Salaam Dunk - LA Film Festival

Just watched a wonderful documentary about women collegiate basketball in Iraq. These young women and their young American coach come off as 3-dimensional human beings. The traditional and social constraints they are pushing against. The transient nature of life in a war-torn country. How sports give them pride, solidarity, escape, and hope.

The director, the coach, and others involved in the movie spoke at the Q&A afterwards. Their strong bond are unmistakable. The young women have asked the director not to exhibit the film in Iraq, and the director stated that his priority is not to secure distribution deals for the movie but to do right by these women.

This film reminds me of another excellent sports doc, which I saw at SXSW -- Undefeated. The best sports stories are those that really get you to care about the people, and whether they win or lose, either way, it will be an unforgettable ending that will resonate with long after the lights go on.

Salaam Dunk

Sylvester Stallone @ the Los Angeles Film Festival - Definitely NOT Expendable

Stallone was treated like a ROCK STAR at this special event where he spoke about the highs and lows of his career, analyzed his own work, and showed sneak preview clips of The Expendables.

The people in the audience idolized him. The type of questions he got during Q & A was "Mr. Stallone, you are such an inspiration to all of us. What is the secret of your success?" People cheered, and women screamed! A little girl and her dad equally excited seeing their idol! I understood what is star power, what is a loyal fan base.

               (The insightful Elvis Mitchell w/ the star Stallone)

Stallone is supreme at cultivating his hero-myth. He'd have you think that he IS Rock, he IS Rambo. That he understand the soul of underdogs, ordinary folks vying for a chance to prove their worth. "To succeed or fail on their own terms" was the way he put it. He worked the crowd with his charm, wit, intelligence, and most importantly sense of hope. Even I got swept up in the fervor in this auditorium on this night.  

LA Film Festival: Roger Corman

 (Peter Fonda, Peter Bogdanovich, Joe Dante, Julie Corman, Roger Corman, Curtis Hanson)

As a director/writer fellow for Film Independent, I received a free pass to the LA Film Festival in downtown LA. It was incredible!! I met so many passionate filmmakers and film lovers and attended many cool screenings and panels.

For me the highlight of the festival was probably the Corman tribute. It took place at an intimate venue inside the Grammy museum. Roger Corman, a legendary American independent producer, was to be honored by those whose careers he launched or helped develop. Beforehand, I knew that Corman would be there and Curtis Hanson (director of LA Confidential, 8 Miles, Wonder Boys) would moderate.

When I arrived at the venue, I could feel a buzz in the air. I sat about 5 rows from the stage. During the introduction by the festival director, Rebecca Yeldham, I looked over to the corridor behind me. My heart almost lept out of my chest. I saw Roger Corman (cool but no surprise). Then I saw PETER FONDA and PETER BOGDANOVICH!!! These are movie gods. I become really excited.

When these men were joined on the stage by Joe Dante (director of Gremlins) and Julie Corman (wife and producing partner), everyone in the audience knew this was going to be a special evening.

To be cont.