The 2004 Eighth Annual American Black Film Festival: Off the Chain!
By Cheryl L. Dixon
The Lincoln Theater, South Beach, Florida
What do I like most about the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), which took place in South Beach, Florida from July 14-18? Well, everything: the movies, Festival staff, programs, parties, and attendees, celebrities, the host hotels, Lincoln limousine rides, and the beach ... everything. There's a surprise around every corner, a chance meeting with folks from DC, as well as Jeffrey Wright, Bill Duke, Omarosa (the one who needs no last name), maybe a glimpse of Tracey Edmonds or "The Rock" (Dwayne Johnson who needs neither first nor last name), or an accidental bumping into Russell Simmons. Recall last year: "Looking for the glamourous life of movie stars? Want to stay in world-class hotels ... and mingle with the jet set while conducting the serious business of film and television in mighty swank venues? This is the place for you." This is ABFF.
The only thing that Festival Co-Creator and Director Jeff Friday and Festival Producer Reggie Scott could do to improve the Festival this year was to expand its programs, adding, for example, a Classic Film Series Award, the Time Warner Experience (featuring panels, like “Video Games: Taking Filmmaking to the Next Level,” which deserves special mention, recruiter meet and greet sessions, script pitch session, and even a booksigning) and more film executives and other program participants to the mix. For the Festival's all-important history, mission, structure, and full program details, please refer to the August 2003 Storyboard, and check out the ABFF website.
The Eighth Annual ABFF, again sponsored by Time Warner and HBO, featured independent, feature films, television world premieres, panel discussions, workshops, including an Actor's Boot Camp, and Filmmaking 101 courses, film screenings and competitions, including the HBO Short Film Competition, Feature Film Competition, the Lincoln Filmmaker Trophy, Blockbuster Audience Award, The World Showcase (non-competitive) and Documentary Section (non-competitive). Screenings were held at theatres in close proximity to the host hotels, the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, and The Royal Palm Hotel. The ABFF continues its tradition of holding great parties and receptions, providing additional networking opportunities, at the finest nightclubs and hotels in South Beach. Another Festival highlight is the celebrity-studded “Film Life Movie Awards” Closing Night Awards presentation.
Specific Programs
Classic Film Screening: Lady Sings the Blues with post-screening discussion with Writer/Producer Suzanne De Passe, A Conversation with... Jeffrey Wright, Panels, including Lackawanna Blues: From Stage to Screen, An Introduction to Digital Filmmaking and its Technology.
HBO Short Films, including The Memo (Daheli Hall), Hold Up (Tanya Boyd), Time Out (Xelinda Yancy), One Flight Stand (Saladin K. Patterson), Shooter (Todd Jeffrey).
Main Competition, including Men Without Jobs (Mad Matthewz), Justice (Jeanne-Marie Almonor, John Shulman), Gettin' Grown (Aaron Greer), Love Sex & Eating the Bones (Sudz Sutherland), Brother to Brother (Rodney Evans), Woman Thou Art Loosed (Michael Schultz).
World Showcase, including One Love (Rick Elgood, Don Letts), Strange As Angels (Steven J. Foley), Mindgame ( Shawn Martinbrough, Milo Stone), The Walk (Thomas Forbes), The Evil One (Parris Reaves), 30 Miles (Ryan Harper), Sugar Valentine (Jean Claude LaMarre), Love Shorts (Jonathan Woods), A Night in Compton (Daven Baptiste), My Big Phat Hip-Hop Family (Greg Carter), Love & Orgasms (Dana Offenbach).
Documentary, including Chisolm '72: Unbought and Unbossed (Shola Lynch), The Donnie McClurkin Story -- From Darkness to Light (Stephanie Fredric), African American (Askia Holloway), Beef II (Peter Spirer), Barbershops Uncut -- East Coast (Dabo Che).
The Industry and Consumer Expo, including SAGIndie, UrbanWorks Entertainment, Kodak, Writers Guild of America.
And the Winner is ... 2004 Awards
Rising Star Award: Rosario Dawson. Time Warner Innovator Award: Spike Lee. Classic Cinema Hall of Fame Lady Sings the Blues, accepted by co-writer Suzanne de Passe. HBO Short Film Award Xelinda Yancy, Timeout. Blockbuster Audience Award (tie) Love Sex & Eating the Bones (Sudz Sutherland) and Woman Thou Art Loosed (Michael Schultz). Hollywood Film Awards: Best Actress--Sanaa Lathan, Out of Time; Best Actor--Chiwetel Ojiofor, Dirty Pretty Things; Best Director--F. Gary Gray, The Italian Job; Film of the Year--The Fighting Temptations.
So, Who was There?
Angela Bassett, Bill Bellamy, Michelle Andrea Bowen, Kevin Bray, Jim Brown, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Rosario Dawson, Suzanne de Passe, Melissa DeSousa, Vin Diesel, Bill Duke, Vivica A. Fox, Nelson George, F. Gary Gray, Grant Hill, Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, Boris Kodjoe, Spike Lee, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, S. Epatha Merkerson, Elvis Mitchell, Kenya Moore, Richard D. Parsons, Tracee Ellis Ross, Shaun Robinson, Michael Schultz, Russell Simmons, John Singleton, Tamia, George Tillman, Jr., Guy Torry, Robert Townsend, Tamara Tunie, Courtney B. Vance, George C. Wolfe, and Jeffrey Wright, to name a few.
ABFF Favorites
Short and Long: A Selection of Favorites
By Cheryl L. Dixon
The Short
TV and screen actress Tamara Tunie (Law and Order: SVU and As the World Turns) hosted the 7th Annual HBO Short Film Award Opening Night Festival program. Five filmmakers' works, chosen by a panel of industry experts, competed for the $20,000 grand prize. Runner-ups received $5,000 each. The competition rewards and recognizes filmmakers of African descent, who have either written or directed and produced a short fictional film (30 minutes duration or less). The following were the five competition finalists: The Memo (Daheli Hall). A comedy about an office worker's attempt to entice her co-worker to get involved in the Revolution through the release of an office memo. My personal favorite short. Hold Up (Tanya Boyd). A college student undergoing a series of humiliating fraternity pledge exercises has an unexpected experience. Nice twist at the end. Time Out (Xelinda Yancy). A nine-year old's life changes after a classroom incident leads to the uncovering of family secrets. Winner of the Short Film Award. One Flight Stand (Saladin K. Patterson). A first date in business class on an airline. An amusing take off a one night stand. Shooter (Todd Jeffrey). A young woman faces a personal dilemma as police question her about her sister’s possible involvement in a shooting.
….and The Long
Executive Producer Reyad Ferraj and Writer/Director Mad Matthewz
I had the pleasure of seeing the film, Men Without Jobs and of meeting Writer/Director Mad Matthewz. This is a story about two slackers, one a musician, the other a gourmet chef, who learn to face their fears, decide what they want to do in the working world, take responsbility, and go for it after a long period of unemployment. In other words, two young boys grow up and become adult men. Sooner or later everyone almost everyone has to get a job. Brooklyn-born and raised, Matthewz cites Spike Lee, the Coen brothers, John Sayles, and Terrence Mallick as influences. A first feature, the film debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival to sold-out screenings.
"It's about making small changes that lead to big changes", Matthewz observed. This is a very personal story. When he was much younger, he was trying to figure out what he wanted to do in life. He had lots of friends, talented artists, who were on the same quest as they worked 9-5 dead-end jobs. These were writers and filmmakers working at the IRS pushing papers. “Creative people have fear committing to the arts,” he observed. He was 15 years old when he first saw Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It. He realized then that he wanted to follow in Lee's footsteps, but he also wanted to :raise the bar a little" by making movies that were a little different. Believing that the audience was ready for something different, he made this movie that is decidedly not “urban” (i.e., no gun violence, drugs, no racial issues). Currently there is interest in a distributor, but no deal yet).
This film, along with Beef II, a documentary by Director Peter Spirer and Executive Producer Quincy Jones III about the feuding in the hip hop business, beginning with Roxanne Shante's Response to the song "Roxanne, Roxanne"; and Woman Thou Art Loosed by Michael Shultz, a feature about a young woman's recovery from drugs, prostitution, and prison were my favorite competition favorites.
ABFF Conversations
Conversations with Robert Townsend, Suzanne de Passe, Bill Bellamy, and Jeffrey Wright
By Cheryl L. Dixon
The ABFF presents multiple opportunities, both formal and informal, to get up close and personal with many of the participating stars of stage and screen as well as film executives. I had an opportunity to interview Robert Townsend and Bill Bellamy, and also listen to interviews of Suzanne de Passe and Jeffrey Wright. Here are excerpts of these conversations, in which personal stories, background, and insights are shared and knowledge about the challenges and the opportunities both on the road to, and in, Hollywood gained.
Robert Townsend Talks and Plants Seeds
Renaissance man Robert Townsend wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the comedy, Hollywood Shuffle in 1987. Since then he has built a distinguished career in these various roles ranging from acting in A Soldier’s Story (1984), to acting and directing The Five Heartbeats (1991) to writing, directing, and acting in The Meteor Man (1993). He also created and produced TV variety shows, including the WB hit sitcom, The Parent ‘Hood (1995). Recent directorial efforts for TV include, Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001) and 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002).
Actor, Writer, Producer, Director, Comedian. He’s done it all and very well. “What’s next?”, I inquired, in an interview with ABFF Advisory Board Chairman, Robert Townsend, who also manages to find time to serve as the eloquent and witty host of several Festival events. Are you ready for his new position as President and CEO of the Atlanta-based MBC Network, the only African-American owned and operated cable TV network? He said that he envisions his role as comparable to that of Motown’s Berry Gordy, to find and nurture talent as he develops network programming. I coyly asked him who would be his “Suzanne de Passe” (creative assistant) and he mentioned Carol Hunter as a member of his team. He mentioned that he was very excited about the prospect of interviewing Ms. de Passe who would be present for a Classic Film Screening of Lady Sings the Blues, for which she received an Oscar nomination for screenwriting.
I next asked him how he initially became involved with ABFF. He responded that he had been part of a think tank that started in the early 80’s that included the Black Filmmaker Foundation’s Warrington Hudlin and ABFF’s Co-Founder Jeff Friday. In the early days of the ABFF, they would fly to Acapulco for discussions on the important film industry-related issues of the day and develop ways that they could celebrate the achievements of established filmmakers and film stars of African descent, acknowledge the rising stars, and encourage, teach and inspire a whole new generation of aspiring filmmakers and film stars. The past, present, and future all covered. He mentioned the importance of the presentation of Lifetime Achievement and Rising Star Awards and the expression of appreciation of such luminaries as Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Spike Lee, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Chris Tucker, and Russell Simmons, a virtual who’s who of Blacks in entertainment, who have been honored and recognized during the ABFF.
Townsend sees his role at ABFF, as nurturing and encouraging new talent, “planting seeds” if you will. The ABFF provides a fertile ground upon which the both the emerging filmmaker or star and the seasoned one alike can meet and greet, one group teaching and inspiring the next, and each other, all the while reaching out to a new generation of talent. He pointed out two good examples of this: Veteran Actor and Director Bill Duke’s commitment to teaching of the Actor’s Boot Camp program at the Festival for eight years; and at the Gala Film Awards, both the established and upcoming filmmakers are acknowledged and applauded on the same stage.
Finally, I asked him about how success is measured by the Festival. He pointed out that the ABFF has set specific goals and tasks, and it is achieving results towards their fulfillment. The workshops in acting and writing are thriving. Each year the Festival attracts more attendees and this year, there were over 2500 attendees and many sold-out programs. Festival sponsors reaffirm their commitment to supporting emerging talent. Townsend also mentioned that the Festival certainly benefits Miami economically.
I made sure to thank Mr. Townsend personally for being such an inspiring role model to countless others and for his tireless energy and enthusiasm for “the cause.” He responded in full song!
Townsend Interviews Suzanne de Passe at Classic Film Screening Screening: Lady Sings the Blues
As mentioned above, Robert Townsend could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of interviewing Entertainment Extraordinaire Writer and Producer Suzanne de Passe. He talked with her following the screening of Lady Sings the Blues (1972), part of the ABFF Classic Film Series, the “films we grew up on.” This film, which featured the Oscar-nominated acting debut performance of Diana Ross as Billie Holliday, the gifted, yet troubled jazz singer, also garnered an Oscar nomination for Ms. de Passe for Best Screenplay on her first screenwriting effort. Ms. de Passe received the Award for the Classic Cinema Hall of Fame Inductee, Lady Sings the Blues, from Tracie Ellis Ross, daughter of Diana Ross, at the Film Life Movie Awards.
Lady Sings the Blues sizzled with romantic scenes between Diana Ross and her love interest, Louis McKay portrayed by Billy Dee Williams, making him a matinee idol overnight. The film has unforgettable images depicting Billie Holliday in the throes of childhood abuse, drug addiction, the segregation of the era in which she lived, and wrenching experiences as she traveled as a then-unheard of “colored singer with an all-white band.” Comedian Richard Pryor also delivered a memorable performance as Holliday’s piano man. In all, the movie was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Actress (Diana Ross), costumes, score, screenplay, and art direction.
Townsend asked de Passe how she got involved with the project and she commented that as the Creative Assistant for Berry Gordy (Motown) she was asked to write notes and critique the film’s script, which she did. Gordy then asked her of she could incorporate those notes into the script as actual dialogue and she said that she “could try.” She commented that on looking back now at the film 30+ years later that there were some corny scenes, but that she had come to Motown as a writer and that this was her first film script. She also thought that Diana Ross had done an excellent job of acting in her first film, and that this was still a good story with its elements of comedy and tragedy and “everything but the kitchen sink.” She recalled Gordy’s fight for creative control and Billy Dee’s selection for his role despite having the worst screen test (he couldn’t remember his lines!). She thought that things turned out very well for them considering they were “hicks” from the Midwest (except for her!) and they were trying to approach the film in a different way, that was not in the tradition of blaxploitation. She said that Gordy had loved the score in the TV movie Brian’s Song and therefore hired Michel Legrand to score this film. Finally, she commented that Richard Pryor had been a Motown artist as a comedian and that the role of the piano player was created for him.
Townsend asked her what drives her in Hollywood. She responded “no” is a powerful motivator. She had been told “no” so many times, she set to prove that she could accomplish whatever task was set before her. Besides, she continued, she is an optimist and she loves her work and the process of it. An only child, she enjoys collaboration. She admitted, however, that the Oscar nomination ironically had a somewhat paralyzing effect. Whenever she wrote afterwards, she was haunted by the thought that it wasn’t “Academy Award material.”
She was very frank about her take on progress for African-Americans in the film industry. She thinks that while there has been progress, it is still a struggle despite lots of talented, geniuses both in front of and behind the cameras. She said that only through continuity can an individual’s work be allowed to manifest as it should. And until you run a studio or a network, it will be difficult to have continuity. She also said that the pressures for perfection remain. You “can’t fail.” After 33 years in Hollywood she does not believe that much has changed, but she believes [the situation] is going to change.
Her advice for anyone entering the business? She said that you have to really know if you want to be in this game. Never give up. You must be artistic, grounded, and business-minded. You have to make a decision that you love this business. Ahh, pearls of wisdom from one phenomenal industry pioneer who knows and loves the film business.
“No Excuses”: Actor/Comedian Bill Bellamy Gets Serious
I also had the pleasure of interviewing Actor/Comedian Bill Bellamy, star of Love Jones (1997), The Brothers (2001), and yet-to-be released Getting Played (2005). This was his first time at ABFF, as on previous occasions his schedule would not allow attendance. While he was there to make Festival attendees laugh ’til it hurt (which they did) at the Film Life Awards Gala, he did take time out to enjoy some of the Festival offerings, and he was impressed. Interestingly, our talk about the business film was more thought-provoking and serious.
He mentioned, for example, that despite his success, he found that it was “still a struggle…always a struggle, to get a good role, or the ‘right’ role.” Besides, he said that he wanted to make a certain kind of impact with the roles that he chooses--and he considered it a blessing to be able to choose.
He applauded the Festival programs and the opportunities they provide to support emerging filmmakers through events such as the HBO short film competition. He said that there can be no excuses for people who have an earnest desire to make a movie. He considers it very important to control one’s destiny. And yes, he does practice what he preaches. He is writing a vehicle for himself and trying to sell it. His project is an action comedy about a guy who has a lot of dreams and wants to make it happen. Bellamy says that he hopes that it will motivate anyone who has ever been poor and has a dream. He says that there is lots of stuff inside us, beautiful stuff inside that’s inside, where you find true humanity. It all comes out with striving, reaching towards a dream. “Everybody is a dreamer,” he said.
He also mentioned the importance of seeing good, positive images, for example, of two Black people in love. Of course, I had to mention that I had just seen the screening of Lady Sings the Blues and I assured him that the ladies still swoon at the onscreen chemistry between Louis McKay (Billy Dee Williams) and Billie Holliday (Diana Ross)! He loves good stories, goes to the movies a lot, and is excited about developing his own projects. I think that we can expect to see a little of the romance of Love Jones and a comedic look at men, women and their relationships as in The Brothers plus something new, exciting, and different in his future films!
A Conversation with Jeffrey Wright
“The body ‘talks’ in the theatre. You use your body to communicate.” These and other insights into acting technique were shared by Actor Jeffrey Wright with NPR Film Critic Elvis Mitchell who interviewed this phenomenal Golden Globe and Tony Award winner and recent Emmy nominee (all for the stage and screen versions of Angels in America. Film Society members might recall seeing his mother at the screening of Basquiat (1996). Jeffrey Wright has also portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King in Boycott (2001) and Peoples Hernandez in Shaft (2000).
Mitchell explored his background: his Political Science studies at Amherst, his involvement in the theatre, and his desire to do vital, relevant, political work. Mitchell asked him to comment about the movie, Basquiat and his portrayal of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Wright said that Basquiat was a person of “enormous potential power, original thought, and intelligence” and consequently “dangerous to greater society,” He received an Emmy for his portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Boycott, an HBO film, about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott. He spoke of watching the movie with Mrs. Coretta Scott King.
He also spoke eloquently about the actor’s working relationship between the ego and selflessness, which must be balanced when one goes on stage, as well as using the body to communicate. He mentioned that with his Hernandez character in Shaft, you have to cast the image of saying who you are, vs. being who you are. He also discussed the difficulty of preparing for his role as an “unapologetically gay man” in Angels in America, particularly for the intimate scenes. He recommended that the audience see his film, Ride with the Devil (1999) which he thought marketers did not quite know how to sell. The story is about a Black man who must ride with Confederate soldiers for survival. The audience participated in the Q&A following the formal interview. Two audience questions were: "What makes a good director?" and "How do you prepare for accents in your roles?"
In answer to the first question Wright said, "Intelligence and the great power of imagination. Like an actor, a good director must open and reveal the subtext of the script…show what’s not there. He must have great vision." About the accents, he said he loved language and grew up in S.E. and N.W. D.C. and Southern Virginia. He found tapes of Basquiat and listened to Caribbean accents to forge his Dominican accent in Shaft.
To understand Jeffrey Wright, as Mitchell observed, you have to see “an actor who holds space.” I found him to be reflective, intellectual, and stimulating. ABFF Co-Founder Jeff Friday predicts that he will be the next African-American actor to win an Oscar. We’ll keep our fingers crossed. In the meantime, watch for him in “The Manchurian Candidate” (2004).
Spoiled for Choice at Edinburgh
By James McCaskill, Storyboard Special Correspondent
You will be spoiled for choice at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival. Most international film festivals have much in common with an airport international arrivals lounge what with films arriving from all over the world. The heavy weights of film (USA, UK, France, Italy among a few others) are here in jumbo jet strength. The US with 19 films leads the list. Close behind, as you might expect from their number one festival, is the UK with 11 entries. Eight films have flown in from France and six from South Korea complete the major film makers.
Keep an eye out for some of these films either at next year's FilmFest DC or to be released throughout the next year.
Where will the surprise films from a small county come from? In the past unexpected pleasure have come from films from Chad or Bhutan. There is always one or two. Small countries with limited film resources have come up with enchanting films. This year will it be Armenia's Documentarist (Harutyun Khachartryan, 2003) or Finland's very funny Pearls and Pigs (Helmia ja Sikoja, Perttu Leppa, 2003)? Could it be the fascinating documentary on Icelandic actors trying to get their version of Romeo and Juliet on a London stage (Love is in the Air, Ragnar Bragason, 2004)?
Documentaries have come front and center in the last few years so it could be one of the three films focusing on the futility of war. Two of these are documentaries all could rise to the top. Israel's Checkpoint (Machssomin, Yoav Shamir, 2003) could be the one or the UK's entry from Jeremy Gilley documenting his attempt to have a day with out war (Peace One Day, 2004). The last of the peace trio, and a work of fiction based on a real life experience, is the one that knocked me for six at Rotterdam last January, Russia's The Last Train (Posledniy poezd, Alexey A. German, 2003), which was reviewed in the February Storyboard.
There is a chance that the Indian drama, A Thousand Dreams Such as These (Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Sudhur Mishra, 2003) or the black comedy, a surprising push-the-boundaries film from Iran, Bitter Dreams (Khabe Talkh, Mohsen Armiyoussefi, 2004). Maybe fate's blessing will fall on Damien O'Donnell's latest film from Ireland, the comedic take on two young men's growing friendship at the Carrigmore Residential Home for the Disabled, Inside I'm Dancing (a working title--it may change prior to general release). Other comedies could rise to the occasion, such as adolescents running amok in Mexico's curious Duck Season (Fernando Eimbcke, 2004) or Norway's soccer-themed romantic comedy, United (Magnua Martens, 2004).
One film almost guaranteed an international audience is Zhang Yimou's Hero (China-Hong Kong, 2002). One wonders why an epic film from the director of Shanghai Triad and Raise the Red Lantern took so long to get here. Another film from China, this one is a China-France co-production, is Ye Lou's 2003 film, Purple Butterfly. Like his previous film, Suzhou River, this one also interweaves stories.
The Motorcycle Diaries (Walter Salles, Argentina-China-Peru-USA, 2004) and the sequel Mood For Love, 2046 (Wong Kar-Wai, Hong Kong, 2004) are the Opening and Closing Gala films, bracketing a festival of 280 events and more than 80 films from 27 countries. At the press launch of the 58th EIFF, artistic director Shane Danielson said, "We believe in giving people things they don't already know. We will never tell you what you already know. The program is stronger than ever." Information on films and special events may be found at the official website.
Gael Garcia Bernal stars in The Motorcycle Diaries which tells the story of Ernesto Guevara and Alberto Granado's 1952 ride from Buenos Aires through Chile and Peru to Venezuela. A trip that revealed the beauty of South American and the crushing poverty of the people that changed the life of the man later know as Che Guevara.
Three films from Scotland are high lighted at this year's festival: Ae Fond Kiss (Ken Loach, UK-Germany, 2004) Dear Frankie (Shona Auerbach, UK, 2004) and The Purifiers (Richard Jobson, UK, 2004). Ae Fond Kiss is a Muslin/Catholic love story set in Glasgow. Loach, while English, has long been known as Scotland's strongest director with Sweet Sixteen, Bread and Roses, My Name in Joe and Kes. The surprise hit at Cannes, Dear Frankie starring Emily Mortimer, is a touching mother-son film.
Having its World Premiere at Edinburgh is Richard Jobson's The Purifiers, a film he has described as a Scottish kung-fu film. Like Ae Fond Kiss it is also set in Glasgow but a futuristic Glasgow where a gang of decent folks find themselves the target of rival gangs trying to control various zones of a decaying Britain. Last year Jobson brought 16 Years of Alcohol to EIFF. This was one of my top picks but seems to have failed in finding distribution as it is just now being released in the UK. 16 Years is not about alcoholism but draws on events in Jobson and his late brother's life to make, as he described it to me last year, a "musical with violence." The film is a love story to Old Town Edinburgh with much of it filmed around my home.
At the press launch Danielson said, "There are many film festivals. I'm convinced that every parking lot will have a film festival by 2007." A point well taken as the Cambridge film festival skimmed off American films such as Woody Allen's Anything Goes and Spike Lee's She Hate Me that in past years would have had their UK Premiere here. Last year Clint Eastwood yanked Unforgiven at the last minute. Scheduling is a problem as EIFF has to fall with in the August festival time frame in Edinburgh. The International, Fringe and Book festivals over lap each over. Venice and Toronto are right on the heels of EIFF and attract the major films. Venice has Mike Leigh's Vera Drake, Mira Nair's Vanity Fair (starring Reese Witherspoon), Marc Forster's Finding Neverland (Johnny Depp, Kate Winsl t, Julie Christie, Dustin Hoffman star in this one), Jonathan Demme's remake of The Manchurian Candidate (Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep and Jon Voight), Michael Radford's The Merchant of Venice (Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fines top this Shakespearean vehicle) and Steven Spielberg, The Terminal (Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Diego Luna). Looks like the Oscar race begins in Venice this year.
Not all the actors are upon the EiFF silver screens this summer. Hollywood star Christian Slater (if his chicken pox allows) heads the cast of a new play based on the Ken Kesey book and later Academy Award winning film, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. The play, having its World Premiere in Edinburgh's Fringe Festival, will travel to London for a limited West End run.
Taking advantage of the plethora of events here in August is Buffalo, NY, born Annie Griffin who will start filming a homage to the Fringe and Edinburgh in a Robert Altman Nashville-style film. While not a documentary, Festival interweaves stories of various actors appearing in Fringe acts, Edinburgh characters and much more. Maybe next year all the festivals will come together in a World Premiere at EIFF.
August keeps you on the run here as one is truly spoiled for choice in Edinburgh.
