41 replies to this topic

[Darrel Manson]

Starting my 3rd year previewing submissions. If you've sent one in, don't tell me. When I discover I know someone involved in a film - I make note of that in my comments. (As I did once with a film that Dan Buck was in. I was surprised to see him.)

[Darrel Manson]

Article in L.A. Times about a pre-screener for Sundance. They get paid. I do it for tickets at NBFF. The article pretty much sums up the experience (except she has to watch a lot more films than I do.)

[Darrel Manson]

The schedule for 2011

See anything there I should make an effort to see?

[kenmorefield]

Darrel,

Surviving Hitler (mention here) is a good, admirable film. (It won the award for most "inspirational" documentary at last year's Full Frame.)

When I talked to the press liaison at Full Frame he said that the Project Nim people aren't doing screeners yet, so if you have interest in that film, you may want to see it at the festival or it may be awhile before you get another chance.

Gibney's Magic Trip is one that I'm looking forward to, haven't seen it yet but I will at Full Frame, so if you want to ask me again in two weeks I can tell you what I thought, but given the director and subject matter, I'd want to see it regardless of what buzz was.

Ken

Edited by kenmorefield, 01 April 2011 - 10:43 AM.

[Darren H]

[tangent]

A few years ago I put together a proposal for a Knoxville Film Festival and began shopping it around, but one reason I decided to let the idea drop is because I worried that it would end up looking something like the Newport lineup. I'm sure there are many good and interesting films there, and I don't mean to imply that I'm the final arbiter on what is or isn't worthy of festival inclusion, but I do believe that one function of smaller, regional film festivals is to screen the best of contemporary world cinema -- films that wouldn't otherwise have a chance of getting theatrical distribution in that area. So I'm always a little disappointed when I see such a big lineup with so few "important" films.

[/tangent]

Also, these publicity stills make me sad. Are Guy Ritchie and Zach Braff really the go-to auteurs of indie cliche?

[Darrel Manson]

Darren H, on 01 April 2011 - 12:08 PM, said:

[tangent]

A few years ago I put together a proposal for a Knoxville Film Festival and began shopping it around, but one reason I decided to let the idea drop is because I worried that it would end up looking something like the Newport lineup. I'm sure there are many good and interesting films there, and I don't mean to imply that I'm the final arbiter on what is or isn't worthy of festival inclusion, but I do believe that one function of smaller, regional film festivals is to screen the best of contemporary world cinema -- films that wouldn't otherwise have a chance of getting theatrical distribution in that area. So I'm always a little disappointed when I see such a big lineup with so few "important" films.

[/tangent]

Yeah, there is a good deal of pretty average festival fare at Newport Beach, but keep in mind that the OC has enough art house screens that good world cinema is always playing there - or it's not an awful drive to LA to see the few that don't. I would like to see NBFF get enough clout to get a few more films that will be opening in the summer. It seemed they always used to get one or two better films when Leigh Steinberg was involved. One would think that Newport Beach would have the connections.

On a sidenote, most of the films will actually be screening in Costa Mesa this year. Apparently the Regal theater in Fashion Island pulled out on them.

[Darrel Manson]

2011
Day 1
Day 2

Edited by Darrel Manson, 02 May 2011 - 02:09 PM.

[Darrel Manson]

Day 3 report

[Darrel Manson]

Day 4

[Darrel Manson]

Day 5

I failed to notice that I was going to a film I screened during the selection process - until about 15 minutes in. Oops.

[Darrel Manson]

Day 6

Couple of films here that some of you might appreciate.

[Darrel Manson]

Festival awards and my favorites.

[Darrel Manson]

Filmmakers: Cheapest deadline for submissions for 2012 looms. (The later deadlines are listed here too.

[Darrel Manson]

The schedule is out. I'm open to suggestions.

[Darrel Manson]

For the filmmakers among you: submissions are now being accepted for NBFF.

http://www.newportbe...bmit-your-film/

[Darrel Manson]

The 2013 line up.

Anybody have suggestions? (especially fromthe Spotlight section) I've seen The Hunt, but nothing else is familiar.

[Darrel Manson]

Day 1: some pretty mediocre short docs, but I liked The Girl on the Train (world premiere). It's a psych thriller that is all about storytelling.

[Darrel Manson]

Day 2: Walking the Camino, Critical Mass (doc about overpopulation, zzzz), The East, and Stuck in Love.

[Darrel Manson]

Day 3: Be Good, Harry Grows Up (short), Kilimanjaro, and my find of the festival so far, In Lieu of Flowers

[Darrel Manson]

Day 4 - Love at a Certain Age, a doc about senior citizen romance; Wasteland, a not too bad caper story; an awful short, Fruit of Labor, and Gus, not quite comedy, not quite tragedy.
Day 5 - mediocre British noir, Ashes; a couple of interesting films about artists; and Hallstrom's Scandanvian noir,The Hypnotist