Newport Beach Film Festival
TODAY
FEATURE FILMS
* EDWARDS ISLAND 7 CINEMAS
11:30 a.m.
“Love Happens”
United States, 1999
Dir.: Tony Cookson
Prod.: Bent Morris
Cast: Jenica Bergere, Ken Marino, Megyn Price
Running time: 88 minutes
Theatrical release scheduled in May
Attended by director
Woman constantly switches boyfriends, obsesses over their flaws
1:15 p.m.
“You Can Thank Me Later”
United States/Canada, 1999
Dir.: Shimon Dotan
Prod.: Shimon Dotan, Netaya Anbar
Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Mary McDonnell, Amanda Plummer
Running time: 110 minutes
Sibling rivalries and hard-hitting comedic look at narcissism in the ‘90s
3:30 p.m.
“Yesterday’s Children”
Philippines, 1999
West Coast premiere
Dir.: Carlos Siguion-Reyna
Prod.: Carlos Siguion-Reyna
Cast: Carlo Aquino, Pen Medina, Ara Mina, Patricia Ann Roque, Jennifer
Sevilla Ray Ventura
Running time: 89 minutes
It’s El Nino time, a season ruled by superstition and fear. Villagers go
hungry. And a boy dies from a snakebite.
5:45 p.m.
“Broken”
United States, 1999
Dir.: Elle Travis-Peterson
Running time: 29 minutes
True tale of couple arrested while on surf trip in Mexico; lives are
changed forever and an unlikely hero is born
6:15 p.m.
“Bajo, California -- The Limit of Time”
Mexico, 1999
Dir.: Carlos Bolado
Prod.: Imcine Sincronia Productions
Cast: Damian Alcazar, Jesus Ochoa, Fernando Torre Laphan
Running time: 96 minutes
Screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Winner for Best Feature Film at
recent L.A. Latino Film Festival.
Spiritual and physical odyssey of man traversing sand-ravaged coastline,
searching for his indigenous grandmother’s grave and a reckoning with his
soul
8 p.m.
“Americanos: Latino Life in the U.S.”
West Coast premiere
United States, 2000
Dir.: Susan Todd, Andrew Young
Prod.: Nick Athas, Edward James Olmos
Cast: Documentary featuring Aida Alvarez, Tito Puente, Carlos Santana
Running time: 89 minutes
Winner of Best Cinematography at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Attended by producers
Contests myth of monolithic Latino culture and explores the country’s
diverse people who are designated Latino
10 p.m.
“Crashing Eden”
United States, 1999
Dir.: Dean Alioto
Prod.: Dean Alioto, Trish Moreno
Cast: Paul Ghiringhelli, Jodi Verdu, Rick Williams, Alecia Derwin
Running time: 80 minutes
Winner of the Audience Choice Award at both the Santa Barbara
International Film Festival and World Fest/Flagstaff
o7 * Post-premiere gala
When: 9:45 p.m.
Where: Francoli’s Gourmet Imporio, Newport Beach
Cost: Movie and gala, $15f7
* ORANGE COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART
SHORT FILMS
o7 10 a.m. to noon
Filmmakers breakfastf7
Comedies
Noon to 2 p.m.
o7 Seven side-splitting shorts, followed by Q&A; with filmmakers and the
Little People; hosted by Scott Forrest of “Smash Cuts!”f7
“Tex, The Passive-Agressive Gunslinger”
United States
Dir.: Brian Sawyer
Running time: 11 minutes
In 1804, a new form of aggression came upon the land... so powerful, yet
so undetected, it would change the nature of conflict forever...
“Queen for a Day”
United States
Dir.: Gregg Coolidge
“The Honkworm Series”
United States
Dir.: Johan Liedgren and Noah Tannen
Not for the easily offended.
“Super Fans”
United States
Dir.: Tom Brunelle
Fanatics unite.
“Revenge of the Red Balloon”
United States
Dir.: Gregg Rossen
The balloon is back ... and he’s angry.
“Every Night and Twice on Sundays”
United States
Dir.: James Michael Hughes
The true story of Dorothy McHugh, the actress who appeared in the “I’ve
Fallen and I Can’t Get Up” commercial.
“Johnny Bagpipes”
United States
Dir.: Todd Korgan
Johnny Bagpipes knew he was destined to rock.
“The Small World”
United States
Dir.: Dean Biagg and Mark Efman
A parody of MTV’s “The Real World” done with little people.
Documentaries
2 to 4 p.m.
“Gray Matter”
United States
Dir.: Anthony Dominici
A medical examiner in Los Angeles conducts a tour of his profession,
complete with its emotional and philosophical underpinnings.
“The Wildest Show in the South: The Angola Prison Rodeo” United States
Oscar-nominated this year
Dir.: Simeon Soffer
“Conspiracy Rock”
United States
Dir.: Scott Rosann
Saturday morning cartoon lesson about earthly power and corruption
“Drunk in Public”
United States
World premiere
Dir.: David J. Sperling
Running time: 18 minutes
Story follows the tragic struggles of a young alcoholic who has been
arrested 190 times for being drunk in public
“Beyond the Screams”
United States
Dir.: Martin Sorrondeguy
Running time: 30 minutes
A look at Latino punk scene in the U.S. and how it is systematically
overlooked by much of the public
Off-beat films
4 to 6 p.m.
o7 These eight films tie into the theme of “G,” in one way or another
f7
“G”
United States
Dir.: Rolf Gibbs
Short but lyrical piece of cinema described as a thriller, horror film,
comedy, religious epic, tragedy, action flick OR a motion poem -- about a
camera dropped from 35,000 feet.
“This Guy is Falling”
United States
Dir.: Michael Horowitz and Gareth Smith
World’s gravity turns off accidentally and a nice guy saves the day.
“Officer Down”
United States
Dir.: Dan and Matt O’Donnell
One tense afternoon in the careers of rookie beat cop and a veteran
detective who cuts him a lethal amount of slack.
“Lost Cause”
United States
Orange County premiere
Dir.: Glenn Gaylord
A man with AIDS gets bumped and shuffled through the phone system of his
local health services organization in this seriocomic, split-screen
nightmare.
“Looking for Bobby D”
United States
World premiere
Dir.: Peymon MaskanTwo Damon Affleck wannabes have written “Taxi Driver
II” and must find Robert DeNiro to star.
“Der Rabe”
Germany
Dir.: Hannes Rall
Freely adapted from Edgar Allen Poe
“Big Canyon”
United States
Dir.: David Agosto
Rules of the road for young lovers: always keep moving, always move fast,
always think of the worst case scenario.
“Falling”
United States
Dir.: Aaron Rhodes
Extraordinary and comic story of filmmaker Rolf Gibbs attempting to
capture feeling of falling from heavens
Women in film
6 to 8 p.m.
o7 Dramatic, comedic and animated shorts, celebrating women filmmakers.
Q&A; follows with the filmmakers and a panel from Women in Film
f7
“Jack and Jill”
United States
Dir.: Chase Carter
Mutation of classic nursery rhyme
“That Strange Person”
United States
Dir.: Eileen O’Meara
What happens when you catch your face in the mirror and wonder: Who is
the strange person looking at me?
“The Hat”
United States
Dir.: Julia Jordan and Terry StaceyLonely young woman opens an
elaborately wrapped hat box left in her care by a handsome gentleman
“The Velvet Club”
United States
Dir.: Hana C. Ogawa
Running time: 13 minutes
Musical drama about a night in a swanky, timeless cabaret
“Graham’s Diner”
United States
Dir.: Courtney ByrdA cynical, bitter photographer who has essentially
given up on life
“This is for Betsy Hall”
United States
Dir.: Hope E. Hall
Lovingly constructed portrayal of the filmmaker’s anorexic and bulimic
mother
“Pigeon Within”
United States
Dir.: Emily Hubley
Young woman’s unexpected encounter with her guardian angel -- or was it?
“Pharaoh’s Heart”
United States
Dir.: Sara Pratter
Based on D.H. Lawrence’s “The Rocking-Horse Winner”
“Smash Cuts!” comedy fest
8 to 10 p.m.
o7 Hilarious, dramatic and twisted ride through award-winning series
from festivals throughout the world; Q&A; follows with filmmakersf7
“Burning Passion”
United States
Dir.: Brian Belefant
Boy, 14, discovers he suffers from a bizarre sexual dysfunction: he
ejaculates fire.
“Sour Death Balls”
United States
Dir.: Jessica Yu
Careful what you put in your mouth
“Airtime,” United States
Dir.: Rolf Kestermann
An ambitious young woman interferes with a televised execution
“Negative Forces, Witchcraft and Idolatry”
United StatesDir.: James Sommerville
Unpredictable documentary about solitude, real life, fear and excitement
“Gas Huffin’ Bad Gals!”
United States
Dir.: Harry McCoy
A “Faster Pussycat” noir-a-gogo style romp
“Spider in Love: An Arachnogasmic Musical”
United States
Dir.: Martha Colburn
Flat-puppet animation of wickedly webbed She Spider; outstanding dance
numbers
“How to Land a Man”
United States
Dir.: Donovan Cook
Violence is sweet revenge fantasy
“Spiral”
United States
World premiere
Dir.: Jeffrey NicholsonDavid has a real bad day
10 p.m. to midnight
“Candyflipping”
United States
World premiere
Dir.: Paul Minor
Young man’s hyper-kinetic trip through consciousness
“The Cannabis Conspiracy”
Amsterdam
West Coast premiere
Dir.: Kenya Winchell
Hemp TV Rockumentary takes you behind the scenes of Koffieshops of
Amsterdam.
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