The 11th annual Newport Beach Film Festival, running April 22-29, 2010, will open with Danny Buday’s “Five Star Day” and close with Gary Winikc’s “Letters to Juliet.” From the official press release synopsis, in “Five Star Day,” “Jake Gibson’s (Cam Gigandet) horoscope forecasts a perfect ‘Five Star Day’ the morning of his birthday. Little does he realize that what’s foretold to be a flawless ‘Five Star Day’, unfolds to be far less than stellar when Jake’s world is turned upside down when all that could go wrong, does.”
“Letters to Juliet,” starring Amanda Seyfried, Gael García Bernal and Vanessa Redgrave, is described as follows: “When a young American (Seyfried) travels to the city of Verona, home of the star-crossed lover Juliet Capulet of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ fame, she joins a group of volunteers who respond to letters to Juliet seeking advice about love. After answering one letter dated from 1957, she inspires its author (Redgrave) to travel to Italy in search of her long-lost love, which sets off a chain of events that will bring a love into both their lives unlike anything they have ever imagined.”
According to Gregg Schwenk, Executive Director/CEO of the Newport Beach Film Festival, “This year’s Festival features a diverse slate of independent and studio films from around the globe, impressive in both depth and breadth. Our coastal resort setting, amazing community support and strong filmmaker participation authenticate the Festival as the ultimate destination to experience cinema and discover new filmmaking talent.”
