. Snowboard Team member and

U.S. Aerials Team member, “Pipe Dreams” offers a richly compelling

documentary combining the universal themes of triumph and tragedy.

7:30 p.m.

LETTERS IN THE WIND (NAMEHAY BAD)

Edwards Island -- Gold

Iran 2001

U.S. Premiere

* DIRECTOR: Ali Reza Amini

* SCREENWRITER: Bayram Fazli

* CAST: Mohammad Taghi Hashemzasdeh, Karamarz Hashem Zadeh

* RUNNING TIME: 75:00

A group of soldiers from remote corners of the country are

mobilized to camp near Tehran. The young men struggle to coexist

under harsh and isolating conditions. Through anonymous recordings of

random strangers on a tape recorder, one soldier fills the void of

their everyday lives with promises of an outside world.

8 p.m.

TRIBUTE TO MACGILLIVRAY FREEMAN FILMS: 40 YEARS IN THE MAKING*

Lido Theater MacGillivray Tribute

Attended by Shawn Thompson, Greg MacGillivray

Greg MacGillivray’s accomplished career spans over 35 years and

includes cult classics, box-office darling and two Academy Award

nominated IMAX documentaries. His cinematographic eye developed

during his early surfing years in Southern California. This tribute

brings together some of the outstanding work of Greg MacGillivray to

honor his innovative and inspiring career.

A gala will be held after the tribute at the Hard Rock Cafe,

Fashion Island. $35. Tropical attire.

THE WONDER OF PHIL

Orange County Museum of Art

United States 2002

* DIRECTOR: Michael Stute

* SCREENWRITERS: Michael Stute, Michelle Stute

* CAST: Phil Shane, Debbie Bartz, Michlene

Attended by director, Phil Shane

* RUNNING TIME: 80:00

Phil Shane has played Orange County venues for more than 30 years

and has a cult following of loyal fans of his “One Man Legends Show,”

which he performs up to six days a week. Filmmakers spent more than a

year following Phil Shane to shoot their documentary that has both a

comedic edge and a dramatic punch, not to mention toe-tapping music.

8:30 p.m.

SHORTS (S12): SHORT-ANIMATION-O-RAMA

Edwards Island -- Blue

* GRAND-MA

An ancestral spirit, in the form of a talking bird, attempts to

impart valuable hunting lessons to her young, naive grandson.

* THE VISIT

A glimpse into the heart-wrenching world of a love affair between

a dentist and his patient.

* DUST TO DUST

A dust bunny must make the most of a thorny situation in order to

be freed from captivity.

* THE ERLKING

As a father hurries through the night, his son clasped in his

arms, the dark specter of the ErlKing tries to lure the boy away.

* SOMETHING SMELLS LIKE FISH

Action, romance and ... a cat?

* BUTTERFLY

An abstract expression of beauty, form and harmony.

* THE TOLL COLLECTOR

The story of a terribly deformed toll collector who longs to be a

ballerina.

* BIG CITY FISH

Trouble ensues for three former lab animals when the “Trail

Elves,” a sadistic band of girl scout wanna-be’s, take over Big City

for their annual charity drive.

* ETERNAL GAZE

A poignant story about an artist, his art and his inner turmoil.

Inspired by the life of Alberto Giacometti.

* SHAPES & TUBES

While whimsical piano music plays, abstract forms and shapes spin,

dance, fly and hop into tubes.

* THUNDER PIG

The story of Thunder Pig, the superhero with the spiffy hairdo,

the giant appetite for junk food and the fragile ego.

* STILTWALKERS

A solitary fisherman’s carvings and sketches seem to have a life

of their own- giving rise to a strange, surreal and ultimately

fragile two-dimensional world.

* LONELY BOY

A man, estranged from those around him, lives out his life utterly

alone.

* PARKING

A parking lot attendant loses his temper when his lot is invaded

by a blade of grass, and a furious battle ensues.

9 p.m.

SWEAT (SUEURS)

Edwards Island -- Gold

France 2002

* DIRECTOR: Louis-Pascal Couvelaire

* SCREENWRITERS: Louis-Pascal Couvelaire, Benoit Philippon,

Michael Cooper

* CAST: Jean-Hughes Anglade, Joaquim De Almeida, Cyrille

Thouvenin, Sagamore Stevenin, Nozha Khouadra, Thierry Ashanti, Hubert

Saint-Macary

* RUNNING TIME: 103:00

Noh, an air traffic controller, Victor, a ground crew member,

Harvey, an experienced truck driver and Simon, a psychotic hit man,

join forces to heist a fortune in gold from a North African Airport.

A frantic race against time begins as the four partners in crime

drive across the Sahara to make contact with the man who will turn

their loot into cash. With violent tempers at boiling point and the

cruel desert conditions causing innumerable problems, the trust of

each man is called into question.

9:30 p.m.

SOLITUDE

Lido Theater

United States 2002

* DIRECTORS: Susan Kraker, Pi Ware

* SCREENWRITERS: Susan Kraker, Pi Ware

* CAST: Patrick Belton, Mary Thornton, Ronne Orenna

Attended by directors, producers, director of photography, editor,

composer, principal cast

* RUNNING TIME: 99:00

Louis may be brilliant and he may be suicidal, but he has the keys

to the car. Hilary may be seductive and she may be falling apart, but

she is his sister. Louis and Hilary combine the vulgar and the poetic

as they badger, berate and bewitch each other. Louis has something

Hilary desperately needs, and Hilary has something Louis cannot live

without. Both will fight to the death not to give it to each other.

MONDAY

11 a.m.

SHORTS (S1): GANGS OF NEW SHORTS

Amy Edwards Island -- Blue

* RIDE

When a routine call goes horribly wrong, a young man finds himself

trapped in the back seat of a squad car with a killer behind the

wheel.

* GRACE

A tale about the choices we make and what we truly want our lives

to mean.

* BILL’S SEAT

A flat tire traps a New Yorker in the local bar of a small

Pennsylvania town.

* ONE

On the eve of their separation, the shared memories of two young

lovers coalesce in a single tragic instant.

* UNTITLED:003-EMBRYO

What began as a simple act of curiosity descends into madness as

Jason exploits other people’s dreams to fulfill his ultimate fantasy.

* GERANIUM PEACE (GERANIENFRIEDE)

An award-winning, darkly humorous mosaic of erect steeples, fuming

men, airborne children, seething neighbors, shrewish housewives,

enraged clouds and rampaging dogs.

* HEADS AND TAILS

Brought together in the local fish store, a beautiful woman, a

mystical little boy and the bond between two brothers renew a

fisherman’s interrupted faith.

11:30 a.m.

ANNE B. REAL

Edwards Island -- Gold

United States 2003

World Premiere

* DIRECTOR: Lisa France

* SCREENWRITERS: Lisa France, Antonio Macia

* CAST: Carlos Leon, Janice Richardson, Eric Smith, Jackie

Quinones

* RUNNING TIME: 90:00

Cynthia begins writing in her own diary after she is given “Anne

Frank: Diary of a Young Girl.” Her writing becomes both a personal

release and a means of enduring her troubled family. Deuce, an

up-and-coming rap artist buys Cynthia’s diary from her drug addicted

brother, Juan, without her knowledge. Eventually Cynthia discovers

that Deuce has been succeeding as a rap artist -- with her writing.

Cynthia confronts Deuce in a rap battle at a local club.

MIRANDA

Lido Theater

United States 2003

West Coast Premiere

* DIRECTOR: Marc Munden

* SCREENWRITER: Rob Young (IV)

* CAST: Christina Ricci, John Simm, Kyle MacLachlan, John Hurt,

Julian Rhind-Tutt, Cavan Clerkin, Matthew Marsh

* RUNNING TIME: 96:00

Frank (John Simm) is a librarian struck with love for a beautiful

stranger named Miranda (Christina Ricci). He reveals his feelings and

winds up in a whirlwind of intrigue. The enigmatic Miranda presents

many facades: she’s a businesswoman or a dancer in different

tellings, and though Frank enjoys the chase, he wonders if a working

stiff can maintain his hold on such an exotic creature. Miranda, in

reality a confident woman, is wedged in a complex set of schemes

between her mentor, Christian (John Hurt) and sleazy millionaire

Nailor (Kyle MacLachlan). She seeks solace with her slightly loopy

lover, but it’s anybody’s guess whether they’ll emerge unscathed from

this thicket of high-stakes agendas.

1:30 p.m.

JOYFUL PARTAKING

Edwards Island -- Gold

United States 2001

* DIRECTOR: William Moreing

* SCREENWRITER: William Moreing

* CAST: John Procaccino

* RUNNING TIME: 120:00

The hapless and hopeless former TV weatherman Walter Majeski’s

young son perished in a freak snowstorm that Walter had failed to

forecast. Other characters include an elderly woman who has fallen

and can’t get up; a beer-swilling unemployed factory worker; a lonely

spinster who fears that her best chance for happiness may, in fact,

be with her dog; and a lowly spider searching for a safe place in

which to build its home.

SHORTS (S5): ETERNAL SHORTS

Lido Theater

* REPOSSESSED

A haunted house hits the real estate market.

* BARRIER DEVICE

A researcher for a female condom study loses all objectivity when

she realizes that one of her subjects is dating her ex.

* VENGEANCE

A man has an ulterior motive for enduring the pain and discomfort

of acupuncture.

* APSARA

In the Cambodian countryside, a convicted murderer escapes from

prison to track down his daughter who thinks he is long dead.

* THE DIM REAPER

One night a young Grim Reaper decides to be nice to his customers

for a change. Boy does he learn ...

* CHAN CHAN

When Chan Chan realizes his mother has passed away, he falls into

a state of sorrow and abandons his little sister for the night.

* LAST NIGHT WITH ANGEL

A rising Hollywood development executive seduces a high-powered

literary agent in the hopes of advancing her career.

* THE UNFORTUNATE TRUTH ABOUT LIFE

A manic rant about all that is wrong, but inevitable and

permanent, with life.

2 p.m.

FLYFISHING

Edwards Island -- Blue

United Kingdom 2003

U.S. Premiere

* DIRECTOR: David Williams

* SCREENWRITERS: Neil Warhurst, Paul Barnhill, Roger Thomas

* CAST: Kate Ashfield, Frances Barber, Helen Baxendale, Nicky

Henson

* RUNNING TIME: 82:00

Two men become escorts. Their debts diminish, their problems mount

and their lives fall to pieces. While times have changed, some things

remain the same. Men and women still want the same thing: love.

STRANGE FRUIT

Orange County Museum of Art

United States 2002

* DIRECTOR: Joel Katz

* RUNNING TIME: 57:00

A documentary exploring the legacy of Billie Holiday’s song with

the same title. The history of the song’s creation and evolution,

tells a dramatic story of America’s radical past using one of the

most influential protest songs ever written. The saga brings viewers

face-to-face with the terror of a lynching.

3:30 p.m.

THE FLATS

Edwards Island -- Blue

United States 2002

* DIRECTORS: Kelly Requa, Tyler Requa

* SCREENWRITERS: Kelly Requa, Tyler Requa

* CAST: Chad Lindberg

* RUNNING TIME: 104:00

A story of longing and desire reflected in the relationship of two

best friends. When a self-destructive young man, Harper, returns home

on the eve of a court date that could send him to jail, his best

friend, Luke, zealously tries to protect him from his own undoing.

Living life to the fullest with his ragtag friends, a vulnerable

Harper finds unexpected comfort in Luke’s new girlfriend, Paige.

THE SHAMAN’S APPRENTICE

Orange County Museum of Art

United States 2001

* DIRECTOR: Miranda Smith

* SCREENWRITER: Abigail Wright

* RUNNING TIME: 54:00

Deep in the rainforests of Suriname, Dr. Mark Plotkin is racing

against time. New and remarkably effective medicines could be found

in the Amazon’s plant life, but the forest is disappearing. Even

worse, the tribal shamans -- healers and encyclopedias of rainforest

botany -- are the Amazon’s most endangered species.

4 p.m.

SHORTS (S22): SOMETHING FOREIGN IN THE SHORTS

Edwards Island -- Gold

* BREAKING AND ENTERING (EFFRACTION)

Two burglars break into an apartment and discover that it is not

empty; someone is locked in the closet.

* THREE CARD STUDS

Every action flick cliche takes a hit as a bizarre game of poker

degenerates into a wildly hilarious confrontation.

* O BEAUTIFUL

Two boys. One straight, one gay. One brutal, one brutalized. One

seeks forgiveness, the other acceptance.

* A FAIRY STORY

Madge and Tracy lead very different lives until their worlds

collide in a tale of innocence, experience and a handful of teeth.

* GOOD NIGHT VALENTINO

The true story of a dinner between silent movie idol Rudolph

Valentino and famed journalist H.L. Mencken, one week before

Valentino’s tragic death.

* HOW TO DO THE ASIAN SQUAT

A 1950s-style educational film that finally answers the question:

What is the Asian Squat?

* SEMMELWEIS

Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian doctor, struggles to impart to his

students his discoveries on how to prevent childbed fever.

THE MONTH OF AUGUST

Lido Theater

United States 2002

* DIRECTOR: Rex Piano

* SCREENWRITER: Scott Benefiel

* CAST: Mackenzie Astin, Ali Hillis, Randall Batinkoff, Candy

Clark

Attended by Director, Producer, Principal Cast

* RUNNING TIME: 93:00

Poor Nick is dumped by yet another girlfriend. His best friend Sam

sets him up on a chain of dates that all end with more humiliation.

Just as Nick is about to give up, he meets August, a waitress at the

local coffee shop. August is quirky and everything he never wanted in

a girl.

5 p.m.

L’CHAYIM COMRADE STALIN

Orange County Museum of Art

United States 2003

* DIRECTOR: Yale Strom

* SCREENWRITER: Elizabeth Schwartz

* CAST: Ron Perlman (narrator)

* RUNNING TIME: 89:00

A documentary about the Jewish autonomous region of Siberia.

Stalin artificially invented it in 1928 to create an alternative to

the religious expression of Judaism and the growing Zionist political

movement in the USSR. The State, during its heyday, attracted some

40,000 Jews. Strom takes his camera on a seven-day trip via the

Trans-Siberian Railroad with his interpreter and bodyguard Slava, who

is the grandson of Mikhail Kalinin, the first president of the USSR.

The endless train trip and the casual anti-Semitism of his Russian

fellow passengers immerse Strom in the experiences of the first

Jewish pioneers to settle in the region.

6 p.m.

THE ANARCHIST COOKBOOK

Edwards Island -- Blue

United States 2001

* DIRECTOR: Jordan Susman

* SCREENWRITER: Jordan Susman

* CAST: Devon Gummersall, Dylan Bruno, John Savage, Katharine

Towne, Gina Philips, Steve Van Wormer, Johnny Whitworth, Sabine

Singh, Richard Black

Attended by director, principal cast

* RUNNING TIME: 101:00

Puck lives in an abandoned East Dallas house with a group of

nonviolent yet rebellious folk. Things change with the arrival of

Johnny Black, a self-described nihilist who knows how to get what he

wants. Armed with “The Anarchist Cookbook,” Johnny lures the others

down a slippery slope. Puck is forced to decide what anarchy really

means.

SHORTS (S27): SHORT STACK

Lido Theater

* SAOIRSE

A woman’s struggle to keep the civil life she has created for

herself as she is tormented by her past.

* THE LEGEND OF RAZORBACK

A mysterious barber helps a silent, internalized little boy find

his voice and rekindle his childhood.

* RESURRECTION MARY

In the town Resurrection, Kentucky something strange has been

happening -- a string of mysterious disappearances stretching back to

the turn of the century.

* GREEN ROSE

The true story about the human rights of the Taiwanese people;

portrayed through only filmic language and music.

* MY LIFE AS A CLOWN

A young clown-in-training is faced with self doubt, an evil

professor, and the possibility of true love.

* THE BED

A young couple finds they can suspend the laws of physics in their

new bed, but are they willing to exercise the necessary restraint to

keep this unexpected boon?

* DELIVERED

A dark comedy about how bitterness and disappointment can drive

one to seek out life’s only real solace.

6:30 p.m.

SHORTS (S16): SATISFYING YOUR SHORTS

Orange County Museum of Art

* AMERICAN PIE: SLICES OF LIFE (AND PIE)

On America’s Back Roads, an award-winning food critic discovers

“pies with character and characters who love pie” as she seeks the

soul of the great American dessert.

* THE QUEST FOR LENGTH

A big story about a little problem.

7 p.m.

FINAL DRAFT

Edwards Island -- Gold

United States 2003

U.S. Premiere

* DIRECTORS: Oren Goldman, Yariv Ozdoba

* SCREENWRITERS: Oren Goldman, Yariv Ozdoba

* CAST: Michael Weston, Hamish Linklater, Emily Bergl, Laura

Jordan, Tristine Skyler

Attended by director, producer, writer

* RUNNING TIME: 96:00

Marty, having spent his early childhood in Israel, is an

ambitious, yet anti-social realist, whose honesty often gets him into

trouble. Harry is a passionate ideologist who believes even the civil

war in Rwanda is an anti-Semitic conspiracy. Working as editors

during the day, they use their spare time to develop their

masterpiece script that will take them to stardom. When Chad, their

health-freak, drug dealer friend arranges a meeting with one of his

clients, a head honcho at Misney Studios, Marty and Harry practice

the “pitch” that will surely win him over.

8 p.m.

DRIVE

Orange County Museum of Art

United States 2002

Southern California Premiere

* DIRECTOR: Mark Jeremias

* CAST: Mike Vallely

* RUNNING TIME: 55:00

Professional skateboarder Mike Vallely uses America’s landscape as

the inspiration to explore his views on the current state of

skateboarding and why he skates, why he fights to keep his place in

skateboarding, why he fights for skateboarding.

8:30 p.m.

THE GATEKEEPER

Edwards Island -- Blue

United States 2002

* DIRECTOR: John Carlos Frey

* SCREENWRITER: John Carlos Frey

* CAST: Joel Brooks, Michelle Agnew, Anne Bartencourt, John Frey

Attended by Director, Producer, Principal Cast

* RUNNING TIME: 100:00

A U.S. border patrol agent is vigilant about keeping the flood of

immigrants at bay. He goes undercover to expose the criminal nature

of Mexicans illegally pursuing freedom in America. The plan goes

terribly wrong and he ends up trapped within a drug ring. Forced to

live and work among the people he’s hated, Adam starts to see the

true nature of the people from whom he has tried to distance himself.

MERCI POUR LE CHOCOLAT*

French Spotlight

Edwards Island -- Gold

France, Switzerland, Spain 2001

* DIRECTOR: Claude Chabrol

* SCREENWRITERS: Charlotte Armstrong, Claude Chabrol, Caroline

Eliacheff

* CAST: Isabelle Huppert, Jacques Dutronc, Anna Mouglalis,

Rodolphe Pauly, Brigitte Catillon, Michel Robin, Mathieu Simonet

* RUNNING TIME: 99:00

Young Jeanne discovers that her origins may not be what she had

grown up to believe. Believing to have been switched at birth with

another newborn (the son of a famous piano player), she decides to

contact her supposed biological family to investigate the truths of

her past. The questioning leads to the discovery of a murder

committed many years before by the second wife of the musician and

the intrigue reveals an underlying hypocrisy in the lives of this

elite circle.

A reception will be held after the screening at the Wolfgang Puck

Cafe, Fashion Island. $20. Business casual.

THE TRIP

Lido Theater

United States 2003

* DIRECTOR: Miles Swain

* SCREENWRITER: Miles Swain

* CAST: Larry Sullivan, Steve Braun, Alexis Arquette, Jill St.

John

Attended by director, producer, principal cast

* RUNNING TIME: 93:00

Alan is a slightly neurotic Republican journalist. At the other

end of the spectrum is Tommy, a Texas native who relocated to

California to form OUT LOUD, a gay civil rights group. When the two

meet, they begin their journey together, learning about life, love

and heartbreak.