The Backlot Film Festival, which had been scheduled to run April 1-April 4 this year has been
postponed for six months. The new dates are Wednesday, Oct. 7, through Saturday, Oct. 10.
Ross Hawkins, president and founder of the Backlot Film Festival, recently met with Bill La Pointe, Culver City Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, to discuss the reasons for delaying the fourth Festival until the early fall.
Two of the main reasons were the state of the economy and the civil war raging at the
Screen Actors Guild.
Mr. Hawkins said he was reluctant to name a recipient of the fourth Thomas Ince Award until the crisis at the Screen Actors Guild was resolved.
Previous winners include producer-director-writer Daniel Selznick, writer-producer
Budd Schulberg and actor-writer-producer-director Carl Reiner.
A Reiner Production
Rob Reiner was on hand to present the Thomas Ince Award to his father ;ast April 5 at the
gala awards ceremony.
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Carl and Rob Reiner
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Founder Ross Hawkins with actress Lily Tomlin
More than 800 people attended the star-studded event,
including Dick Van Dyke, Rose Marie, John Kerr, Stella Stevans, Michelle Lee, Mayor
Alan Corlin of Culver City, producer and casting director Marvin Paige, Michelle Nichols,
Michael Schlesinger from Sony Pictures Classics, County
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (who was presented the first Founders' Award), former
Parks and Recreation Director Syd Kronenthal and Steve Saltzman, Arthur Freed's
Grandson, who presented the first Arthur Freed Award for Best Student Film.
Video congratulations to Reiner came from Lili Tomlin, Henry Winkler and Garry Marshal
Rob Reiner had the audience rolling in the aisles with laughter as he read congratulatory letters to his father from Sid Ceaser, Steve Martin and Don Rickles.
Forty-one films were screened at the Backlot Festival last year, including 22 short subjects, four documentaries, eight independent fiction films, six student films, three classic films from the MGM Turner Library, three feature films directed by Carl Reiner and episodes from the Dick Van Dyke Show and "Your Show of Shows."
This year’s lineup will include screenings of independent feature films, documentaries, short subjects and student films.
The gala awards program will again be presented in the main theatre at the Vets Auditorium, on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7:30.
7:30 p.m.
In addition to the awards for Best Feature Fiction Film, Best Feature Documentary,
Best Short Subject and Best Student Film, there will be a contest for Best Unproduced
Screenplay. Negotiations are currently underway with a local theatre to screen all of
the finalists the week before the festival.
Mr. Sherman is director of marketing for the Backlot Film Festival.