Festival finds low-key niche

April 16, 2009 by Richard Pierce 

Las Vegas Film Festival appeals to dedicated fans

The 2nd annual Las Vegas Film Festival took place last week at the Eastside Cannery April 9 through April 12. The festival presented an array of more than 100 movies from filmmakers around the world. Short films to feature length, student works to documentaries, low budget pieces to films starring A-list Hollywood talent – almost every type of film and genre was present.

The entire festival had a low-key and intimate feel, more so than other film festivals in Vegas, which helped make the entire experience a memorable one. Many screenings didn’t have very large turnouts, but those who did attend seemed to be dedicated and passionate film lovers who were seeking something different to the usual junk that opens weekly at a theater near you.

Some screenings even had fewer people in the audience than the number of crew members that worked on the film. However, during most screenings the directors, writers, producers or stars of the film were present and nearly every screening ended with a Q&A between the filmmakers and audience.

The College of Southern Nevada presented their CSN Student Film Block, which had more than a dozen short films, trailers and commercials all produced by CSN students. Some pieces were light-hearted and funny, while others were more experimental and dramatic, but nearly all of them were entertaining.

Several fascinating documentaries were shown, including “Prom Night in Mississippi,” narrated by Morgan Freeman, about the first non-segregated prom for Charleston High School in Mississippi in 2008. Also shown was “Women in Boxes,” an intriguing and humorous look into the life of female magician’s assistants and the physical and mental abuse they endure to perform their spectacular illusions, along with many others.

The best of the documentary bunch was “So You Want Michael Madsen?” The film shows the importance for low-budget independent filmmakers to get a “name” actor in their flick for it to find an audience, featuring hilarious and informative interviews with dozens of independent filmmakers, producers and even Michael Madsen himself.

Barry Pepper (“Saving Private Ryan,” “The Green Mile”) was in attendance at the screening of his new film “Like Dandelion Dust,” which also starred Cole Hauser and Oscar winner Mira Sorvino. The film, based on a Karen Kingsbury novel, was about an abusive alcoholic named Rip Porter (played by Pepper) who, after being released from prison, tries to reclaim his son who was given up for adoption while he was in jail.

Following the screening, Pepper was awarded the 2009 LVFF Best Actor Award during a ceremony and had long Q&A with the festival crowd. Most people asked about his work in big studio films like “Saving Private Ryan,” but he also gave some genuine insight into the craft of acting and how he truly appreciates independent film.

John Saxon (“Enter the Dragon,” “Nightmare on Elm Street”) was also in attendance and was awarded the LVFF Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in “God’s Ears,” where he played the trainer of an autistic boxer played by Michael Worth.

Interestingly, all films were screened only once throughout the festival, excluding the comedy “How To Be,” which ended up being shown a total of three times, most likely because it starred “Twilight’s” Robert Pattinson. Though I didn’t see that particular film, it was the only one that had a line waiting outside the theater before show time (the line consisted mostly of giddy young girls so I assume my “Twilight” theory is correct).

The festival ended with the Golden Aces ceremony where all the filmmakers were presented with their respective awards.

The Las Vegas Film Festival is only in its sophomore year, but it still managed to feature several wonderfully unique films as well as hosting intimate conversations with up and coming filmmakers along with some big Hollywood stars.
If you’re a film-lover living in Las Vegas, this is definitely a festival worth attending next year.