honors student filmmakers
By Ryan O’Quinn / Special to The Malibu Times
Directors of the Malibu Celebration of Film say the heart and soul of the new festival in town is the young filmmakers, and last week the fest honored the winners of the MCOF educational outreach program, FILMS”COOL” with screenings and a ceremony at Pepperdine University’s Smothers Theatre.
The afternoon of screenings was hosted and emceed by actress and Malibu resident Amy Madigan, who is co-chair of the program along with her husband, actor Ed Harris.
“We have great benefactors with us today and without them this would not be possible,” Madigan said as she introduced Academy Award-winning actor Martin Landau.
“This is terrific,” Landau said to the crowded theater of mostly high school students. “I’m so happy Malibu is having this festival. This is wonderful. Hopefully this will give young filmmakers a great opportunity. Even Sundance [Film Festival] started as one thing and became something else.”
Landau and actress Gretchen Becker were in attendance to present one of the awards to Santa Monica High School student Mel Shaw, whose film “Dream” won second place in the high school division. In addition to winning a camera package, Becker announced for the first time that Shaw would be assistant director for Landau’s next film “Finding Grandma.”
“That’s too amazing,” Shaw said. “I don’t know what to say. I really, really appreciate that.”
Later in the evening at the opening night celebration of MCOF, Shaw said she had time to process the magnitude of the honor.
“My first thought was, ‘These people are nuts, who would put that responsibility in my hands?'” Shaw said. “They say cinema is the most beautiful lie. I don’t believe it’s a lie, but I believe it’s all surreal. I can’t believe this is happening.”
Shaw plans to apply to the film program at New York University and said the award from the Malibu Celebration of Film would be a major boon to her resume.
All of the student winners received a camera package and Ethan Kuperberg, the first place winner in the high school division, also received an internship with Warner Brothers Television.
“The Films “Cool” program is the crux of this whole festival. Everything else is secondary,” said the festival’s co-founding board member Dolores Rivellino. “I came up with the idea of getting inner-city kids as well as Malibu kids involved. Then we went around to the people we adored and respected most, and everybody was so helpful.”
Declan Joyce, co-director of the Student Film Outreach Program, said he got involved mainly because of program director Denise DeGarmo-Ritchie and her excitement in involving youth.
“What’s so special about this film festival is the heart of it is the kids,” Joyce said. “I met Denise and I was hooked on this program because she is so passionate about kids. Giving them a heads up in the industry and in life is what it’s all about. If we separate ourselves from them, we are in trouble.”
At the opening night celebration at Calamigos Ranch, student filmmakers got to meet producers, directors, actors, festival board members as well as this year’s Courage Award recipient, the legendary director Robert Altman, whose film “Prairie Home Companion” was screened that evening.
Mel Shaw and fellow Santa Monica High students Cornelius Jackson and Sam Boyd sat with Altman and discussed everything from films to guns, they said.
“We were talking about his next movie that is filming in Santa Fe,” Jackson said. “I asked him if we showed up on the set, could we work with him and he said, ‘You don’t want to serve coffee, you want to serve ideas.'”