Rocking & Rolling!!!

We've been officially accepted to ROCKPORT FILM FESTIVAL!!!!
Who wants to go? It's in Texas, November 6-8.
http://www.rockportfilmfest.com/

Hola, Orlando!!!

Another Latino Film Fest another double-booked weekend (October 10-12 --> also SECRET CITY Film Fest) another State another night another dream another jingle jingle jingle bells rock!

www.ohfilmfestival.com

TACOMA, HERE WE COMA!

The Gift Wrapper is now part of the OFFICIAL SELECTION of this year's TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL (Oct. 2-9)

For a complete list of movies and showtimes, visit: http://tacoma.bside.com/2008/ (coming soon)

TGW Press Kits

These are the press kits I took to the LALIFF office today!!!

Get Wrapped Up in Historical Excitement!!!!!

Grauman's Egyptian Theater

From Wikipedia

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre interior, 1922

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre exterior, 1922

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California is one of the world's most famous movie theatres. Opened in 1922, it was the venue for the first-ever Hollywood premiere.

History

The Egyptian was built by showman Sid Grauman, who subsequently built the nearby Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Grauman had previously built one of the United States' first movie palaces - the Million Dollar Theater which opened in Downtown Los Angeles in 1918. The Egyptian Theatre cost $800,000 to build and took 18 months to construct. Architects Meyer & Holler designed the building and it was built by The Milwaukee Building Company.

The Egyptian Theatre was the venue for the first-ever Hollywood premiere. The film was Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks. The grand opening premiere was on Wednesday, October 18, 1922. The film reportedly cost over $1 million. Tickets were $5.00 for the premiere of Robin Hood. One could reserve a seat up to two weeks in advance for the daily performances. Evening admission was 75¢, $1.00 or $1.50. The film was not shown in any other Los Angeles theater that year.

In 1927, Grauman opened a second movie theater further west on Hollywood Boulevard. In keeping with the public fascination in that era with international themes, he named his new theater the Chinese Theatre. (It eventually rivaled and surpassed the Egyptian in popular fame because of its Walk Of Fame.)

Inspiration for other movie theatres

The layout and design of the Egyptian was emulated by other movie palaces in the US - with several being named after the original Hollywood Egyptian Theatre. Peery's Egyptian Theatre in Ogden, Utah, which opened in 1924, being a prime example [1]. The name Egyptian Theatre has become a popular name for other movie theaters to use [2].

Architecture

The courtyard of Grauman's Egyptian Theatre - circa 2007

The exterior of the theatre is in the Egyptian Revival style. However, the attentive visitor will notice roof pans above the main entrance, items which are not in ancient Egyptian style. The original plans for the theatre show a Hispanic-themed theatre, but at some point these plans where changed to an Egyptian style. It is probable that this was due to public fascination with the multiple expeditions searching for the tomb of Tutankhamun by archaeologist Howard Carter over the preceding years. (Carter eventually discovered the tomb on November 4, 1922 - just two weeks after the Egyptian Theatre opened.) [3] At the time that the change in architectural style was determined, the Hispanic-styled roof pans had already been delivered and paid for - and they were kept and used in the building.

The exterior and interior walls contain Egyptian-style paintings and hieroglyphics. The four massive columns that mark the theatre's main entrance are 4 1/2 feet (1.3 m) wide and rise 20 feet (6 m).

Capitalising on Southern California's sunny weather is the large courtyard (45 feet wide {13.7 m} and 150 feet (46 m) {45.7 m} long) in the front, complete with a fountain and queen palm trees. This is actually the "entrance hall" (the theatre doors used to open directly into the auditorium) and was specifically designed to host the theatre's famous red carpet ceremonies.

Guided tours are offered by American Cinematheque's staff on weekends.

Current state

Reflecting the ebb and flow of Hollywood's popularity as a location, the Egyptian's popularity also changed over the years. As Hollywood declined in the 1980s and early 1990s, the theatre eventually fell into disrepair. In 1996 the City of Los Angeles sold the theatre to the American Cinematheque for a nominal one dollar with the proviso that the landmark building be restored to its original grandeur and re-opened as a movie theatre. The Cinematheque committed to raising the funds to pay for the restoration and to using the renovated theatre as home for its programs of public film exhibition.

The Egyptian Theatre was re-opened to the public on December 4, 1998 after a $12.8 million renovation. The original theatre seated over 2,000 patrons in a single auditorium. In the restored Egyptian the building has been reconfigured to add a second screening theatre. The main theatre now accommodates 616 patrons and is named after Los Angeles philanthropist Lloyd E. Rigler. The smaller, 77-seat theatre is named for Hollywood producer/director Steven Spielberg.

THE GIFT WRAPPER Hollywood Premiere!!!

THE GIFT WRAPPER will premiere @ the Los Angeles Latino Intl' Film Fest on Sunday, September 14th @ 12:50pm @ the Spielberg Theatre (@ the Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood).






It feels so good to write THE GIFT WRAPPER, Los Angeles and Spielberg in the same sentence!!!!!!! ;)

TGW is part of the "Shorts Love Stories" Program.

WHOHOOOOOOO!!!! (With a British Accent)

We got in FILMSTOCK, a ROCKSTAR indie film fest in Luton, UK!!!!! (Nov 6-16)
The Gift Wrappeh' s going to EEENGLAND MEE FRIENDSSSS!


A word from the Festival Directors:

Luton, UK
September 2, 2008

Dani,

Let us leaving you hanging no more.

YOU ARE IN Filmstock 2008. Welcome. We can’t wait to screen The Gift Wrapper and have some Christmas romance gracing our fest.

We had about 800 films this year and it was a tougher year than ever. We say that every year but it’s true. The longer you go, the more people want to screen with you, but it’s your film and you that we want this November in Luton.

From now on, consider us at your beck and call (with regard to the festival, we won’t fetch your dry cleaning).

We hope you will come see us in November, we thank you for thinking of Filmstock and we thank you for making a great movie we can’t wait to share with our audience.

Peace

Neil & Justin

Directors

FILMSTOCK 9

6-16 NOVEMBER

LUTON – UK

www.filmstock.co.uk