Join the gang from the NYLESFF for “Popcorn and a Pint!” The New York Lower East Side Film Festival is a new cutting edge event that will be “the happening thing to go to”! It is the first independent film festival to screen films (using video projectors) with no distribution, in bars, restaurants and assorted nooks in the East Village and the Lower East Side. Electronic and dance music plays a major role in the festival as well. Up and coming underground New York DJs will be spinning the nightly parties. Scheduled on the decks are DJs from the “Nice” and “Touch” parties, Terry Casey, David Hollands, and KROC’S Liquid Todd of the “Solid State” show. Dance music videos presented by Astralwerks will be showcased.
Receiving hundreds of submissions from all over the world, the festival has chosen 6 features and over 30 shorts in the categories of shorts, features, animation and documentaries. Audiences will notice surprise appearances, by well known actors who have gotten the indie bug this year, scattered throughout the shorts category. Participating venues that will take the honour of screening the films as well as hosting the after screening parties will be the Pioneer Theatre, Shampu, Den of Cine, Collective Unconscious, Idlewild, Solas and Torch.
The opening night film on April 19 will be the debut of Glen Trotiner’s “Overnight Sensation”. The film is about a young writer, who quits his PA job and heads out to the Sundance Film Festival to create a festival buzz for his script. Actors Mark Goddard (Major Don West of TV’s “Lost and Space”), Maxwell Caulfield star and Edie Falco (The Sopranos) makes a cameo appearance
There will also be two first time documentary screenings; “Sunday with Bill”, an interview with animator Bill Plympton, an Academy Award nominee who created the famous “Your Face”, “25 ways to quit smoking”, and “How to Kiss”. His well known style has led him to the pop generation at MTV. The more serious documentary will be the American premiere of “Auschwitz – The Final Witness”, produced by Britain’s Sky Television. This true story tells of three survivors who were slave workers in the gas chambers during Hitler’s Third Reich and journey back to Auschwitz to remember their nightmares as young men at the concentration camp. This is definitely of award winning caliber. An expected draw will be for WADD: The Life and Times of John C. Holmes, the story of the endowed porn star icon, who goes from an innocent life in Ohio to a life of becoming a sociopath who gets involved in sex, cocaine and homicide. Being the inspiration for “Boogie Nights”, this movie gives out intriguing twists and turns and will surprise viewers with the true story.
Also included, is a special non-competitive screening of Director Paul McGuigan’s “Acid House”. This U.K. film is a surreal comic story about marriage, babies and an excess of chemical abuse. Rarely seen in America, this British flick stars Ewen Bremner and Martin Clunes who help keep the writer Irvine Welsh (he makes a cameo appearance) of “Trainspotting”‘ fame alive. The soundtrack includes tracks from Chemical Brothers, Primal Scream and The Verve.
Choosing the awards for Best Feature, Best Short, Best Animation and Best Documentary will be this year’s judges from various companies such as Warner Brothers, Miramax Films, Independent Feature Project, CitySearch, New York University’s Tisch School and 01films.com.
[ Screenings and Parties ] ^ Pioneer Theatre – (Opening Night Film) and After Party at Idlewild, Wed., April 19 ^ Shampu – Screenings from 7-1am and After Party, Thurs., April 20 ^ Den of Cine – Screenings from 7-1am ^ Izzy Bar – Kozmo.com and Time Out host party with free giveaways, Friday, April 21 ^ Collective Unconscious – Screenings from 7-2am, Sat., April 22 ^ Solas – Shout Magazine host party at Solas, Saturday, April 22 ^ Torch – Closing Night Party (winners to be announced), Sunday, April 23
[ 2nd New York Lower East Side Film Festival takes place April 19-23, 2000. ] ^ For more information call 212-358-3557 ^ http://www.nylesff.com
