Call for Entries - THE Method FEST SEEKS STRONG ACTING FILMS

11th annual Indie fest slated for March 26 - April 2, 2009

The 11th annual The Method Fest independent film festival, scheduled for March 26 - April 2, 2009 in Calabasas, Calif., is looking for character and story-driven films featuring strong acting performances - Submit Online at withoutabox.com | Get Printable 2009 Form.  The Method Fest features American and foreign feature films and short films and is named after “The Method” school of acting, which revolutionized the approach in acting, particularly in film. The Method Fest is the only U.S. film festival that puts it focus on acting.

To have their films considered for selection, filmmakers must submit their films before the the late entry deadline, January 31, 2009 (postmarked).  Entry fees are $60 for features and $45 for short films; student entries are $25. For film submission information call (310) 535-9230 or visit the festival web site at http://www.methodfest.com/ Filmmakers are encouraged to register through http://www.withoutabox.com/  The Method Fest takes great pride in being a discovery festival, looking to help launch the works of young fresh filmmakers and to discover breakthrough performances by young, bold new actors. More than 120 films that have premiered or played at The Method Fest have received distribution.

The Method Fest has also taken great delight in sharing career-defining performances of established performers and in showcasing a few chosen well-known directors to screen at the festival. “We’ve prided ourselves on not just following other festivals’ lineups.  We screen world premieres and true discoveries, mixed with a few larger films, ” said Don Franken, executive director of the Method Fest.  A variety of other activities will complement the Method Fest screenings - filmmaking seminars, daily/nightly parties and receptions, industry events, a variety of Indie Music events, Lifetime Achievement Tribute, and the Awards Ceremony. The Method fest’s Youth Outreach program include a short film and screenplay competition for middle school and high school students.

The Method Fest is sponsored by the City of Calabasas and presenting media partners, Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications and the L.A. Daily News / LA.com. Lead sponsors include Prudential California Realty, the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley / Valley of the Stars, Sony, Christie, JetBlue, Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Modern VideoFilm, FilmFinders, Final Draft, and Barefoot Winery.  Contact: Don Franken (310) 535-9230, don@methodfest.com.

Past Honorees: Lifetime Achievement Award - Julie Harris, Ruby Dee (2006), Marttin Landau (2005), Dennis Hopper (2004), Peter Falk (2003), Rod Steiger (2002), James Earl Jones (2001), Maximillian Schell (1999). Other Honorees - Actors: The Bridges (Jeff, Beau, Lloyd), Crispin Glover, Kevin Pollak , Lainie Kazan, John Savage, Karen Black, Kim Hunter, Jon Jacobs, Chazz Palminteri, Ernie Hudson , Monet Mazur, Kelli Garner, Agnes Bruckner. Directors: Mark Rydell, Henry Jaglom, Agnieszka Holland, Martha Coolidge. Casting directors: Mali Finn, Ronnie Yeskell.  Festival Alumni (Actors who have won Method Fest awards and/or have attended): Sean Astin, Ed Begley Jr., Beau Bridges, Jeff Bridges, Karen Black, Rae Dawn Chong, Bryan Cranston, Clifton Collins Jr., John Cryer, Ruby Dee, William Devan, Ileana Dougla, Peter Falk, Robert Forster, Crispin Glover, Devon Gummersall, Hill Harper, Julie Harris, Kirk Harris, Dennis Hopper, James Earl Jones, Matt Lillard, Martin Landau, Jason London, Michael Madsen, Jena Malone, Joe Mantegna, Judy Marte, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Erik Palladino, Jamie Pressly, Phylicia Rashad, Eric Roberts, John Savage, Maximillian Schell, Jeremy Sisto, Douglas Spain, Rod Steiger, Jennifer Tilly, Naomi Watts, Billy Dee Williams, Petra Wright.

• More than 80 films screened at The Method Fest have been released theatrically or have received Cable TV and home DVD/video distribution deals.
• Actors, filmmakers and films in The Method Fest have received 7 Independent Spirit Award nominations.

Actors featured in Method Fest films: Irina Bjorklund, Timothy Bottoms, Beau Bridges, Robert Carlyle, Clifton Collins Jr., Coolio, John Cryer, Jeff Daniels, Taye Diggs, Melinda Dillon, Portia De Rossi, Faye Dunaway, Joseph Fiennes, Louis Gossett Jr., Tippi Hedren, Ed Harris, Julie Harris, Kirk Harris, Dennis Hopper, James Earl Jones, Debra Kara-Unger, Tuesday Knight, Lisa Kudrow, Ali Larter, Chad Lindberg, Judy Marte, Franco Nero, John C. McGinley, Sir Ian McKellen, Sally Kirkland, Jason Patrick, Barry Pepper, George Plimpton, Kevin Pollak, Michael Rapaport, Vanessa Redgrave, Brad Renfro, Giovanni Ribisi, Molly Ringwald, John Ritter, Eric Roberts, Mickey Rooney, William Sadler, Roy Scheider, James Spader, Sam Shepard, Elizabeth Shue, Tom Sizemore, Paul Sorvino, John Stamos, Emily Stiles, Kiefer Sutherland, Jay Thomas, Goran Visnjic.

Panelists - Gary Austin (Groundlings founder), Barbara Bain (Actress: Mission: Impossible), Joanne Baron (Acting coach: Baron/Brown Acting Studio), Timothy Bottoms (Actor: The Last Picture Show, DC 9/11: Time of Crisis), Peter Broderick (President, Nextwave Films), DW Brown (Baron/Brown Acting Studio), Mickey Cottrell (Publicist), Ivana Chubbuck (Acting teacher, worked with Halle Berry), Lisa Dalton (Co-founder of the International Michael Chekhov Assn.), Mark David (Director: Sweet Thing, Intoxicating), Joe Dickstein (VP Acquisitions, Mainline Releasing), Greg Gardner (Laemmle Theaters), Larry Greenberg (Director of Acquisitions, Showtime / Sundance Channel), Ron Gilbert (The Actors Studio), Chris Gore (FilmThreat), Marla Gibbs (Actress: The Jeffersons , This Visit), Kirk Harris (RogueArts, Actor, Director loser, My Sweet Killer), Robert Hawk (Producer: Chasing Amy; The Slaughter Rule), Randi Hiller (Casting Director: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines), Lorrie Hull, Ph.D. (Senior faculty member, Lee Strasberg Institute), Lyle Kessler (Screenwriter: Gladiator, Orphans), Leonard Klady (Columnist: Variety, Movie City Geek), Shirley Knight (Actress: Sweet Bird of Youth; As Good as It Gets), Yevgeny Lazarev (Actor: The Saint; Stalin), Joe Mantegna (Actor: Joan of Arcadia ; The Rat Pack), John Manulis (VisionBox Media), Andrea Mia (VisionBox Media), Alan Miller (Acting coach, Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman), David Albert Pierce (Pierce Gorman law firm), Stephen Polk (Actor: Amy’s Orgasm, Destination Vegas), Tom Quinn (Senior VP Acquisitions, Samuel Goldwin), Steve Rothenberg (VP Acquisitions, Artisan), Mark Rydell (Director: On Golden Pound; The Rose), Maximilian Schell (Actor: Judgment at Nuremberg ; A Bridge Too Far), William Smithers (Actor: Attack; Papillon; Scorpio), Tom Tangen (Interviews of a Lifetime; Founder, L.A. Actors Coalition), Murray Weissman (Weissman/Delson Communications) and Ian Whitcomb (Grammy Award winning recording artist).