LOFT FILM FEST

THE LOFT FILM FEST IS COMING!

November 11th - 18th, 2010
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The first annual LOFT FILM FEST, inspired by the untamed spirit of independent cinema, will showcase an eclectic range of new and classic films in an 8-day celebration of movies and events in sunny Tucson, AZ.

Ground Zero for the Fest is the nonprofit, community-supported LOFT CINEMA, Tucson’s premier venue for art films - independent, foreign, alternative and classic narrative films and documentaries.

Lead Programmer Mike Plante will be working closely with THE LOFT’s year-round staff to select the films. Plante is a consultant with Sundance, where he was Short Film Programmer from 2002-2006 and an Associate Programmer since then. Also a Film Programmer at CineVegas from 2002-2009, Plante worked at THE LOFT in the late 1990s.

“Tucson has always been a hidden gem of a town,” says Plante. “It’s got a distinctive undercurrent of creativity, and people with a great love for film.”

In 2008, The Loft was one of 17 cinemas in the US invited by the Sundance Institute to join its Art House Project. The selection was based on quality of programming and involvement with the community. The Loft has also been named “Best of Tucson” by the readers of the Tucson Weekly every year since 2002.

The first-ever LOFT FILM FEST will bring to Tucson a diverse and exciting line-up of new independent and foreign films, along with classics, underground treasures and much more. The Fest will also turn the spotlight on actors, directors, producers and others in the film industry as they present their work and discuss their ideas, their process, their passion and their art.

Helping to launch the Fest’s maiden voyage will be esteemed Honorary Chairs, Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, the Oscar®-winning writing team behind 2005’s Brokeback Mountain. McMurtry has also secured his place in movie history by penning the Oscar®-nominated screenplay for the 1971 classic The Last Picture Show, based on his novel of the same name. A Hollywood legend will also be celebrated as Honorary Chair Pamela Marvin, wife of the late Lee Marvin, helps present a cinematic tribute to the Oscar®-winning actor, star of such unforgettable films as Cat Ballou (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967) and The Big Red One (1980).

Also on board is Oscar®-nominated director/actor/producer (and former part-time Tucsonan) Griffin Dunne, star of such modern-day classics as American Werewolf in London (1981) and After Hours (1985), and Oscar®-nominated documentary filmmaker and Tucson native Kirby Dick, director of the acclaimed films Twist of Faith (2004), This Film is Not Yet Rated (2006) and Outrage (2009).

The LOFT FILM FEST committee will be chaired by Loft Cinema Board Member Katherine Pew, who has varied film industry connections and experience, and Will Conroy, co-author of the highly-acclaimed 2008 thriller Transsiberrian, which he wrote at his day job at his family-owned Arizona Inn, a beloved Tucson landmark.

Get ready for a week-long extravaganza of great cinema at THE LOFT FILM FEST, November 11th-18th. If you think you’ve already seen everything The Loft has to offer … JUST WATCH!

Festival Sponsors: Cox Communications, The Arizona Inn, Stella Artois, and Bookmans Entertainment Exchange.

Loft Film Fest Marketing Sponsor