Newport Beach Film Festival Preview

By Laurie Smith

Celebrating its 11th year, the Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) gears up for a much-anticipated week of exciting films, seminars, filmmaker Q & A sessions and special events, April 22 through 29. The festival features more than 350 films from 47 countries, and is expected to draw a record crowd. Last year’s attendance of 51,000 film fans was a 21.4 percent increase over the previous year, and is nearing capacity for this year.

The NBFF showcases a diverse collection of studio and independent films, from both emerging and seasoned filmmakers.

So, what sets the Newport Beach Film Festival apart from others? “I think we are truly a filmmaker’s film festival”, said NBFF co-founder and CEO Gregg Schwenk, “I hear it from filmmakers around the world who say they’ve been to the big festivals with budgets ten times our budget.”

Schwenk added that, ”Our festival is one that has heart, and most of all has a passion, a true passion, for screening works of quality and caliber. That has been a true hallmark of what we want to do here.”

Eleven years ago, Schwenk and co-founder Todd Quartarero realized the unique opportunity of holding a film festival in Newport Beach, with the incredible location on Southern California’s spectacular coast, as well as the amazing proximity to Hollywood, the epicenter of the filmmaking industry. That combination was a strong driving force in creating the festival in Newport Beach.

Realizing that up-and-coming filmmakers may possess limited funds, the festival, which also operates on a relatively limited budget, offers whatever assistance they are able. “We make it a priority to help filmmakers attend the festival, whether that’s through dramatically discounted airfare, hotel stays, whatever we can do”, Schwenk offered. “We also work throughout the year to offer opportunities to up-and-coming filmmakers, both to those who have participated in the most recent festival, but also to those whose works were maybe not quite ready for the annual screening.”

Unique social opportunities also abound at festivals. The NBFF excels at this as well, hosting 14 major parties, this in addition to parties hosted by filmmakers, studios, and distribution companies. Filmmakers, aficionados, and festival newcomers come out to mix and mingle with some of the top people in the industry.

The opening night extravaganza includes, 25 of Orange County’s top restaurants presenting their signature dishes; bar hosted by Absolut Vodka and Karl Strauss Beer; VIP lounge hosted by Perrier; a fashion show presented by Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus; and topped by a private performance by Cirque du Soleil. That’s just the first night.

Much of the funds garnered from the glitz and glamour of the festival end up back into the local community. Schwenk said that, “We believe wholeheartedly in returning the money invested back to our community, as well as to the community of artists who participate in our festival.”

As stated in the festival mission statement: “With the integration of the local community and educational institutions into all aspects of the festival, the festival stimulates an interest in the study and appreciation of film and encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to participate.”

For tickets and more information on the 2010 festival, visit newportbeachfilmfest.com. And, for filmmakers, NBFF begins accepting entries for 2011 on August 1.