NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

The Newport Beach Film Festival will hold events daily through Friday.

Films will be shown in four venues: Edwards Big Newport, 300 Newport

Center Drive, Newport Beach; Lido Theater, 3459 Via Lido, Newport Beach;

and Edwards Island 1 and 2, 999 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach.

Unless otherwise marked, tickets are $7 and may be purchased by calling

(949) 253-2880 or online at www.newportbeachfilmfest.com.

TODAY

11 a.m.

According To Spencer

Lido Theater

o7 United States, 2001

f7 Director: Shane Edleman

Screenwriter: Marissa Ribisi, Meridith Morton, Shane Edelman

Cast: Jesse Bradford, Mia Kirshner, David Krumholtz, Brad Rowe,

Marissa Ribisi and Giovanni Ribisi

Running time: 97:00

o7 Spencer rents a room in a ramshackle mansion owned by two hipster

doofuses -- budding filmmakers who continually disrupt Spencer’s life as

they busy themselves shooting their most personal movie. They ask Spencer

to play the lead in return for rent-free living and he agrees, only to

find out that he is the star of a porn film.f7

Short Films: A Short Look At Us

Edwards Island 1

The Dangerous Love of Alfie Zeegman

o7 Alfie’s imaginary friend AJ comes up with movie plot schemes to

“get the girl,” but when he tries to put them into action the plans end

in injury to others.

f7

Both of Them (Tous Les Deux)

o7 The symbolic story of our world. Our Love. Our hate.f7

Jitters

o7 A horny ladies’ man convinces his somewhat-sexually inexperienced,

soon-to-be-married, best friend that he needs one last wild escapade

before tying the knot. f7

Infidel

o7 Unable to get it on with both his mistress and his wife, Mike

discovers his most intimate desires are trapped by his own

superficiality.

f7

It’s A Shame About Ray

o7 Ray drops dead while watering his lawn, and it is discovered that

his records in the afterlife are incomplete. He must then endure an

interrogation to determine his fate.

f7

Eight

o7 Through a series of sometimes comic and sometimes bitter

vignettes, the lives of eight strangers collide.

f7

11:30 a.m.

The Trespasser (O Invasor)

Edwards Island 2

o7 Brazil, 2001

f7 Director: Reto Brant

Screenwriter: Marcal Aquino, Beto Brant, Renato Ciasca

Cast: Marco Ricca, Alexandre Borges, Paulo Miklos, Malu Mader

Running time: 97:00

o7 A story of power, friendship and betrayal set in Sao Paulo.

Estevao, Ivan and Gilberto have been friends and partners for more than

15 years when Estevao threatens to break up the partnership. Ivan and

Gilberto decide to eliminate their friend by hiring a professional

killer.

f7

1 p.m.

A Fine Balance

Lido Theater

o7 United States, 2002

f7 Director: Brad Alan Lewis

Running time: 97:00

o7 An uncompromising, honest look at what it takes to compete for a

place on the U.S. Olympic rowing team -- one that is preparing for the

2000 Sydney Olympic team.

f7

1:30 p.m.

Nynke

Edwards Island 1

o7 The Netherlands, 2000f7

Director: Pieter Verhoeff

Screenwriter: Pieter Verhoeff

Cast: Monic Hendrickx, Jeroen Willems

Running time: 106:00

o7 Nynke Van Hichf7 to7 um was the pen name for popular children’s

book writer Sjoukje Bokmade Boer. When the reality of her life catches up

with her, she breaks down in this period piece about the role of women in

society.f7

2 p.m.

Short Films: Docu-Short O’Rama

Edwards Island 2

Testimony of Triumph

o7 The Pariser family hid out for more than three years in

Nazi-controlled Poland, and during this time they had many close calls

and escapes from certain death.

f7

Still Life: The Humanity of Anatomy

o7 A humanist exploration of the unstated but powerful relationship

between medical students and their cadavers.

f7

Decibels

o7 Alexis Jameson is a young, vibrant, beautiful woman. There’s just

one thing that’s different -- she’s hearing impaired. f7

A Place at the Table

o7 Eight teenagers gather around the fire to share their family

histories. What emerges is a tapestry of diversity and pride.

f7

Tow Truck Attack

o7 A man loses his temper when his car is towed, landing him on

“Judge Judy.”

f7

3:30 p.m.

Obaachan’s Garden

Edwards Island 1

o7 Canada, 2001

f7 Director: Linda Ohama

Running time: 94:13

o7 At 25, Hiroshima-born Asayo Murakami boarded a ship to Canada to

marry a man she had never met. Running away from a secret past, she

arrives in Canada a picture bride. Delicately peeling back the layers of

her grandmotherf7 ‘o7 s life, Linda Ohama presents a searingly powerful

and at times heartbreaking portrait of the times, as she discovers

Asayo’s past. f7

The Cabbie (Yun Zhuai Shou Zhi Lian)

Lido Theater

o7 Taiwan, 2001

f7 Director: Zhang Hua-Kun, Chen Yiwen

Screenwriter: Zhao-bin Su

Cast: Tai Bao, Hsiu-Ying Cheng

Running time: 94:00

o7 When taxi driver Su Daquan has a gun held to his head, it makes

him think about his life and his relationships with his family. He comes

to the realization that he has fallen in love with a young policewoman,

and he commits every moving violation possible just to see her. f7

5 p.m.

Par 6

Edwards Island 2

o7 United States, 2000

f7 Director: Grant Heslov

Screenwriter: Candice Levenson

Cast: John Carroll Lynch, Jeffrey Jones, Stephen Tobolowsky, Dylan

Walsh, Valerie Mahaffey

Running time: 88:00

o7 Walt Hegelman receives a message from the Great Spirit to build

the most amazing golf course in Valhalla, West Texas. A Par 6 course

rising majestically out of the land lost to Walt and his twin sister 20

years ago, when they were forced to leave town.

f7

X

Edwards Island 1

o7 Japan, 1996

f7 Director: Rintaro

Screenwriter: Asami Watanabe, Nanase Ohkawa, Rintaro

Cast: Tomokazu Seki, Junko Iwao, Ken Narita

Running time: 98:00

o7 In this anime film, the future of the universe rests on one young

man who must either destroy the Dragons of Earth or the Dragons of

Heaven.f7

6 p.m.

Cherish

Lido Theater

o7 United States, 2001

f7 Director: Finn Taylor

Screenwriter: Finn Taylor

Cast: Robin Tunney, Tim Blake Nelson, Jason Priestley, Liz Phair and

Brad Hunt

Running time: 100:00

o7 Zoe Alder, a love-starved animator, spends countless hours

listening to Cherish radio, losing herself in a syrupy romantic

obsession. She ends up driving a hijacked car, mowing down a policeman,

and being put under house arrest for two years. Zoe sheds her

rose-colored glasses and becomes her own super hero when she realizes she

is being stalked.

f7 * Spotlight screening sponsored by Fine Line Features. $10.

7 p.m.

The Best in West Advertising

Edwards Island 1

o7 Is a 30-second commercial a very short film and a way to break

into features? Ridley and Tony Scott, Michael Bay, David Fincher and more

all came from the world of commercial advertising and leaped to the big

screen. Best in West explores iconic advertising from legendary shops,

including Chiat/Day and Weiden Kennedy.

f7 * Gala sponsored by Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego Ad Clubs to

be held at the Hard Rock Cafe afterward. $20. Casual dress.

Short Films: Did Someone Say ‘Shorts’?

Edwards Island 2

The Fountain

o7 An elderly man discovers a fountain of youth in his backyard

greenhouse. He gives some water to his bedridden wife, only to find

unexpected consequences.

f7

Faithful

o7 A mysterious letter implicating Robert in a lengthy extramarital

affair sparks a conflict among three women: his wife, her sister and his

alleged lover.

f7

Empty

o7 At the end of World War II, two boys escape the death marches for

an even deadlier journey -- finding a way home. But they are not alone.

f7

The Book and the Rose

o7 When John Barnes acquires an old book filled with intriguing

handwritten notes, he begins a correspondence with its previous owner --

and it promises to be more than just an exchange of letters.

f7

Arrested Soul

o7 The true story about a life or death turning point in a

drug-addicted young man’s life. f7

Dog

o7 A young boy longs for reassurance about how his mother died. To

protect each other, he and his father hold their pain inside, where it

festers.f7

8:30 p.m.

Short Films: There’s Something Fun in My Shorts

Lido Theater

Bored of the Rings

o7 Has the addition of all the new Olympic events left you bored of

the rings? Watch the U.S., Russia and Australia battle for gold in the

latest Olympic event, penmanship.

f7

Battleship Contempkin

o7 Parisian lovers, trapped in their Left Bank apartment on a rainy

afternoon, play a humorously perverse version of the popular American

board game.

f7

Farmer McAllister’s Thinkin’ Machine

o7 Down on McAllister’s farm, there is a haggard man, a shed, an evil

wife and a bucket-headed robot; not to mention, a lust that will test the

limits of marriage and metal fatigue.

f7

The Deadline

o7 Three animators struggle to make a film as the deadline looms.

f7

Peeping Tom

o7 Teetering just south of puberty, Thomas Harris wishes to finally

see his dream woman naked. Thomas’ wish comes true, and he stays up all

night watching her, but pays the price.

f7

eMale

o7 To win the grand prize for the Squat-n-Win.com contest, Dale must

be welded inside his apartment, alone, for a year living entirely off the

Internet.

f7

Get Skinny

o7 Finally sick of media standards, three friends hit critical mass,

kidnap a model and force her to do the unthinkable.

f7

I Pie (A Love Story)

o7 A look behind the scenes as a master pie-maker works at his labor

of love.

f7

Flush

o7 An over-the-top comedy that propels human ingenuity and human

frailty to new levels, all in the name of love and hygiene.

f7

Pearl Harbor II: Pearlmageddon

o7 It’s the day after the day that will live in infamy.f7

Boobie Girl

o7 The onset of puberty has a young girl praying for larger breasts.

f7

Safetyman

o7 A 2-dimensional icon comes to life in this animated short.f7

9 p.m.

Dogtown And Z-Boys

Edwards Island 1

o7 United States, 2001

f7 Director: Stacy Peralta

Running Time: 90:00

o7 The high-flying vertical style of skateboarding is now such a

defining element of international youth culture that it’s hard to believe

it wasn’t invented by a skateboard manufacturer. In fact, it was invented

in the street, in a place called Dogtown, “where the debris meets the

sea.”

f7 * Spotlight screening sponsored by Sony Pictures Classics. $10.

Dress style is skate wear.

9:30 p.m.

Bad Trip

Edwards Island 2

o7 Canada, 2001

f7 Director: Walter Viveriros

Screenwriter: Walter Viveriros

Cast: Kells James, Brian Frank, Emanuel C. Albino, Daniel Viera, Arene

Johnson and Sandra Jukic

Running time: 88:00

o7 When a skater opens the cover of an adults-only comic book, the

animation comes to life.f7