On Sept. 12-14, the Calabasas Film Festival will take place at The Commons and Viewpoint School. This festival will embrace the work of student filmmakers, local vendors, actors, and filmmakers will be showcasing their talent Friday through Sunday. The event team is working to diligently hoping to make the film festival unforgettable by showcasing local films and also including big name movies in the line up.
“Our mission is to promote Calabasas and its strong connection to the film and television industry,” said the Calabasas Film Festival’s organizer, Joe Fries, in a recent interview with The Acorn.
The most anticipated screening is called “The Equalizer”, a film based on a brave man who comes out of retirement to save a young girl who has been kidnapped by Russian gangsters. Celebrities such as Denzel Washington and Chloe Grace Moretz star in this film. The even team believes having this movie on the line up is likely to attract many people, enabling the festival to have a massive turn out.
“I am looking forward to seeing The Equalizer; I am pleasantly surprised it is being shown at the Calabasas Film Festival,” said junior Claire Freiberg.
The first day will begin with a cocktail party for golden ticket holders and invited guests. Shortly after, filmmakers, producers and actors will walk the red carpet while answering questions from fans and journalists. At 7:30 p.m., locals will be invited into the theater at Regal Cinemas to be one of the first ones to watch “The Equalizer”. Following the premier will be a VIP after-party, catered by Marmalade, The Six, Toscanova and other local restaurants.
After the first day’s festivities, the second day will be held at Viewpoint School and will also exhibit many films. “Alive Inside, “It’s Not a Date” and “Love Me” are just a few of the films that will be screened at the local festival. Almost all films included a question and answer portion with the directors.
The final day of the event will be reserved for student filmmakers only. This will give students an opportunity to showcase their work to the public. Many students from CHS, as well as other neighboring schools such as Viewpoint and Agoura will showcase their films at the festival. Students with the most captivating films will receive awards at the end of the night, as well as student actors who participated. In previous years, CHS filmmakers and actors have received numerous awards that have boosted their aspiring careers. As the final day, the student submission screening will wrap up the festival.
The organizers of this event, Natalie Khoury and Joe Fries, believe this film festival will exceed everyone’s expectations. To support other students and discover new and upcoming filmmakers, visit http://www.thecalabasasfilmfestival.com/ to get tickets or submit a film to be screened at the festival.
