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2007-03-30

by CJ Johnson

Method Film Festival 2007

Summary

Festuval focusing on acting returns to Calabasas

Article

In a city saturated with celluloid, standing out from the crowd can be difficult. There are, after all, over fifty film festivals held annually in the greater Los Angeles area. But for nine years running, the Method Film Festival has consistently stood as the only major festival in the country to focus on acting.

For eight days in the Calabasas, the independent stars will truly be shining. Taking its name from the Method school of acting, the Method Fest is an actor’s festival and celebrates breakout performances in story-driven, independent films. Running March 29-April 5, the festival will burst to life with a dazzling array of seminars, workshops, concerts, ceremonies and, above all, film screenings.

Nearly all of the 27 feature films in contention are highly compelling, engaging pieces: “Waitress,” featuring Keri Russell and “Lonely Hearts” with John Travolta and James Gandolfini, have already been picked up by distributors and are certain to be crowd favorites.

Don Franken, the festival’s Executive Director and an all around great guy has been tireless in assembling superlative material from independent filmmakers around the country (and the world) and is proud of this year’s impressive array of films and shorts. With selections from Mexico, the UK, Iran, Austria, Canada, Bulgaria, Germany, Egypt, Spain and Taiwan, the Method Festival has expanded to become the premier venue in the country for celebrating the universal art of acting.

“We now have become a worldwide showcase of quality independent film,” says Franken. “We have films with captivating performances and riveting stories that the audiences will really appreciate.”

Since the festival is a celebration of the art of acting, it is of little surprise that the fest is hosting several panel discussions at their Filmmakers Seminars, ranging in topics from finance and packaging to distribution to digital imaging. The Actors Workshops focus, of course, on method acting and the Stanislavski and Kazan principles. Panelists include distinguished actors, producers, directors and executives with decades of invaluable experience and advice.

The Method Festival will also feature a special presentation honoring an actor who is, without question, one of the most iconic figures in modern film and theatre. The legendary Christopher Plummer will be presented with the Method Festival’s lifetime achievement award, joining the ranks of previous recipients Maximillian Schell, Rod Steiger and Dennis Hopper. Robert Wagner will be on hand to accept the award on Plummer’s behalf as he is currently engaged in the play ‘Inherit the Wind’ in New York.

In the same way the Stanislavski method brought truth and realism to the world of acting, the Method Festival is accomplishing the same with film festivals by bringing the focus back to what the movies, in their essence, should be about: truthful performances and damn good storytelling.

The following are examples of what to expect at this year’s Method Fest.

Features

“Bridge 13” -- Steven Rush wrote and directed this moving look at the child slave market in Iran. The story centers on Nargess (Alireza Osivand) a beautiful but sickly little girl who defies her tormenting captors Davar (Jamshid Mashayekhi) and Gholam (Majid Salehi)) and escapes to the dirty streets of Tahman. She eventually ends up in the reluctant care of Parvin(Bita Tavakoli) the loyal daughter of a wealthy and embittered antiques appraiser (Sharareh Rokham). Parvin is won over by the muted, sickly child while her father is almost violently opposed to having the girl in the house… at first. But he comes to love the child, and that love liberates him from the years of bitterness following the death of his wife and youngest daughter. They fight to legalize custody of the child, but Nargess is recaptured by the child slavers and held for ransom. The tragic result is powerful and sobering because Nargess’ story is one shared by millions of children all over the world. Recommended.

“All The Days Before Tomorrow” -- This is a first rate first effort from filmmaker François Dompierre. The entire film takes place during the course of one night when Wes (Joey Kern) gets a random phone call from a friend of his named Alison (Alexandra Holden) who is in town just for the night before flying home to Tokyo. But the night turns out to be more than the lighthearted chat and laugh they’d both anticipated, instead turning into an emotional eventide told through artfully filmed memories and dreams in monochromatic and color palettes. The film makes the thought-provoking point that we can spend the rest of our lives trying to figure out the pieces to the puzzle of life instead of actually taking the leap and living it. Recommended.

“Charlie” -- Charlie (DJ Mendel) has been gradually isolating himself from his family, slowly self-destructing. When he becomes convinced of his wife’s infidelity he suffers a nervous breakdown and has an explosive two-day binge of excess. Confused and angry and, above all, desperate for some sort of meaning to his life, his wanderings leads him: to an ex girlfriend; to getting confrontational with a good friend of his; and then running after a stranger hoping to have some sort of connection on an emotional level. Charlie’s unsettling desperation makes him both a pitiable and exasperating figure, and it’s difficult to watch as he consistently destroys the relationships that mean the most to him. New York filmmaker Salvatore Interlandi’s exploration of Charlie’s journey towards self-discovery is fascinating, as is the way Salvatore makes us care so deeply for this disillusioned, broken man. Recommended.

“Midnight Clear” -- Director Dallas Jenkins has crafted a delicately balanced film that weaves the stories of five very different individuals together by having their paths cross in casual ways on a lonely Christmas Eve. Stories of such a nature can often be difficult to pull off, but Jenkins direction is steady and unswerving and squeezes out engaging performances from the ensemble, in spite of a slightly campy script. Stephen Baldwin as “Lefty”- a recently unemployed and consistently homeless estranged husband and father— is of particular note, as is a disillusioned church youth group leader Mitch (Mitchell Jarvis) and his caroling disciples. Recommended.

“Tomorrow Is Today” -- This shamelessly sentimental film is a bona fide chick flick and a guaranteed sob fest for the more… emotional moviegoer. But in the hands of Director Frederic Lumiere, the performances are charismatic and the script is compelling, making a beautiful albeit painful point: no matter how devastating, loss has its meaning and purpose. Julie Peterson (Scout Taylor-Compton) literally stumbles upon a man (Mark Hefti, the film’s screenwriter) collapsed on a Jersey beach. She is compelled to rescue him emotionally by giving him hope. There are several overlapping storylines here, but each is masterfully told (poetically, even) and even though everyone hurts, they are survivors because they have each other.

Shorts

“Blind Luck” -- Directed by Kenneth Mader, this short film is the whimsical story of a conniving friend (Karen Zumsteg) who sets up a supposed ‘chance meeting’ for her best friend Deborah (Jody Arensberg) ) and the man who turns out to be Mr. Right (Michael Sorvino). She has set both parties up on separate blind dates at the same party.

“Clear Cut, Simple” -- Engaging short directed by Vineet Dewan about a US Army Captain (Rob Tepper) and his Iraqi interpreter (Navid Negahban) and their friendship that is put to the ultimate test when it comes to the attention of the Army that the interpreter is an insurgent.

“Counter Intuitive” – An amusing short directed by Dianne Haak Edson concerning two hack robbers and their poorly laid plans for an easy score quickly escalate out of control.

“The Death Strip” -- Absorbing short directed by Nicole Haeusser set during 1980s East Berlin. A family is forced to escape across what was known as “the death strip” and, ten years later, is forced to confront the ghosts of his past when he returns to a unified Germany. Fantastic performances make this short a must-see.

“My Name is Wallace” – An amusing story of Wallace Waverly (David Lawrence), a mentally challenged man whose life changes drastically when his mother dies. Now living alone in her home, he decides to break the solicitude by calling a 900 number and, you guessed it, falls in love with the sex line operator. A short that is sweet, funny and worth a look.

“Redemption Song” -- A barber (Marty Lodge) who has lived his whole life as an alcoholic and a racist is forced to face his demons and has the chance to redeem himself when a spunky African-American woman (Milauana Jemai) is given a job at the barber shop as part of a rehabilitation plan. Directed by Cameron Fay.

“Yasin” -- A thoroughly an thought provoking, absorbing short directed by Betty Lee Kim about a Muslim Arab-American boy who is forced to face the harsh realities of post-9/11 America. A normal kid leading a normal life until that fateful day, Yasin is a ten year old of Jordanian descent whose father is arrested by the FBI in a morning raid and becomes a target of abuse at school because of his ethnicity. Recommended.

More Method Film Festival Reviews

Written by John Esther

“Divergence” – Although he is also the writer-director, Patrick J Donnally’s cinematography is the quality that stands out in this feature about two people coming to grips with their pain. Tim Lawson (Jakob Hawkins) is an army helicopter on leave after injuring his calve in Iraq. Burdened by the things he has done, Tim keeps to himself in a Jersey Shore cottage during the off-season. His neighbor, Claire O’Neil (Traci Ann Wolfe) is a wreckful recluse. While Tim comes to grips with what he did in Iraq, and with the fear he may return if he heals, it is pity pump galore between bouts of self-destruction and unsatisfactory self-reflection. A notable performance by Marci Adilman as Heidi Lipton, Tim’s realtor turned lover turned castaway.

“Fido” – Questioning whom the real zombies are, screenwriter-director Andrew Currie creates a 1950s world of conformity where people do not own people(s) of color, but rather those wacky cannibalistic undead. Everybody on the block has a zombie but the Robinsons. Helen Robinson (Carrie Anne Moss) cannot stand the social inequality but her husband (Dylan Baker, excellent as usual) is afraid of them. Eventually peer pressure wins out and the family Robinson acquires Fido (Billy Connolly). Fido befriends 11-year-old Timmy Robison (K’Sun Ray), which leads to camaraderie and chaos. Recommended.

For more information log onto www.methodfest.com