Action makes a comeback
Enjoying renewed popularity, Action on Film Festival screens a week’s worth of fun flicks
By Carl Kozlowski 07/23/2009
When Del Weston brought his Action on Film International Film Festival (AOF) to Pasadena last year, he was hoping to build on the success AOF had established during its first three years in Long Beach. Instead, he found a mysterious resistance — his promotional posters were torn down, postcards were taken from stores that had agreed to distribute them and some sponsors were given false information that AOF wasn’t a real festival.
But Weston stuck it out, and was rewarded with a huge success that included a closing-night banquet at Twin Palms restaurant packed to turn-away leve;.
This weekend his fifth annual event returns in even fuller fashion, with a week of screenings at both the Laemmle Playhouse 7 and Regency Academy 6 theaters, an official appearance by Mayor Bill Bogaard and an even grander closing banquet at the Westin Hotel.
“This year is 180 degrees different, with more sponsors than you can imagine and no one interfering,” says Weston. “Just a great turnaround, because I think people have seen the value of what we do. We brought a whole lot of people to Pasadena last year and that really, really helped us when people saw that. We sold out 320 seats for the closing dinner at Twin Palms last year, and this year we’re doing 400 seats at the Westin.”
AOF started as a sister event to the Long Beach International Martial Arts Festival, with a heavy focus on action-oriented films that climaxed in its third year there with the world premiere of action star Jet Li’s film “Fearless.” But Weston felt like spreading the festival’s wings, and with the move to Pasadena last year expanded AOF’s slate of films to include comedies, dramas, documentaries and even musicals.
Among the most intriguing film selections from the US and a dozen countries ranging from Australia to Thailand and Spain is the documentary “VICKtory to the Underdog,” about the rescue of the animals used by former NFL star Michael Vick in illegal dogfighting.
The timely drama “Bureaucracy,” about a young clerk who turns to crime when his cruel boss ramps up his economic repression, is also a standout.
Others include “Deadland,” the tale of a nuclear war survivor searching for his wife after World War III hits the US and plunges it into martial law — which is up for seven awards at the festival. And veteran actors Kim Coates and Raymond J. Barry are launching their new films — “King of Sorrow” and “Charlie Valentine,” respectively — at the festival.
With special events hosted by local hotspots Villa SORRISO, Pop Champagne, Dullahan’s and the Vertical Wine Bar — in addition to the closing-night awards dinner at the Westin honoring veteran character actor W. Morgan Sheppard, who’s in both the new “Star Trek” and “Transformers” films, with a Lifetime Achievement Award — this year’s AOF promises to offer a full array of fun for film buffs. “It’s considerably growing, but it’s about giving indie filmmakers a platform to show their careers,” says Weston. “In a downward economy, we’ve doubled the size of the festival over last year. It’s a testimony to how many people are trying to be seen. We have seven days of free documentaries this year at the Laemmle, and free tickets to some of the other screenings can be found on the Web site. I’d have to say this is the finest year for programming that we’ve ever had.”
The Action on Film Festival runs from Friday through July 31, with screenings at the Laemmle Playhouse 7, 673 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, and the Regency Academy 6, 1003 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Visit aoffest.com for ticket prices and schedule information on films and all special events.
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Eyeborgs is going to trump all the other films. I think its playing at 8pm tonight well worth checking out!