The Paso Robles Digital Film Festival, planned for Nov. 20 through 25 will honor highly regarded film-editor Joel Cox with a Lifetime Achievement Award,
named after one of Paso Robles, California’s best-known historic guests and residents,
the classical concert pianist and popular musical super-star from the Turn of the Century,
Ignace J. Paderweski.
The virtuoso piano performances of Ignace Paderewski (1860--1941), were once known
world wide. Also the Prime Minister of Poland, he was the first soloist to perform on the
opening night of Carnegie Hall in 1891. This Statesman was known for his brilliant,
sensitive playing, tossing his long hair as he pounded on the piano keys.. In 1913, when
his career was about to end because his hands would no longer play due to neuritis, a
friend suggested he go to Paso Robles, California, to heal his hands in the natural hot
springs there, with their healing minerals and unique water-qualities. Over the years he
visited Paso many times, and bought land as well. In the early 1920s, he planted Petite
Sirah and Zinfandel wine-grapes on his Rancho San Ignacio vineyard, and brought much
attention to the area as a wine region. He is said to have traveled by private rail car along
with his piano to practice, and was known to have been a Paso Robles resident for at least
eight years, enjoying the fabulous Old World elegance of the once-glorious Paso Robles
Inn of that era.
Paso Robles has celebrated it’s own Paderewski Festival for about ten years. The choice
to create an award named for Paderewski, is based in part on the festival’s theme of
‘Music In Film’, and also honors the city’s history. Academy-Award-winning film-editor
Joel Cox will be the first recipient of the ‘Ignace Paderewski Lifetime Achievement
Award for Contribution to the World of Music and Movies’. Adding to this special
tribute, along with the great list of folks from Clint Eastwood’s Malpaso Music Machine,
the festival is honored to give this award to Joel Cox.
Joel Cox (Editor) has worked with actor and film-maker Clint Eastwood for more than 30
years, on films that include "Bird," "Eastwood After Hours: Live at Carnegie Hall," Tony
Bennett: The Music Never Ends," and co-edited Clint Eastwood's "Piano Blues." Joel
has been editor on movies like “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “Mystic
River,” “Blood Work,” “Space Cowboys,” “True Crime,” “Midnight in the Garden of
Good and Evil,” “Absolute Power,” “The Bridges of Madison County,” “A Perfect
World,” and “Unforgiven,” for which he won an Academy Award for Best Editor in
1992.
Cox has spent his entire career at Warner Bros. starting in 1961, most notably on
Eastwood’s films. The relationship began in 1975 when Cox worked as an assistant
editor on “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” Since then, he has cut 30 more films that have,
in some combination, either starred, been produced or directed by Clint Eastwood.
“Sudden Impact” was Cox’s first film as editor, a title he has held ever since on such
films as “Tightrope,” “Pale Rider,” “Heartbreak Ridge,” “The Dead Pool,” “Pink
Cadillac,” “White Hunter, Black Heart,” and “The Rookie.” Joel has been working in
film since appearing as a baby in “Random Harvest” (1942). His first film as an assistant
editor was on the 1969 film “The Wild Bunch” directed by Sam Peckinpah. He just
finished the soon-to-be-released Eastwood film "Changeling," and presently is working
on "Gran Torino", staring and directed by Eastwood.
Bacon Brothers Band
Kyle Eastwood Band
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
Seasoned event promoter Benford Standley, some San Luis Obispo County folks, film
makers, students, and an extended network of friends and associates from Nashville, to
Austin, and Hollywood, are going to show up here in cowboy wine-country, with what
promises to be a first-class film festival debut. The kick-off theme is ‘Music In Film’,
which means that aside from dozens of digital screenings of films and documentaries
with the music front-and-center, there will also be a number of outstanding Jazz, Rock
and Country-Western performances by well-known personalities and bands.
Headlining acts include The Bacon Brothers featuring actor Kevin Bacon and his brother
and musician Michael Bacon, recipient of the President’s National Medal of Arts and
Grammy-winning legend Ramblin' Jack Elliott, the ‘Kyle Eastwood Band’ (featuring the
son of film-star Clint Eastwood), as well as a special guest appearance by The Brubeck
Institute Jazz Quintet. Also featured will be gigs with musician Jack Tempchin,
(songwriter singer and recorded by the The Eagles), legendary guitarist Norm Stephens
(who played with Lefty Frizzell and Merle Haggard), Harold Jackson, (the only surviving
member to be recruited by the original ‘Ink-Spots’), Grammy Winner Louie Ortega, and
many other award winning and notable music-makers. Other ‘big surprise’ musical guests
To-Be-Announced. Aside from cozy venues like Level Four, Hotel Cheval, Firefly
Gallery, Matt’s Music, Paso Robles Inn, Franklin’s Hot-Springs, and others To-Be-
Announced, where the music and screenings will take place, the festival will feature a
2,000-seat circus-tent stage for musicians and bands, and the Wild West Film Fest and
Awards Concert.
In addition to world-premieres of films by emerging filmmakers from all over the globe,
with films already submitted from over a dozen foreign countries, a number of classic
films and music documentaries will be viewed on a rotating schedule, during the festival.
A very special ‘Make My Saturday’ screening, paying tribute to the musical and
cinematic genius of Clint Eastwood, will screen Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends,
with director Bruce Ricker, and Academy-Award-winning Editor Joel Cox attending the
screening, as well as the Martin Scorsese Presents/A Film by Clint Eastwood and
producer Bruce Ricker, Piano Blues. Bruce Ricker will also serve as advisor to the film
festival. The festival is fortunate also to be joined by Piano Blues co-editor, Gary Roach;
also Lennie Niehaus, Emmy-winning and conductor/arranger/musician, who played with
Stan Kenton and now is Eastwood’s long-time composer; Joe Hyams, legendary PR-man
at Warner Brothers, who began doing Eastwood’s press in 1971; and others from the
Malpaso Music Machine.
On Saturday during the festival, the festival will screen the 1980 Clint Eastwood film,
Bronco Billy, for kids and family, and Honkytonk Man, directed by Eastwood and
starring himself and son Kyle Eastwood. MAKE MY SATURDAY...with
Other classic documentaries to be screened are Martin Scorsese’s 1978 film, The Last
Waltz, with some of rock-n-rolls’ most well-known talent, along with film-maker D. A.
Pennebacker’s Don’t Look Back, on the legend of Bob Dylan (and other films about
Dylan). Jonathan Demme’s film, Neil Young: Heart of Gold will be viewed, as well as
the 2004 film, The Festival Express, which chronicles a concert-tour with Janis Joplin,
Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, The Band, and other rock-legends. The 2006 film,
Los Lonely Boys: Cottonfields and Crossroads from director Hector Galen who will
be in attendance at the screening, along with The Ballad of Ramblin’ Jack, with Jack
Elliott himself also on-hand.
Other films will be announced, with some special surprises and rare documentaries and
features, part of event-promoter Standley’s commitment to what he calls “the unknown history
of the music world”.
Standley, with advice from local authorities on children and youth, is planning to donate
a percentage of all proceeds from the festival to benefit some to-be named youth
programs in Paso Robles. He is already setting up a link with Kevin Bacon's charity
organization, sixdegrees.com, paypal.com and ebay.com, to network with this
charitable element of the event, and direct other funds and donations to charity. Area
youth from the High School will be involved with the actual production of the Festival.
Paso Robles, California, is located about 210-miles South of San Francisco, or 230-
miles North of Los Angeles, and is historic for its natural hot-springs, Old West history
(such as the legend of Jesse James), and 26,000-acres of California’s best wine
grapes. The town is located directly on U.S. Highway 101, with numerous high-quality
hotels, fine restaurants, wine-tasting venues, and the popular California Mid-State
Fairgrounds.
Registration for members of the press who wish to attend the event is available on the
PRDFF.com website. Interviews and more information are available by contacting
Benford Standley at studioclubnews@yahoo.com or 323-850-8919.
Media access, press passes to events, parking, celebrity interview and photo
opportunities during the festival, an on-site press-room with materials and refreshments,
and more, are all extended to qualified working journalists who wish to take part.
See the PRDFF.com website for weekly up-dates and announcements.