THE 19th ANNUAL NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL RUNS FROM APRIL 26- MAY 3, 2018

Newport Beach, CA (April 2018) – Celebrated as one of the leading lifestyle film festivals in the United States, the 19th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival (www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com) brings the best of classic and contemporary filmmaking from around the world to Newport Beach for eight spectacular days, April 26 – May 3, 2018.

 

The Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) will showcase more than 350 films from 50 countries and host nightly special events, red carpet galas, compelling conversations with filmmakers, international spotlight events and seminars. The Festival offers filmgoers unique opportunities to mingle with celebrities, filmmakers from around the globe, and film industry professionals in a beautiful seaside locale.

 

OPENING & CLOSING NIGHT GALAS

 

The Newport Beach Film Festival will proudly open with the West Coast Premiere of AMERICAN ANIMALS. AMERICAN ANIMALS is an extraordinary and thrilling true story of four friends living an ordinary existence who brazenly attempt to execute one of the most audacious art heists in US history.  But not everything is as it seems, and as the daring theft unfolds through each of their perspectives, each of them start to question whether their attempts to inject excitement and purpose into their lives is simply a misguided attempt at achieving the American Dream. The screening of AMERICAN ANIMALS will take place on Thursday, April 26, 2017 at 7:30pm at Edwards Big Newport (300 Newport Center Drive) followed by a gala reception at Fashion Island (401 Newport Center Drive). The 19th annual NBFF will run from April 26 – May 3, 2018.

 

On closing night, NBFF proudly presents ALL SQUARE. ALL SQUARE tells the story of a small town bookie is having a hard time collecting on outstanding debts. After a one night stand with an ex-girlfriend, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with her 12-year old son and develops a plan to recoup the money owed to him by taking bets on the towns Youth League Baseball games. The film stars Michael Kelly, Jesse Ray Sheps, Josh Lucas, and Pamela Adlon. ALL SQUARE will play at Via Lido Plaza (3425 Via Lido, Newport Beach, CA).  Following the screening, the Newport Beach Film Festival, in partnership with Via Lido Plaza will host the Closing Night Celebration at Via Lido Plaza, presented by Scheifer ChopShop. The event will feature culinary tastings from Orange County’s top restaurants, hosted bar by Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Oban Whiskey, and Guinness.

 

Newport Beach Film Festival – The Films

 

WORLD PREMIERES

 

The Newport Beach Film Festival is proud to screen several World Premieres including:

 

• Iconic Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles
• Three Days of Glory
• Kiss the Joy: The Story of Joan Lind Van Blom
• Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future

 

SPOTLIGHTS/FEATURES

 

Friday Night Spotlights

• Never Goin’ Back
• Ride

Saturday Night Spotlights

• The Long Dumb Road
• The Unicorn
• Write When You Get Work
• Minding the Gap
• Half the Picture

 

Retrospectives

 

• Red River
• Peter Pan
• Under The Same Moon

 

 

Canadian Spotlight

 

The NBFF is proud to showcase international film from Canada.

Highlights include:

 

• Cardinals
• Adventures in Public School
• Another Kind of Wedding
• Another Time

 

UK Spotlight

 

The NBFF is proud to showcase international film from the United Kingdom. Highlights include:

 

• Happy Birthday Toby Simpson (UK)
• Wild Honey Pie

 

Irish Spotlight

 

The 19^th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival will present the largest celebration of Irish Cinema on the West Coast during its eight-day run in Southern California. Highlights include an Irish Showcase event, numerous premieres, feature length narrative and documentary films, Shorts programs and the participation of Irish filmmakers and actors. Highlights include:

 

• Maze
• The Drummer and the Keeper

 

Pacific Rim Showcase

 

The NBFF is proud to showcase international film from Australia, Korea, Philippines, China and Japan. 

 

• A Day (Korea)
• End of Summer (China)
• 3 Ft. Ball and Souls (Japan)
• The Pretend One (Australia)
• Ulam (Phillipines) 

 

European Showcase

 

The NBFF is proud to showcase international film from France, Sweden, Germany and Italy. Highlights include:

 

• Wife and Husband (Italy)
• Custody (France)
• My Blind Date With Life (Germany)
• Ravens (Sweden)

 

Latino Showcase

 

The NBFF is proud to showcase international film from Chile, Brazil and Mexico. Highlights include:

 

• The Desert Bride (Chile)
• Rust (Brazil)
• Road to Mars (Mexico)

 

ACTION SPORTS FILM SERIES

 

The Newport Beach Film Festival, located in the center of Orange County’s thriving beach community, has been proud to screen films celebrating the rich tradition of Action Sports.  Ranging from skateboarding to surfing, from snowboarding to skydiving, these adrenaline-fueled, edge-of-your-seat films have both thrilled and educated NBFF audiences for over fifteen years. Films include:

 

• Time Well Spent
• The Big Wave Project
• Beyond – An African Surf Documentary
• Kiss The Joy: The Story of Joan Lind Van Blom
• Kim Swims
• Action Sports Shorts
• Surfing to Cope
• China Doll – Love, Obsession and Hard Traditional Climbing with Heather Weidner
• Ya Mas – Snowmads in Greece

 

 ART, ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN FILM SERIES

 

Launched in 2009, the Newport Beach Film Festival Art, Architecture + Design Film Series spotlights films celebrating art, architecture, design, fashion, photography and modernism. The series highlights icons of the creative world whose achievements have influenced, intrigued, and inspired a multitude of designers, curators, artists, historians and independent filmmakers. The international showcase of films explores both historical and contemporary subjects, projects, concepts from the artistic realm that have defined visual cultures around the globe, both past and present. The Art, Architecture + Design Film Series aims to educate, enrich, inspire and engage audiences through cinema. Films include:

 

• Kusama: Infinity
• Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story
• Penny Slinger: Out of the Shadows

 

CULINARY

 

The Newport Beach Film Festival is thrilled to expand its non-fiction programming with the introduction of the 2018 Culinary Film Series, a new documentary film program that celebrates emerging and prominent gourmet chefs, the art of gastronomy, international food culture, and the craft of winemaking and distilling. From the Burgundy Hills of France to the Michelin star restaurants of San Sebastian to the ramen shops of Tokyo, the 2018 program spotlights eight films that explore a mouthwatering array of flavorful regional and local cuisines of the culinary world. Filled with cinematic artistry, the films go behind the scenes into bustling kitchens of renown restaurants, to remote rural villages, into potager gardens and vineyards of today’s chefs, vintners, and distillers. The films capture the fascinating stories of these passionate creators and reveal the challenges, triumphs and the vital ingredients essential to achieving success in the culinary industry. Films include:

 

• Michelin Stars: Tales From the Kitchen
• Ramen Heads
• Scotch: A Golden Dream

 

COLLEGIATE

 

The Newport Beach Film Festival will present a Collegiate Showcase featuring fresh cinematic works produced by collegiate filmmakers from our seven partnering SoCal Institutions: USC, CSU Irvine, CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, Chapman University, Orange Coast College and Saddleback College. Each year the Festival gives students from these Southern California colleges and universities an opportunity to showcase their short films on the big screen and engage in post screening Q&A sessions with the filmgoers. The Festival offers students an opportunity to connect with film industry professionals, new audiences, alumni, media and other filmmakers.

DOCUMENTARY

The Newport Beach Film Festival will showcase an extensive documentary program exploring a broad range of topics, including films that focus on the arts, pop culture, the environment, human rights, social, political, historical, LGBT and other subjects. Special programs include Art, Architecture + Design Film Series, Music Film Series and Environmental Film Series. The Newport Beach Film Festival traditionally screens over 60 feature-length documentaries. Filmmakers may submit a feature documentary film 40 minutes or over, or submit a short documentary 40 minutes or under. Highlights include:

 

• The Need to GROW
• Social Animals
• Pick of the Litter

 

SHORTS PROGRAMS 

Following our tradition of comprehensive programming, the Newport Beach Film Festival has the largest shorts program within a major film festival in the United States. NBFF accepts and screens well over 200 short movies culled from submissions received from all over the world. During the festival up to 40 shorts programs are presented each year. These programs are put together by the shorts programming team showcasing the best of the submitted movies in a symbiotic way. Lively Q & A sessions conclude most programs. Highlights include:

 

• TransAngeles
• The Girl and The Picture
• Sweet Maddie Stone
• Fear Us Women

 

ENVIRONMENTAL FILM SERIES

 

The Newport Beach Film Festival seeks to raise awareness of important issues affecting our environment through cinema. The films cover a wide array of “eco” and “green” topics, including water quality issues, sustainability, natural resource preservation (oil, water, food supply), animal protection, garbage issues, the effects of globalization, recycling, vegetarianism, the adverse effects of industrialized agricultural practices, activism and more. Highlights include:

 

• The Human Element
• Saving Atlantis
• Poisoning Paradise

 

MUSIC FILM SERIES

 

The Newport Beach Film Festival’s Music Film Series puts music center stage showcasing music videos, documentary, and narrative films propelled by music. Highlighting performances, historical headlines, struggling musicians and their unique stories this growing series explores the binding relationship that links music and film. Films include:

 

• Up to Snuff
• The Jazz Ambassadors

 

FAMILY FILM SERIES

 

Launched in 2003, the Newport Beach Film Festival’s Family Film Series brings to Orange County a diverse slate of studio and independent family films from around the world. The Newport Beach Film Festival received the prestigious honor of “Best Children’s Festival” for its Family Film Series at the 9th Annual 2008 KIDS FIRST!® Best Day and Awards Celebration. With its diverse programs geared towards toddlers, school age children, tweens, teens, parents and grandparents, the Family Film Series gives filmgoers of all ages an opportunity to view a unique collection of refreshing cinematic works from around the globe, including feature-length narrative, documentary, short, animated and student films. With the goal of making the Festival experience interactive and educational for young filmgoers, each year the Festival brings out filmmakers for post-screening Q&A sessions, school visits, workshops, live entertainment and autograph sessions. The Festival continues its reach to young audiences year round through its collaborations with Orange County arts organizations. The Festival curates family films for the Orange County Museum of Art’s Target Free Second Sundays and for Free Movie Mondays at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Films include:

 

• Zoo
• Boundaries

 

YOUTH FILM SHOWCASE

 

Launched in 2005, the Newport Beach Film Festival’s Youth Film Showcase celebrates the cinematic works, visions, and perspectives of young people from around the world. Through the exhibition of youth created media, the Festival seeks to create a forum for young filmmakers and encourage freedom of expression through cinema. The free event features a screening of short films created by filmmakers 18 years and younger, followed by an interactive Q&A session and an awards presentation. The showcase features a wide array of genres, including comedy, drama, suspense, romance, documentary, animation, science fiction, experimental, music video and PSA’s. In 2006, the NBFF welcomed actor Will Ferrell as Honorary Chair and live host of the Youth Film Showcase. Films include:

 

• Phu
• Passionfruit
• Bamboozled

 

SEMINARS

 

The Newport Beach Film Festival is proud to present its Seminar series featuring free filmmaking seminars. Schedule highlights include:

 

• Saturday, April 28^th
  • Variety’s cinematography panels
  • Careers in entertainment presented by SCS
  • Screenwriting seminar featuring
Kevin Ott (Geek and Sundry, Austin Film Festival) Ashley Miller (X-Men: First Class,
Thor 2: Black Sails, Fringe)
  • Wia presents building a career in animation featuring Brooke Keesling (The Animation Guild) Kendal Cronkhite (Antz, Madagascar, Nightmare Before Christmas)

 

• Sunday, April 29^th
  • Music In Film
Presented By Costa Communications Moderated by: Ray Costa (Costa Communications), Pinar Toprak (Kryton TV, Justice League), Christopher Lennertz (Smurf: The Lost Village), Blake Neely (The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl), Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, Death Wish), Marco Beltrami(Logan, 3:10 to Yuma. A Quiet Place) and Carlos José Alvarez (9, American)
  • Heroes In The Editing Room moderated by: Scott Arundale (Chapman University), Dan Lebental (Iron Man, Ant-man, Antman and the Wasp),
Zene Baker (Thor: Ragnarok) Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir (Deadpool 2), Craig Alpert (Deadpool 2) and Debbie Berman (Black Panther, Spider-man: Homecoming)

 

For more information on the Newport Beach Film Festival, please visit www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com.

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About the Newport Beach Film Festival

 

In its 19th year, NBFF has become a highly respected and sought-after festival by filmmakers from all over the world. The theme for this year’s festival is “See Who Made the Cut” to recognize the high caliber of films that are accepted into the selective festival. The 2019 Festival will showcase over 350 films from 50 countries, along with nightly special events, red carpet galas, post screening receptions, compelling conversations with filmmakers, international spotlights, industry seminars and retrospectives. The Festival offers filmgoers unique opportunities to mingle with celebrities, filmmakers from around the globe and film industry professionals in a beautiful seaside locale. Celebrated as one of the leading lifestyle film festivals in the United States, the Newport Beach Film Festival seeks to bring to Orange County the best of classic and contemporary filmmaking from around the world. Committed to enlightening the public with a first-class international film program, a forum for cultural understanding and enriching educational opportunities, the NBFF focuses on showcasing a diverse collection of studio and independent films from around the globe.

 

About Newport Beach, California

 

Nestled among golden stretches of pristine Pacific coastline between Los Angeles and San Diego, Newport Beach epitomizes the casually sophisticated lifestyle of Southern California. This idyllic seaside destination is widely celebrated for its natural beauty and vibrant yachting community alongside stylish accommodations, eclectic coastal cuisine and upscale shopping. Ranked among the “Top 10 Resort Towns in the U.S.,” Newport Beach also is distinguished as one of the country’s “Top 10 Best Family Beaches.” A mild climate and picturesque backdrop minutes from John Wayne Airport, Orange County (SNA) offers year-round appeal. For more information on Newport Beach or for a complimentary visitor guide, visit www.visitnewportbeach.com, or call (800) 94-COAST.