LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Director John Waters to Open Film Fest |
Smoke Signals, Pi, Full Tilt Boogie Top Recent Bookings
One of the founding fathers of independent cinema, John Waters, will help usher in the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival at the Opening Night Gala, Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach. Waters, a Baltimore, Maryland, native, is best known for his underground camp classics such as Polyester and Pink Flamingos, but he has also been a fixture in mainstream cinema, with films such as Hairspray (with Ricki Lake), Cry-Baby (with Johnny Depp), Serial Mom (with Kathleen Turner) and his latest film, Pecker (with Edward Furlong and Christina Ricci). "It is an honor to have a filmmaker of such magnitude help us celebrate our inaugural year," said Rob Rector, President of the Rehoboth Beach Film Society. "Waters films typify independent cinema and his appearance at the festival will certainly help solidify the already-impressive festival we have been creating." Festival producer Barry Becker has also secured even more impressive films for the festival, including two Sundance Film Festival winners and a documentary with Quentin Tarantino and George Clooney. The latest list of films booked for the festival include: Smoke Signals. Winner of the Audience Award and the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, and the official selection for opening night of the 1998 New Director/New Films, Smoke Signals has earned acclaim across the nation. Filled with the rich aesthetics and beautiful mood of American Indian culture, Sherman Alexies story of friendship, love and loss (based on his award-winning short story, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven) comes alive on screen. Smoke Signals follows the story of two Indian boys on a journeyVictor (Adam Beach), the stoic, handsome son abandoned by his father, and Thomas (Evan Adams), an orphaned young rabble-rouser. Through storytelling, Thomas attempts to connect with the people around him; Victor, in contrast, uses his quiet countenance to gain strength and confidence. The two establish a unique and unforgettable friendship through the course of their travels in this heartwarming tale that keeps an astute eye on the Native American culture of today. Pi. This mesmerizing mind-bender took the Best Director prize at this years Sundance Film Festival, and it has become one of the most talked-about independent films of the year. Maximillian Cohen (played by Sean Gullette) may be a tad psychotic, he may be a genius, or he may be a bit of both. He is on a desperate search to find, both in nature and the stock market, patterns that can be diagrammed and predicted. His search becomes aided by a young Orthodox Jew who tells him that the secrets he seeks are found in the mathematical ciphers of Torah. Will Max find the elusive solution and solve all of lifes riddles, or will he unearth something that should never have been discovered? Full Tilt Boogie. A documentary with Quentin Tarantino, George Clooney and Juliette Lewis focuses on the making of the cult hit From Dusk Til Dawn. Full Tilt Boogie is a comedic chronicle of the life of a film crew, on and off the set, of a major motion picture. Led by director Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi), producer Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting) and Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown), take a witty, candid peek behind the scenes of modern filmmaking. From Hollywood to a scorching set in Barstow, California, crew members guide viewers through the blood, sweat, tears and laughter of the filmmaking process. For information on the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival, set for Nov. 12-15, call 302-226-3744, or visit www.rehobothfilm.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 8, No. 13, September 18, 1998. |