Friday, April 19, 1996
By Dina Gachman
Daily Bruin Staff
For all of its studios, stars and hype, Los Angeles is not
renowned for independent film festivals. Until recently, that is,
as this weekend’s Los Angeles Independent Film Festival hopes to
shine the spotlight on up-and-coming talent.
The festival opened yesterday with the new Jim Jarmusch film,
"Dead Man," a metaphorical western starring Johnny Depp and Gary
Farmer. This weekend, 50 unreleased films will be screened at
Paramount and Raleigh studios with related seminars and forums.
One of the filmmakers whose work will be unspooled is Marc
Marriot, a second-year graduate student in UCLA’s producer’s
program, who feels the festival is a much needed addition to L.A.’s
motion picture community.
"It is a growing festival that is convenient because it’s right
here in town," he says. "Agents will be there, studios and
producers will go and see the films. They are looking for new
talent. It’s going to be very helpful."
Marriot’s nine minute film "Short Order" is a comedy about a
businessman who finds himself cooking in a diner after the chef is
arrested. The film was one of 25 shorts and 19 features that were
chosen out of 650 submissions for the highly valued slots. Marriot
values the exposure won through this competition.
"There’s got to be some place to show your film  to get
exposure," he says. "I think it was up until about five years ago
at UCLA that we didn’t even have a festival. Students were just
kind of left on their own."
Festivals provide filmmakers like Marriot with a chance to show
their work, and also allow the public to view movies that would
otherwise be difficult to find. This weekend,
Angelenos can see a wide range of original, independent features
and shorts, from acclaimed documentaries like "Paradise Lost" to
the action film "Raising Heroes."
Part of the excitement of these film festivals is the hope that
some unknown talents could spring into the public eye.
For Marriot, it is about time that Los Angeles opened its doors
to new talent. "Here we are in L.A.," he says, "and we don’t even
have an independent film festival. There’s all these people and all
these films  it would be so easy to put one together."
"I think its time has come."
EVENT: Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, April 18-22. Call
for info. and tickets at (213) 466-1767.
Frank Isles and Marge Windish star in "Short Order," screening
this weekend at the L.A. Independent Film Festival.