USA: Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival opens with screening of Spike Lee's "Passing Strange The Movie"

Record ID: 723390

  • Title: USA: Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival opens with screening of Spike Lee's "Passing Strange The Movie"
  • Date: 16th August 2009
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 12, 2009) (REUTERS) PAN FROM BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN TO ENTRANCE TO FESTIVAL VARIOUS OF PEOPLE ATTENDING THE FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURES OF ACTOR CHAD GOODRIDGE AND ACTRESS DE'ADRE AZIZA (SOUNDBITE) (English) GREG PTACEK, DOWNTOWN LA FILM FESTIVAL, SAYING: "Over 11 days we will be showing about 11 films, many of the films reflect the diversity of downtown LA, its very rich cultural communities. So, we have films from Africa, we have films that reflect the Latino community. We also have a connection to the environment, focused on urban environmentalism." DE'ADRE AZIZA AND CHAD GOODRIDGE AT RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS DE'ADRE AZIZA ON "PASSING STRANGE THE MOVIE" SAYING: "So many plays closed and if you didn't get a chance to catch it you would have no idea what the experience was like. So, he really wanted to capture this before it closed so other people could experience it if they didn't get a chance to see it on Broadway." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR CHAD GOODRIDGE ON DIRECTOR SPIKE LEE SAYING: "It is a really nice thing to be able to work with someone who has a cannon of work, that is dedicated to statements in a way. He doesn't mince words, he's very outspoken in what he believes, whether or not you agree with him." PEOPLE REGISTERING FOR THE FILM FESTIVAL ACTOR CHAD GOODRIDGE AND ACTRESS DE'ADRE AZIZA POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS
  • Embargoed: 31st August 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVACZ3WV1LJ9VJY8UM7BNHLRJSBG
  • Story Text: The 2nd Annual Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival opened on Wednesday night (August 12, 2009) with the West coast premiere of director Spike Lee's latest work, "Passing Strange The Movie."
    In its second year, the festival is a celebration of the downtown Los Angeles' renaissance and the diversity of the people who live there.
    "Over 11 days we will be showing about 200 films, many of the films reflect the diversity of downtown LA, its very rich cultural communities," explained festival director Greg Ptacek. "So, we have films from Africa, we have films that reflect the Latino community. We also have a connection to the environment, focused on urban environmentalism."
    Ptacek added that opening with Spike Lee's latest work, a semi-autobiographical story of a Los Angeles musician, is an appropriate choice.
    Actor Chad Goodridge, who star's in "Passing Strange The Movie," told Reuters that working with Lee on the project was an honor.
    "It is a really nice thing to be able to work with someone who has a cannon of work, that is dedicated to statements in a way. He doesn't mince words, he's very outspoken in what he believes, rather or not you agree with him."
    The festival will also include a Paul Newman retrospective and a rare, never-before-seen documentary of Michael Jackson performing with his brothers in Africa.
    The Downtown LA Film festival runs through August 22.
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