Film festival calls it a wrap

Lolita Harper

The awards are out, the stars are gone, the galas are over, but the

show goes on at the Newport Beach Film Festival.

Although Friday was the grand award ceremony and gala event that

marked an end to the red carpet premieres, weekend showings of some

of the festival’s most popular films were still taking place.

For the first year, the festival is featuring “deja viewings,”

which are second showings of some favorite films, said Gregg Schwenk,

the festival’s chief executive and executive director.

“This is a new addition to the festival,” Schwenk said. “We are

really trying to give the community one more chance to experience the

festival and what we have here.”

Films such as “Born into Brothels” -- a documentary that follows

the children of prostitutes, pimps and drug dealers in the red-light

district of Calcutta, India, as they learn to look at their dismal

lives through the lens of a camera -- continued to show Saturday.

Curious filmgoers, and dedicated volunteers, continued to gather

Saturday at the various venues for these encore showing, or “deja

viewings.”

Rita Goldberg, the founder of the Premier Cinema guild, which has

become the largest cash sponsor for the festival, said the encore

presentations are a wonderful opportunity to make sure nothing is

missed.

“The ‘deja view’ is a great enhancement,” Goldberg said. “No

matter how many films you see, you always miss something. And then

you are heartbroken because they don’t come around again. Nobody

wants to miss anything.”

In only its fifth year, the Newport Beach Film Festival has made

quite a little name for itself, bringing in high quality films and

big-name actors, such as Alan Arkin -- the recipient of this year’s

lifetime achievement award. Arkin, who has starred in dozens of films

since 1962 including “America’s Sweethearts” and “The Slums of

Beverly Hills,” graced the red carpet Friday at the Radisson Hotel to

accept his award.

Today is the last day of the festival and will showcase the final

four of more than 300 films entered in the event.

After those, organizers will pack it all up, take it away and

start planning for next year.

* LOLITA HARPER is the Forum editor. She also writes columns

Wednesdays and Fridays. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or by

e-mail at lolita.harper@ latimes.com.