Push Comes To Shove at Method Fest
As Intense Feature Shines in Premiere
See Premiere Night Photo Gallery | See 2006 Sony Photo Galleries
Members of the Push cast join Calabasas Mayor Dennis Washburn for an informal photo at the World Premiere Night Party at the Auto Gallery.
Dreamland, Push Open To Record Attendance;
See Event Schedule and Film Schedule for Tickets
Push director/writer Dave Rodriguez addresses an overflow crowd at the MPTF. |
Calabasas, Calif., April 1, 2006 - Push followed the lead of Opening Night film Dreamland, attracting an overflow audience at the Louis B. Mayer Theatre as the 8th annual The Method Fest opened to record attendance. The Festival continues today with workshops and the Centerpiece Film screening of December Ends at 5:30 p.m. at the Carlson Family Theatre.
The world premiere of the film that traces a trio of friends' doomed involvement in the world of drug sales, was the culmination of a struggle to reach a dream of writer/director Dave Rodriguez.
"I wrote Push in about 4 1/2 days," he told the overflow at Louis B. Mayer Theatre. Then, he sought to make his dream a reality. "I sold my house and was down to about $5,000," he said. The dream paid off on Saturday night with the crowd's applause. Called
"a gritty, powder keg of a film" by CBS radio, Push has attracted distribution and will be released in theaters this summer.
Tickets for the Festival, which runs through April 7, are available online at brownpapertickets.com, or at the door of the Louis B. Mayer Theatre and the Carlson Family Theatre at Viewpoint School. Please see the Event Schedule and Film Schedule pages for more details. Some 23 feature films and 40 shorts from around the world are featured in this year's Festival.
Connie Sawyer addresses the overflow crowd at the MPTF Theatre Saturday before the screening of Push. Sawyer shares a smile with Calabasas Mayor Dennis Washburn in inset photo.
They Are Typecast, But Hardly Typical
Calabasas Mayor Dennis Washburn and Connie Sawyer, a resident of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, share at least three things. They love films, are both typecast in upcoming performances, and are hardly typical. Washburn is playing - what else? - a mayor in an upcoming film, The Violent Kind. Meanwhile, Sawyer, one of many MPTF residents watching Method Fest films this week, was typecast in two episodes of the televison drama ER this season. Said the 93-year-old Sawyer: "What do I play? I play an old lady who has a vision and brings in a friend." Her last episode airs on May 18.
Filmmaker Reception at Leonis Adobe Is a Hit
The 8th annual The Method Fest film festival got off to an early start on March 30 when the historic Leonis Adobe hosted the Filmmaker Reception. With beautiful lighting highlighting a great venue, the cast of Nightmare (left) stops for a photo. The party was hosted for the second year in a row by Leonis Adobe.
For more photos of the Reception, please see the Gallery. Additional photos are on the Events Page.
David Carradine Receives Maverick Award |
David Carradine addresses the audience (center) after being presented the 2006 Maverick Award by The Method Fest on March 2nd for his outstanding contribution to cinema and his versatility as an actor, producer, director, writer, editor and composer. With Carradine in left photo is presenter
and fellow Kill Bill star Michael Madsen. In right photo, Carradine and Masden pose with Carol Washburn, president, Calabasas Chamber of Commerce.
» See full Carradine/Maverick Award story. | See Photo Gallery
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All-Time Record 742 Films Sumitted for Festival
Michael Cavalieri of the short "Livewire." |
An all time record of 742 films from American and international filmmakers have been submitted for the 8th annual The Method Fest independent festival. “Film submissions have increased spectacularly every year of the festival,” said Don Franken, The Method Fest executive director. “We reached a significant milestone when we topped 500 entries for the first time in 2004. Last year we had 571 films, and this year we added 150 more. The new record of submissions shows our festival is growing every year and independent filmmakers look for The Method Fest as a premier festival to showcase their new work.”
» See full Film Submissions story.
Schedule of Events Announced
The events of The 2006 Method Fest began in January and are moving toward a culmination with the wildly popular Awards Ceremony on Friday, April 7. In between are a mix of receptions, parties, music nights, galas, and, of course, screenings of some of the finest Independent films hitting the market. See the Calendar Page for all the details and check back for updates.
Feature Films Added
Two Canadian films have been added to the 2006 Method Fest lineup. Severed, directed by Carl Bessai, will be screened on Sunday, April 2, 9:45 pm at the Louis B. Mayer Theatre. In Severed, a multi-national forestry company engages in genetic experimentation to increase logging yield in a remote section of forest. But the experimentation goes disastrously wrong ... see the synopsis/buy tickets. Also added is Love Is Work, a feature that tells the truth about love. It will screen on April 6, 9:15 pm at the Louis B. Mayer Theatre. See synopsis.
Landau Latest in Impressive List of Award Winners
Veteran
actor Martin Landau, honored at the 2005 Method Fest Awards Ceremony in Calabasas, joins a noted list of distinguished honorees on the festival's awards lists. In fact, taking a scroll through the lists reveals how the Method Fest has contributed to the careers of emerging and established stars, producers and others in the industry. See the Archives Page for a look at the all-time list of Method Fest award winners.
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Get Ready To Rock
The Method Fest will move to the sound of great music. Indie Music Night has become a fixture at the Festival. Get the details on the Indie Music Night acts. And, check the acts playing at parties from the Opening Night Gala to the Awards Ceremony. » Music Act Page
Special Events
Get the details on Indie Music Night, the Youth Workshops & Screenings, and the Actor-Director Conference on the Events Page. Just scroll through the table to the event in which you're interested, and click "access detailed description" for all the facts. » Events Page
Star Power
This year's Festival loaded with movie talent. » Details
Niagara Motel
The Method Fest has added the well-received feature film Niagara Motel to the 2006 Festival lineup. » Synopsis
Hudson Honored
Ernie Hudson, honored with the “Indie Supporter Award” on Feb. 16 for his contribution to independent film, poses with Elaine Wood, The Method Fest managing director, and Don Franken, executive director.
» See details
She's hot: Cameron Richardson, shown in the 2005 TMF screening of "The Good Humor Man" with Nathan Stevens, is among festival alums getting noticed.
TMF Launches
Career Breakouts
The Method Fest independent film festival, the only film festival in the United States that focuses on acting, is becoming more and more the place where talented new actors show their craft in memorable roles that help launch their careers. Read about the career-changing breaks for "discoveries" from 2005 Method Fest, as well as success for past alums. » See Story .
Youth Program
Information Posted
Get details about entering The Method Fest's annual Youth Program short film, screenplay, and actor competition. » See Youth Program.
Break Into
Hollywood Now
"How To Get Arrested"® is a book about breaking into Hollywood and the business of acting. Loaded with inside hints and motivational tips that take "the tangles and terror out of the system," the book is the creation of Michael J. Wallach, a longtime Festival supporter. Click for details.
Fun photos, times: The cast of East of Sunset celebrates, appropriately, with Corona beers, after being presented the Corona Maverick Award for Quality in a Low Budget film. It's one of the many fun photos in our 2005 Galleries.
Relive 2005 Fest
Via Photo Galleries
Relive the fun and excitement of the 2005 Method Fest via an extensive collection of SONY Image Galleries.
» See Galleries. |
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