Calabasas film fest means big box office

By Michael Picarella pic@theacorn.com

The Method Fest Film Festival, which moved to Calabasas in October, has received a record 227 films for submission.

The seventh annual event will take place April 1 through 8 at Edwards Grand Palace Stadium 6 Cinemas at The Commons shopping center in Calabasas.

The deadline for film submissions is Jan. 31, and more films are expected to arrive, officials said.

"At the pace films are coming in, we will surpass last year’s record number of submissions (507) well before the January deadline," said Don Franken, Method Fest executive director.

The festival, which spotlights American and foreign feature films and short films, is named after the naturalistic "Stanislavski Method" of acting.

Many top performers trace their lineage back to great Method actors such as John Garfield, Geraldine Page, Robert DiNiro, Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman.

In October, Calabasas agreed to host the event to gain exposure and revenue for the city.

"It’s such a perfect fit to have a film festival in Calabasas," said Dennis Washburn, Calabasas city council member. "Building a cultural and Hollywood kind of historic event in our town could be a lot of fun, good for our image, good for our business and good for cultural and educational development." The festival, Washburn said, will put Calabasas on the map because national magazines and other media will cover the event.

"It’s going to pay dividends in a lot of ways," Washburn said.

Method Fest organizers expect to screen 25 feature films and 50 short films, according to Franken.

This year’s submissions are from 18 American states, many from strong film centers like California and New York, but also from Kansas, Utah, Alabama, Georgia and Virginia, according to officials.

From abroad, films came from Austria, Australia, Canada, China, India, Ireland, Italy and Sweden.

Two local filmmakers, Laura Cayoutte, who made "Intermission," and Gina Levt, who made "Ask Again Later," will represent Calabasas.

Feature film submissions include "Out of Season" starring Dennis Hopper, and "The Short" starring Anthony LaPaglia and the entire cast of "Without a Trace" from CBS.

The Method Fest takes great pride in being a discovery festival, according to Franken. Many festivals, he said, recycle films from other festivals, but the Method Fest wants to highlight works of fresh young filmmakers and discover breakthrough performances by bold new actors.

The event will include tributes to actors and top filmmakers, daily and nightly parties and receptions, the Method Fest actor competition with prize money and industry prizes awarded, a variety of indie music events, a lifetime achievement tribute and the final awards ceremony.

The festival also offers acting workshops, filmmaking seminars and panels for attendees.

Past program participants include actors John Savage, Maximilian Schell, Joe Mantegna, Karen Black, Joanne Baron and Marla Gibbs.

Past film stars who have attended Method Fest include Dennis Hopper, James Earl Jones, Peter Falk, Jena Malone, Rod Steiger, Michael Madsen, Jennifer Tilly and Rae Dawn Chong.

In the last three years, Method Fest actors and films have received six Independent Spirit Award nominations. David Greenspan’s short film "Bean Cake" won La Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001.

The Method Fest Film Festival is still seeking story-driven independent movies featuring strong acting performances.

For entry information, call (310) 535-9230 or visit the festival website at www.methodfest.com. You can also register for the festival through www.withoutabox.com.