The first annual DIY Film Festival will honor director David Warfield and digital video feature “Ocean Park” as its grand prize winner at a gala party and screening in Hollywood on Friday, Feb. 8th.
Selected from hundreds of entries, “Ocean Park” is the complex tale of a murder set against the laid-back beach community of Ocean Park, which lies between Santa Monica and Venice. The gritty tale was shot on digital video and used a volunteer crew and veteran acting team. “Ocean Park” shows how a little creative energy can make digital filmmaking look as stylish as 35mm,” said DIY Film Festival programming director Rich Martini. “It’s also a testiment to content over style and how an interesting story makes you forget what delivery system you’re watching. It points the way to where DIY films will be headed in the future.”
“Ocean Park” director Warfield said he didn’t want to wait for a backer’s approval before making his film. “There was some progress towards making ‘Ocean Park’ by conventional means but I could not stand the waiting and wanted to shoot the film while I was still young,” said Warfield. “The mindset was “shoot the film without asking any one else’s permission – Do It Yourself.” The choice wasn’t between “35mm/Studio” and “DVCAM/Indie,” it was between “make film now” or “be at the mercy of non-filmmakers.”
Warfield will receive a camera package from Panavision and an award certificate at the screening, which is the kickoff event for the 2002 DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books, which takes place on Sat. Feb. 9th at the Wyndham Bel Age hotel in West Hollywood, CA.
Best Screenplay award goes to writer/director Kevin Kangas, who wrote the dark drama “Hunting Humans,” a cold look into the mind of a serial killer that features a unique twist on the theme. Kangas will receive a Final Cut Pro training session from festival sponsor Moviola.
Also honored by the DIY Film Festival is the best short drama “Tower Of Babble,” a USC student film which features a cameo voice-over by Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey; the comedy documentary “The Horribly Stupid Stunt,” a digital video which details a prank pulled on the World Trade Organization; a documentary on the life and times of blues singer Micky Champion, “Champion Blues”; the comedy short “The Hitman” which humorously details the foibles of a Rhode Island waiter turned wanna-be hired killer ; and the feature-length “The Human Bee-Ing,” a parody of classic 1950s B-films shot in black and white.
The remaining winners will share a software package from Screenplay Systems Inc. as their grand prize. Their films as well as a re-showing of the other prize winners will be screened on Saturday Feb. 9th at the Wyndham Bel Age Hotel during the DIY Convention.
For more info about how to obtain tickets, call The DIY Convention box office, 323-665-8080 or visit the DIY Film Festival web site.
Check out FILMTHREAT.com’s FILM FESTIVAL ARCHIVES for more fest news!
