Newport Beach Film Festival asks for $30,000

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- Just weeks before its opening, the Newport Beach Film

Festival will request another $30,000 from the City Council to help with

festival costs.

“We expect to get it,” said festival spokesman Todd Quartararo, adding

that organizers will keep their fingers crossed at Tuesday’s meeting.

“[The council has] been very supportive. The city has played a key role.”

This festival is a revival of the original, which ended after a four year

run when founder Jeffrey S. Conner declared bankruptcy last fall. The new

festival board includes local business people, members of the Newport

Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau, UCI faculty and Bob Bassett, dean

of Chapman University’s film school.

The council gave the festival $7,000 in December to help with start-up

costs. At the time, council members agreed to consider assisting the

festival with theater costs, if all the screenings took place in Newport

Beach and after organizers exhausted other fund sources.

While the festival managed to attract more than $540,000 in sponsorships,

only $56,000 of the contributions is in cash. This poses a cash-flow

problem for organizers in their start-up year. In reviewing the

situation, city staff has recommended that the council allow the festival

the extra funding.The 8-day event will kickoff on March 30 with a gala

reception. The festival will feature full-length, short and animated

films from around the world as well as a number of seminars.

Several of the new films are works from recent film festivals from Palm

Springs to as far away as Amsterdam and China.

“One thing that is really different is that this festival will be all

within Newport Beach,” Quartararo said. “This helps to eliminate any

confusion for moviegoers and filmmakers. It gives the festival a heart or

pulse.”Screenings will be primarily at the Edwards Island Cinemas and the

Orange County Museum of Art.

WHAT: City Council Meeting

WHEN: Tuesday, study session starts at 4 p.m. and regular agenda is at 7

p.m.

WHERE: Council Chambers at 3300 Newport Blvd.