THERE MIGHT BE bigger film festivals, some better known, others that boast more celebrity attendance, but it's hard to think of any as charming as the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival. Movie fans are invited to this Southern California vacation spot to view more than 50 films - dramas, comedies, suspense, documentaries and animated films - produced by newcomer hopefuls and industry veterans. "We are the boutique of film festivals, small and elegant," said Mary Dippell, president of the eighth annual Lake Arrowhead Film Festival.
"We have now taken this festival to a new level. Our submissions are way up. We're becoming known for showing the best films available.
" "West Bank Story," the 2006 Academy Award winner for best live action short film, directed by Ari Sandel, premiered at Lake Arrowhead Film Festival, Dippell said. "We have really arrived," she continued. The Lake Arrowhead Film Festival: Film, Television and Beyond has expanded its scope to honor distinguished professionals in the fields of television and new media as well as in theatrical film.
At the gala awards dinner on April 20, ceremony honorees will include five-time Emmy Award winning cinematographer Donald M.
Jennifer Love Hewitt will receive the festival's Humanitarian Award. "I'm extremely excited about the way this year's festival is coming together," Dippell said. When asked to single out some "must see" films, Dippell struggled.
She insisted that this year's crop was exceptional, but finally chose three: "My First Time Driving," directed by Rebecca Feldmanis, is a short dramady about Rachel, who wants to take the wheel, but her mom can't let go. "Alex Scott: A Stand for Hope" is a heart-tugging documentary directed by Larry Mendte. It's about 4-year-old Alex Scott and her battle with cancer.
Alex started a lemonade stand in her own front yard to raise money for cancer research. Six years later, two years after her death, her lemonade stands pepper the nation. They have raised millions of dollars for pediatric cancer research.
Proceeds from single pass seats for this screening will be donated to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. "Pope Dreams," a full-length feature directed by Patrick Hogan. It's about a 19-year-old heavy metal drummer who tries to send his sick mother to meet the pope, and at the same time he falls for a girl totally out of his league.
"That's just a smattering of the excellent films," Dippell said. "Movie enthusiasts are going to have the time of their life.
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