USA: HOLLYWOOD HEAVYWEIGHTS SALMA HAYEK AND DUSTIN HOFFMAN STEP ONTO RED CARPET AT 2003 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

Record ID: 393182

  • Title: USA: HOLLYWOOD HEAVYWEIGHTS SALMA HAYEK AND DUSTIN HOFFMAN STEP ONTO RED CARPET AT 2003 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
  • Date: 23rd January 2003
  • Summary: PARK CITY, UTAH, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) MV MOVIEGOERS WAITING FOR NIGHTTIME SCREENING; SLV EXTERIOR OF ECCLES CENTRE THEATRE (2 SHOTS) MV ACTOR DUSTIN HOFFMAN ARRIVING; SCU FAN WITH CAMERA SOUNDBITE (English) DUSTIN HOFFMAN TALKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SUNDANCE FESTIVAL, SAYING: "This reminds me of when I started out, which is that a good director? Is that a
  • Embargoed: 7th February 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PARK CITY, UTAH, UNITED STATES AND VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA6JJN03VBZK0S0OOSYNQHDSGX5
  • Story Text: Hollywood heavyweights Salma Hayek and Dustin Hoffman are stepping onto the red carpet at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival to promote their most recent projects. Hayek is marking her directorial debut with "The Maldonado Miracle,"
    while Hoffman is starring in the drama "Confidence," about a small-time hustler who stumbles into a big-time con job.
    Salma Hayek, known for her acting roles in blockbusters like "Wild Wild West" as well as in the recent, Golden Globe-nominated film "Frida," has made the jump behind the camera. Her first directing effort, "The Maldonado Miracle," debuted at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival to a sold-out crowd on Monday (September 20, 2003.) After greeting fans before the film's premiere, Hayek told Reuters she was thrilled to be showing off her movie at the prestigious festival. "Oh, it's really exciting, especially because we shot it in Utah," the actress enthused. "So there's a lot of my cast and crew in here and I haven't seen them in a while. They haven't seen the movie and I'm just excited that we're here and that we get to show it to them.
    "The Maldonado Miracle" follows residents of a small, dying town who have given up on themselves and their community. Suddenly, a statue of Jesus in the local church is discovered to be bleeding, and within weeks the town's economy and spirit are newly energized. Soon, though, the townspeople must confront the fact that all is not as it seems and that some members of the community may be keeping dark secrets.
    Hayek's actors had nothing but praise for their newly minted director. "She was very well prepared but she wasn't so protective of her vision that she wouldn't let us go someplace with it," commented actor Peter Fonda, who plays the town priest. "Very often, she'd just .. take it wherever you want to go. But every day, not a drop of makeup on [her], beautiful but knowing what she's doing as a director that was far out."
    Co-star Mare Winningham agreed, saying: "She was passionate and helpful. Very clear-eyed. It just was a joy to come to work every day and she is an inspiring woman."
    "The Maldonado Miracle" is not currently slated for theatrical release, but will air on the Showtime cable network in September 2003.
    Another film to capture the attention of festival-goers is the drama "Confidence," starring Dustin Hoffman and Edward Burns. Burns plays a grifter who pulls off a big con: swindling thousands of dollars from a rich accountant.
    Unfortunately, the accountant turns out to be an employee of an eccentric crime boss (Hoffman), who shows up looking for revenge. Desperate to turn the tables, Burns' character offers to repay the boss by pulling off the biggest con of his career.
    At the film's premiere, Hoffman talked about his enthusiasm for independent films that are often showcased at Sundance "This reminds me of when I started out, which is is that a good director? Is that a good piece of work? Is that good, you know? And that's what happens now, which I don't think exists anymore. And as some people say, maybe it's cyclical. But there's wonderful young talent here."
    Ever the clown, Hoffman pointed to Burns and claimed to be jealous of his co-star's youthful good lucks.
    "That was what I wanted to look like in high school," moped the veteran star. "Didn't you want to look like that in high school? That's the guy who got all the girls. We had to work our asses off just to get a soda with somebody."
    The young actors in "Confidence" seemed at ease around their big-name co-star and were full of praise for his warm interpersonal style as well as his acting chops. "It should be the most daunting thing in the world to turn up on set and work with Dustin Hoffman," commented Rachel Weisz, who plays a pickpocket in the film. "But you've just met him, he's the most friendly, approachable, humane man. And you just, I absolutely felt like I'd known him all my life when I met him.
    I know it sounds like a cliché, but he's just so warm, he's just such a mensch."
    "Confidence" will unspool in U.S. theatres in limited release starting on April 25, 2003.
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