2009 Feel Good Film Festival Lineup
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on July 20, 2009 under Feel Good Film Festival | 
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The 2009 Feel Good Film Festival (FGFF) announces it will return to the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 9. The three-day event once again will feature films aimed at both adult and family audiences that highlight positive themes, happy endings, make audiences laugh, and capture the beauty of our world.
The Opening Night Gala presentation of Chris Dowling’s ROCK SLYDE will kick start a program that will feature 60 films, including 16 features, 34 shorts, and 10 student films as well as 2 webisodes. Along with the films offered throughout the festival, additional activities will include the film festival’s signature “yellow” carpet entrances (in honor of FGFF’s sunflower logo), live musical performances in the Egyptian Theatre courtyard presented by Audiorents, an original screenplay competition, an original song competition, a panel discussion, and a Closing Night Awards Gala, hosted by Brian Krause (”Charmed”) highlighted by a Tribute to film and television legend, Ed Asner.
ROCK SLYDE will screen as the Opening Night Gala feature film presentation on Friday, August 7. Written and directed by Chris Dowling, the film stars Patrick Warburton as an eccentric private detective balancing an office building turf war with a religious cult leader played by Andy Dick and a bizarre case involving a mysterious and beautiful woman (Rena Sofer). The film also stars Elaine Hendrix, with a number of cameo appearances including Jason Alexander, Eric Roberts, Lea Thompson and Tom Bergeron. The screening will mark the film’s Los Angeles Premiere with Warburton, Dick and Alexander all confirmed to attend and participate with the director, Dowling in a Q&A at the conclusion of the screening.
Also screening as part of the Opening Night Gala will be the short films FURTISSIMO, directed by Jacob Cementina, and TRUE BEAUTY THIS NIGHT, written and directed by Peter Besson.
Dowling expressed his happiness that ROCK SLYDE will enjoy its L.A. premiere as the FGFF Opening Night Gala, saying “Our cast and crew are thrilled to be having our West Coast premiere at the opening night of the Feel Good Film Festival. We feel the FGFF represents an aspect of independent filmmaking that is largely forgotten - having fun and making people laugh. We look forward to screening at the historic Egyptian theatre, walking the yellow carpet and having some fun.”
In addition to the Closing Night Tribute honoring Ed Asner, the Gala ceremonies will include the presentation of filmmaker awards. The awards will include prizes with a total value of $7750 ($3000 in goods and services from SLX Rentals and Sales, $3000 in goods and services from Hollywood Rentals, $1500 in film stock from Fuji Film, and a copy of Final Draft Version 8 ) for the winner of the Best Feel Good Feature Length Film and $3750 ($1500 in goods and services from SLX Rentals and Sales, $1000 in goods and services from Hollywood Rentals, $1000 in film stock from Fuji Film, and a copy of Final Draft Version 8 ) for the winner of the Best Feel Good Short Film.
In addition, prizes that total $1250 ($1000 in goods and services from Hollywood Rentals and a copy of Final Draft Version 8 ) will be given to the Audience Award winner for Best Feel Good Feature Film, and $250 (a copy of Final Draft Version 8 ) will go to the Audience Award for Best Feel Good Short Film.
The Panther Award for Best Cinematography brings with it $3000 in goods and services from SLX Rentals and Sales, the Best Feel Good Screenplay takes a prize worth $1000 (an InkTip online membership, a copy of Final Draft Version 8 and a $500 unrestricted cash prize from the Feel Good Film Festival), Best Original Song receives $500 in unrestricted cash from the Feel Good Film Festival), and the winner of the Feel Good Student Film category will enjoy $800 in goods and services from SLX Rentals and Sales as well as a one week complimentary tuition package at the New York Film Academy.
This year will also mark the addition of an award presented to the brand new Feel Good Webisode category,as well as honors to be announced for Best Art Direction, Best Directing, Best Actress and Best Actor.
Regarding the announcement of FGFF’s second year, Festival Founder and Co-Director Kristen Ridgway says, “The second year of the film festival promises to build on the success and fun all of us enjoyed as we launched FGFF last year. As much as we (obviously) had hoped to have a successful film festival, we were all blown away by the overwhelming turnout and response by the filmmakers and fans alike to our “happy” counter-programming. And ROCK SLYDE, with priceless performances by both Patrick Warburton and Andy Dick, could not be a better choice to start the festival with a bang and a lot of laughs.”
FGFF Co-Director America Young agreed and emphasized the addition of the webisodes section as well as a new “After Hours: Feel Good Enlightened double feature on Friday night as evidence of the growth of the programming this year saying, “Using the concept of ‘feel good’ films or entertainment as a leaping off point, rather than a constraint has been a central focus in our second year. We’re excited by the opportunity to not simply entertain, but to also explore and expand the definition with our audiences”.
FGFF will also screen the winning entry of an online competition co-sponsored by the festival on Indieflix.com. That film will be chosen from a lineup including Marc Havener’s AND WHAT REMAINS, Marin Rosete’s BASKET BRONX, Patrick Taggart’s CHARLIE APPLEBEE, Jeremy Provost’s DAYS OF BEING WRINKLE FREE, Maurice Moore’s THE SAVIOR, Matt Sklar’s STAYING GOLD: LOVE, SEX AND HAPPINESS IN OUR GOLDEN YEARS, and Conor Britain’s YOU WIN SOME YOU LOSE SOME.
The Feel Good Film Festival lineup will represent nine countries, including the U.S, U.K., Thailand, Australia, Singapore, South Africa, Ireland, Netherlands and Canada.
Festival passes and tickets are available for purchase on fgff.org.
The Feel Good Film Festival’s films are as follows:
FEATURE LENGTH FILMS (in alphabetical order):
