08 November 2010

Elmore Leonard Arts, Film Festival to provide Educational, Cultural Enrichment

Macomb Daily

The Elmore Leonard Literary Arts and Film Festival kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 11 at the Community House in downtown Birmingham.

“After months of planning, The Community House is thrilled to present The Elmore Leonard Literary Arts and Film Festival to our community,” said Shelley Roberts, president and CEO of The Community House.

“Keeping true to our mission, the event will provide attendees with an educational overview of the burgeoning film industry in Michigan, as well as opportunities for cultural enrichment. We would like to extend our thanks to Elmore Leonard and congratulate him on his outstanding contributions to film, literary arts and the state of Michigan,” Roberts said.

On the opening night of the festival, awards will be given for the festival’s Short Film Award Presentation, which will be followed by a panel discussion.

The Short Film competition, which took place from July 1-Oct. 1, was open to all and included three categories: Short Film, Teen Short Story and Screenplay. One rule was that the submissions had to include a reference to a location within the state of Michigan. Remaining in line with the Elmore Leonard theme, all works were also required to be a mystery or crime story.

At the award presentation, an esteemed group of panelists will discuss “How to Get in the Film Industry in Michigan.”

The event is sponsored by the Detroit Medical Center and provides attendees with the opportunity to network with top experts in the Michigan film industry. Doors at the Community House open at 6:30 p.m. and the event will start at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend. There is no charge but seating is limited. 

On Friday evening, Nov. 12, The Community House will present a screening of Elmore Leonard’s “Fire in the Hole,” the pilot for “Justified.” Adapted from Elmore Leonard’s novella, this is the pilot for the hit television series “Justified” on FX Network, developed by Graham Yost and starring Timothy Olyphant.

After the screening, expert panelists will discuss “How to Take a Book to a Screenplay to a Movie/TV Series.”  The panelist will include Leonard; author Mitch Albom; Mike Lupica, author, sports columnist-Daily News and ESPN; Charlie Matthau, director, writer, producer of “Freaky Deaky”;  Tod “Kip” Williams, director, producer, screenwriter’ and Mary Jane Skalski, producer. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the screening will start at 7:30 p.m.

The closing event for the festival will feature a gala celebration honoring the life and work of Leonard on Saturday evening, Nov. 13. 

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