BEVERLY HILLS COURIER JANUARY 18, 2013 CD1
THE COURIER’S DESERT
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
Audience Picks Film Fest Faves
PSIFF Names International Winners, Honors Childers
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he Palm Springs International Film Festival has left the Valley, to return next January for its 25th anniversary. However, memories of the 182 films from 68 countries screened this year will linger on, as shown by the audience choices for this year’s festival award winners. Festival attendees selected an Australian film The Sapphires, based on the real-life story of an all-female Aboriginal singing group in the ‘60s, as the Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for “Best Narrative Feature.” An American entry, Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey, a documentary about the dilemmas the rock band Journey faced when their lead singer had to be replaced, as the Audience Award for “Best Documentary Feature.” A special jury of international film critics reviewed 42 of the 71 official foreign language submissions to the Academy Awards screened at this year’s festival to award a series known as the FIPRESCI prizes. An Israeli submission, Fill The Void, a marital drama set in Tel Aviv’s Hassidic community, was named as the “Best Foreign Language Film.” A trio of Italian actors, Cosimo Rega, Salvatore Strianno and Giovanni Arcuri were given the FIPRESCI Prize for “Best Actor of the Year in a Foreign Film” for their performances in Caesar Must Die. The FIIPRESCI for “Best Actress in a Foreign Film” went to Emilie Dequenne for her work in the Belgium film, Our Children. The Cleaner, a Peruvian film that tells the story of a mysterious and deadly epidemic in Lima, where a depressed and isolated man cleans up after the dying, was awarded the “New Voices/New Visions Award” which earned the filmmaker a sculpture created by famed glass artist Dale Chihuly and a $60,000 Panavision camera rental package. Blancanieves, the film chosen for the honor of being the Film Festival’s opening night’s presentation, won the Cine Latino Award. It’s a silent film adapted from the Snow White tale. The film still has a mean stepmother, but adds the touches of a band of dwarfs and bullfighting. The John Schlesinger Award, presented to a first-time documentary filmmaker, went to Michael McGowan who vividly presents the inside story of Somali piracy. The HP Bridging the Borders Award, which honors the film that most successfully exemplifies that promotes bringing people closer together, went to the Northern Ireland/UK feature, Jump, whose six on-screen characters manage to bridge a lot of gaps. It is only fitting that one of the Film Festival’s coveted awards was presented separately from the madding Awards Gala crowd for the work of muchbeloved local resident and international photographer Michael Childers.
Frances Allen Desert Roundup Nearly 200 of the Desert’s most notable and powerful personalities gathered at Spencer’s Restaurant where Film Festival Chairman and restaurateur, Harold Matzner, presided over the presentation of the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Crystal Lens to Childers. With a career stretching back to the days when he was photo editor for Andy Warhol’s two cutting-edge magazines, Childers has shown a talent for finding the beautiful or unique aspect of his subjects and before enhancing them through his lens. Childers’ latest book, Icons And Legends, Volume 2, is the most recent proof of this point. ****** One event closes, another one opens. That’s the way it is during the Desert’s season. One of the longestrunning annual events is the return of The Desert Symphony, which for 24 years—most recently under the dedicated presidency of Nancy Tapick—has provided our Valley with a professional-quality orchestra committed to enhancing and enriching the cultural life of the people here. One way it does this is through presentation of its “Signature Season,” an eclectic mix of musical on-stage entertainment featuring some of the greatest talents in the country. The Desert Symphony opened this year’s season earlier this month with a special event: awarding Frankie Randall the symphony’s prestigious Amadeus Award on the occasion of his 75th birthday. Among prior recipients of this award are such luminaries as Bob Hope (1994), Frank Sinatra (1995), Jack Jones (1997) and John Tesh (2008). The award honors the memory of the orchestra’s founder, maestro Benachowski’s favorite composer, and is given in recognition of great musical talent and outstanding achievement in the advancement of the musical arts. Frankie fits the bill admirably. Playing piano since age 7, Randall worked at the infamous Jilly’s where he met Frank Sinatra with whom he developed a friendship and later toured. From there, Randall recorded, did TV and booked talent for two Las Vegas casinos. But, his first love is performing, which he still does superbly, as evidenced by his 75th birthday performance. The next Signature Series event is Feb. 12, with “Oh What A Night,” a musical tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Then, on March 14, The Desert Symphony will be in concert with The 5th Dimension and Florence LaRue. More information about the symphony and its Signature Series is at 760-773-5988. CD