LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
IN ACTING
DENNIS FARINA
Dennis Farina was born in Chicago and PARAZZI, BOTTLE SHOCK and WHAT was a policeman in that city prior to be HAPPENS IN VEGAS among many other coming an actor. When he joined the cast motion picture credits. of Law and Order, it was widely reported In addition to his feature films, Dennis that he was the show’s only cast mem Farina is well known to television audi bers who had actually worked in law en ences through his appearances on TV se forcement! ries and in madefortelevision films. In Farina’s acting career began when he addition to his role as Detective Joe Fontana on Law and Order, Mr. Farina was cast in THIEF in 1981, directed by also appeared as a regular cast member Michael Mann and costarring James on Crime Story, InLaws and is currently Caan, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson and starring in Luck. He had recurring roles James Belushi. Some of his other feature on such series as Hunter and Miami Vice, films include JO JO DANCER, YOUR and he has also appeared on such series LIFE IS CALLING directed by and co as Hardcastle and McCormick, American starring Richard Pryor, Manhunter in Playhouse, Remington Steele, Tales from which he again worked with director the Crypt and China Beach. Michael Mann, MIDNIGHT RUN with His madefor television films include Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, AN Six Against the Rock, The Case of the Hill OTHER STAKEOUT, STRIKING DIS side Stranglers, Blind Faith and People TANCE, LITTLE BIG LEAGUE and GET Like Us in which he was part of an allstar SHORTY in which he gave a memorable cast in the adaptation of the popular Do and highly acclaimed performance as minick Dunne novel. Some of his other Ray ‘Bones’ Barboni starring alongside television films are Perfect Crimes, Cruel John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Doubt, The Disappearance of Nora, A Russo and Danny DeVito. photo Peter Langone Stranger in the Mirror, One Woman’s He followed GET SHORTY with Courage, Bella Mafia, Out of Annie’s Past EDDIE costarring Whoopi Goldberg, Carl Reiner’s THAT OLD FEELING with Bette Midler, Steven Soderbergh’s and Empire Falls, the miniseries which also starred Paul Newman, OUT OF SIGHT playing Jennifer Lopez’ father and Steven Spielberg’s Joanne Woodward, Aidan Quinn, Helen Hunt and Estelle Parsons. The father of three, Farina’s birthday is February 29 meaning he cele SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. He also appeared in John Frankenheimer’s REINDEER GAMES, Edward Burns’ SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK, PA brates on his actual birthday only once every four years during Leap Year!
SHOWTIMES Friday, October 28, 4pm, Canal House – Grand Bahama Island Friday, November 4, 9pm, Muvico Pompano
DENNIS FARINA TRIBUTE FILM
THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY
Saturday, November 5, 7:45, Cinema Paradiso (Includes Dennis Farina Award Presentation) Friday November 18, 7pm, Amelia Island 7 Saturday, January 21, 4pm, Gamache Koger St Augustine
SOUTHEAST PREMIERE EAST COAST PREMIERE WORLD PREMIERE UNITED STATES PREMIERE FLORIDA PREMIERE FESTIVAL WINNERS
SPeCiAl GueStS: denniS FARinA, Bill StRAuS, StePhAnie tRieGel
Joe Maggio, USA / 2011 / 104 min / HDCam / English
Sponsored by
Sandy & Pat McCallum
THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY chronicles the last days in the life of Joe May, an aging, short money hustler who, despite a life of loss and failure, has always believed that a glorious destiny awaited him. Now in his sixties, his health failing and resources dwindling, Joe is presented with one last shot at greatness... Writer: Joe Maggio / Producers: Bill Straus, Stephanie Striegel / Executive Producer : Tim Evans / Associate Producer: Larry Fessenden / Line Producer: Carrie Holt De Lama / CoProducer: Terry Kinney / Cinematographer: Jay Silver / Editor: Seth Anderson / Production Designer: Merje Veski / Principal Cast: Dennis Farina, Jamie Anne Allman, Gary Cole, Ian Barford, Meredith Droeger, Chelcie Ross / Contact: Matthew Landers, Tribeca Film, mlanders@tribecafilm.com THE DIRECTOR: Wrote & directed VIRGIL BLISS (‘01), MILK AND HONEY (‘03), PAPER COVERS ROCK (‘09), BITTER FEAST (’10) I can’t say specifically where the idea came from that inspired THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY. That said, there are 3 things I know for sure.
SNATCH Tom Hanks SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
I am also a big Vittorio De Sica fan and I began writing more specific notes for LAST RITES... after seeing UMBERTO D. I’d already made 3 features, but was struggling to pay the rent and keep myself fed. The hero of De Sica’s film had worked hard his entire life and now, in his retirement, when all he wanted was a warm place to sleep, a little food for himself and his dog, and perhaps a kind word – somehow, even this was too much to ask for. During long bouts of self-pity, locked away in my apartment, skillfully avoiding the landlord, I found myself thinking of poor Umberto and how, like him, I seemed thoroughly ill-equipped to survive, let alone succeed.
Law & Order Richard Kind at FLIFF 2009
Crime Story
ROMEO IS BLEEDING
John Travolta GET SHORTY
Jennifer Lopez OUT OF SIGHT
Bette Midler THAT OLD FEELING
dennis Farina will attend the nov 4 screening of lASt RiteS oF Joe MAy at Sunrise Civic Center for a Q&A. he will attend a reception in his honor nov 5 at Cinema Paradiso followed by the presentation of his lifetime Achievement Award and lASt RiteS screening. A pre-film reception will begin at 6:30pm in the Cinema Paradiso Courtyard. After the screening, join us at Frankie & Johnny's as we celebrate dennis Farina. 18
I began thinking somewhat vaguely about a Joe May kind of character shortly after breaking up with a girl who, in one especially painful moment of the whole extrication process, announced quite coolly and confidently that I would very likely die a broken and lonely old man. This was nearly 20 years prior to writing the screenplay for LAST RITES..., but her words stuck with me, imbedded somewhere in my prefrontal cortex, and over the years I would have many painful imaginings about how her awful prophecy might one day come true, quite a few of which made it onto the screen in Joe’s words and deeds.
And at the risk of turning too publicly confessional, there is quite a lot of my maternal grandfather and his sons in Joe May. The endless optimism in the face of overwhelming odds, the swagger, a few sartorial touches, and most importantly the strict adherence to a code of conduct which, just a generation ago, outlined in precise terms what it meant to be a man. You always pay your debts. You never let anyone know when you’re down and out and no matter how bad things get you keep your shoes shined, your pants pressed and your hair trimmed. If you can’t afford to leave a tip, don’t go into the bar. You wait your turn, with patience and fortitude, because better days will come, eventually. Joe’s trouble isn’t that he fails to live up to this code, it’s that the world has changed and in obeying these rules Joe is, in a sense, holding devalued currency. In this way LAST RITES... is an effort to redeem those men and their ideals, flawed though they may be. And Joe May is nothing if not flawed. I hope that you love him anyway. Joe Maggio
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