| WHATCOM
COUNTY , WA
- On Monday, April 28, 2003,
hosted by The Indie Film Group,
Hollywood Director Irvin Kershner
mingled with over 120 people assembled
in Mount Baker Theatre's Encore Room.
From
as far south as Seattle, those attending
included production companies, producers,
directors, actors, writers, STAR
WARS fans,
and high school students.
Among
his many credits, some of Kershner's best
known films are
- THE
FLIM FLAM
MAN
- RETURN
OF A MAN
CALLED HORSE
-
THE EYES
OF LAURA
MARS
- 007:
NEVER SAY
NEVER AGAIN
- THE
EMPIRE STRIKES
BACK
Kershner
spoke for 45 minutes about the active
and communal process of filmmaking.
“You
don't make movies by sitting on your couch
and watching them,” said Kershner. “Find
a group of people and just go do it.”
He
also identified the marks of a serious
filmmaker –cross-cultural knowledge of
classic films and a broad appreciation
for art and music.
“And
your first [film] will be horrible,” he
said. “But then you go and make another
one… and then another one.”
Kershner
spent another hour answering questions
and telling “war stories” about his experiences
in film –from his adventures with documentaries
in the Middle East and the Mediterranean
to how he was asked to direct one of the
highest grossing films of all time:
STAR
WARS: THE
EMPIRE STRIKES
BACK.
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“They
were fun,” stated Bruce Boyle, producer
of Beat Angel Productions LLC. “Mr. Kershner
clearly enjoyed the telling, reminding
me that a director is first and foremost
a storyteller.”
Kershner
lingered a bit longer to autograph posters,
DVD sets, and costume pieces.
Ken
Lee, Vice President of Michael
Wiese Productions, presented Kershner
with a lunchbox and hat sporting the MWP's
production of HARDWARE
WARS –the
first STAR
WARS parody
ever made
“I
have words of wisdom from Mr. Kershner that
are imprinted in my mind,” exclaimed
Bellingham resident, Jude Grimm. “Mr.
Kershner is not only a brilliant speaker
but has an amazing and real insight to
what is important in this industry and
what is not.”
Sponsors
for this event and other IFG events included:
-
The Mount Baker Theatre
-
911 Media Arts
- The
Northwest Film Forum
-
Kinko's
-
Michael Wiese Productions
-
Final Draft Software Inc.
- Filmmaker
Magazine
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