Editor

MOUNT SHASTA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OFFERS EXCITING GETAWAY WEEKEND FOR FILM BUFFS AND OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS

Northern California and Southern Oregon movie buffs can look forward to viewing 20 wonderful films from eight countries along with an opportunity to enjoy spectacular outdoor adventures during the inaugural Mount Shasta International Film Festival.

The festival, helmed by Founder/Director Jeffrey Winters, unspools the weekend of October 8th-10th at Coming Attractions Theatre in downtown Mt. Shasta. Please visit the festival website (www.shastafilmfest.com) for the official festival program and latest information.

The festival will screen films from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Russia and the Middle East. The slated lineup of films is truly impressive: classic award-winning European films, an inside look at the first Sherpa women expedition to climb Mount Everest, timely and informative documentaries on Iraq and Israel, poignant and gripping features from the U.S. and Canada and joyous films that capture the beat and pulse of music and dance. Several Hollywood and San Francisco Bay Area filmmakers will be present.

“By having a fabulous Mount Shasta International Film Festival, we will draw on people from the Bay Area up to Ashland, Oregon and make this a wonderful event to remember,” says Founder/Director Jeffrey Winters. “When my wife, Danielle, and I moved to Mt. Shasta from San Francisco two years ago, I envisioned bringing people here to experience the majesty of Mount Shasta (the “jewel of the mountain”) along with an opportunity to see fabulous films. We have fly-fishing, river rafting, hiking, cycling and other activities planned in coordination with the festival. Go take a morning hike along the Pacific Trail and catch a foreign film in the afternoon,” suggests Winters.

People interested in booking guided outdoor adventures should call the Mount Shasta Chamber of Commerce at 800-926-4865.

Northern California filmmakers will have a strong presence at the festival. The Opening Gala Night Event on Friday, October 8thth features Daughters of Everest, a captivating documentary about the first ever expedition of Sherpa women to climb Mount Everest. Told from a woman’s perspective rarely seen on Everest or off, this inspiring film is sure to be a “must see” event for climbers of Mount Shasta. Filmmaker Sapana Sakya (an El Cerrito,, CA resident), will engage in a question and answer session with the audience following the screening of the film.

Shot entirely on location in Northern California, Brian Ging’s American Yearbook starkly tells a cautionary story about the dangers of high school bullying in a post-Columbine world. The film screens on Sunday, October 10th. Ging (who lives in Vacaville, CA), will join a panel discussion on youth and violence issues followed by an audience Q&A after the screening.

Finding Home is the festival’s Centerpiece Gala Event on Saturday, October 9thth. Filmed on spectacular locations in coastal Maine, it presents a powerful story of forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption. Among the stars are Academy Award winner Genevieve Bujold (Anne of the Thousand Days), Justin Henry (Kramer vs. Kramer), Jason Miller (The Exorcist) and rising young stars Johnny Messner (star of Anacondas) and Lise Brenner of Mel Gibson’s The Patriot. Producer Victoria Paige Meyerink and Director Lawrence David Foldes, recently returned from the European film festival circuit, will conduct a questionnaire and answer period with the audience following the screening.

A real “find” of the festival are several outstanding European feature films. A Russian film, The Return, won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2003. It is a psychological thriller, which calls on the universal hunger for love and acceptance between sons and fathers. Autumn Spring," a soothing comedy from Czechoslovakia, is about an irresponsible old codger (played by the late star Vlastimil Brodsky (Closely Watched Trains and Jacob the Liar), who refuses to play by the rules or act his age.

The “sleeper” hit of the festival might be Little Kings, which won the best feature and best screenplay awards at the 2004 Palm Beach International Film Festival. Little Kings is a zesty family comedy mixed together from a variety of ingredients: love adultery, sibling rivalry, the occult, incest, union troubles and more.

Festival tickets can be purchased in advance at Village Books in Mount Shasta or at the Mount Shasta Chamber of Commerce. Ticket orders by credit card may be made by calling the Mount Shasta Chamber of Commerce at 800-926-4865. Tickets can also be purchased (no advance sales) at the door of Coming Attractions Theatre in Mount Shasta. Admission price for all movies is $10.00 per ticket. There is a $5.00 discount for the purchase of three or more tickets (e.g., 3 tickets for $25; 4 tickets for $35 etc.)

Nestled in the foothills of snow-capped Mount Shasta, the alpine village of Mt. Shasta is located 4.5 hours north of San Francisco and 1 hour south of Ashland, Oregon.