Independent Streak Magazine -- Winter 2019

I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE Fall 2019

Wint er 20 19

Spot light : Legendar y Act r ess Diane Baker FLIFF 20 19 Body text

Bill Gr efe--Mr. Flor ida Film

OUTShine Film Fest ival Flamingo Comedy Fest ival

Hor r or Film Fest

I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE W i n t er 2019

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On Cover: FLIFF President & CEO Gregory Von Hausch giving actress Diane Baker her LIfetime Achievement Award.

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34th A nnual FLI FF Nov . 1-17

By Rachel Gal vin The 34th annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) ran for two weeks. There were plenty of films to see, in fact more than 150 of them. There were stars coming into town too and filmmakers arriving from all over the world.

As always, there were films and parties at the headquarters, Savor Cinema (503 SE 6th St., Ft. Lauderdale) , but there also was activity elsewhere, including, for the first time, the Museum of Discovery & Science in Ft. Lauderdale..

evidently gained quite a gay following. There also was a Florida premiere of the documentary "Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street." Special guests slated to arrive were actor Mark Patton and directors Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen.

Cinema Paradiso-Hollywood also opened the festival with the Southeast Premiere of La Bolduc, a biopic of Quebec?s folk singer Mary Travers Bolduc's life and her dazzling career in the '20s and '30s directed by Francois Bouvier and starring Debbie Lynch-White. The second show that evening was the Southeast premiere of the documentary, "Sex Drugs And Bicycles," about Dutch social Democracy.

?It?s very exciting to have, for the first time ever, a partnership with the Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS), who, like FLIFF, is synonymous with the city of Fort Lauderdale and enriches the community with culture and exceptional film,? commented Gregory von Hausch, president and CEO of FLIFF.

Opening Night The festivities began Nov. 1 at MODS with a Cuban night unlike you have ever seen. Not only did they show a movie called "Cuba," a vibrant larger-than-life film that highlights the spirit of the country and all its traditions. It also was followed by a fiesta complete with Tito Puente Jr. performing. The band was sponsored by Cyndi Boyar in honor of her mother, June, and father, Jerry.

Meanwhile, there was an opening night film at Savor Cinema as well. Presented by Popcorn Frights Film Festival, which has gained quite a following, and has continued to show films year-long at the cinema, the film shown was "A 2 Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy?s Revenge," which

Open in g Nigh t at M ODS. Ph ot o by " Cin em a" Dave M on t alban o.

Cent erpiece Part y The Centerpiece Party, Nov 9, featured the Southeast Premiere of the bittersweet comedy "Safe Spaces." It was also held at Savor Cinema. Attending were director Daniel Schechter, who returned to the fest for the third time, and the film's star, Justin Long.

Long had plenty of energy on the red carpet and, during the Q&A, he and Schechter took turns interviewing each other. Long gave a Q&A after each of the films shown.

The film was followed by the Centerpiece Party, which included a delicious Italian buffet and drink specials.

Additionally, Popcorn Frights Film Festival also presented a late night screening of the 2009 horror film, Drag Me To Hell, which also featured Long.

But he was not the only celebrity focus of the evening. Also on the red carpet was actress Radha Mitchell, whose not only was also in "Safe Spaces," but in the film "Celeste" that was shown earlier that (Top, L) Act or Ju st in Lon g w it h IS f ou n der Rach el Galvin ; (R) Radh a M it ch ell & Ju st in sh ow of f aw ar ds & (On t h e R): (L) Radh a on r ed car pet ; (C) Dir ect or of " Saf e Spaces" Dan iel Sch ect er , act or Ju st in Lon g, act r ess Radh a M it ch ell & Dir ect or of " Celest e" Ben Hack w or t h , (R) Alexan dr a Bello & Dan iel Sch ech t er .

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night.

Mitchell is known for movies like "High Art," "Phone Booth," "Man on Fire" and more. Along with her was the director of "Celeste," Ben Hackworth.

Award-winning actress Karen Allen (known for "Indiana Jones" movies, "Starman," "Animal House" and so many others) returned this year with the movie "Colewell," directed by Tom Quinn. Allen portrays a woman who is faced with sudden retirement when the Post Office where she works closes down. She was in town last time for her work as a director for "A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud."

"Animal House" was also shown again this year. She was joined by co-star of that film Peter Riegert. He also received a Lifetime

Achievement Award this year, which she received last time she attended.

Other awards presented included Lifetime Achievement Awards, presented to Joe Pantoliano and Diane Baker. Career Achievement Awards were scheduled to be presented to Marco Leonardi, Natalia Oreiro and Justin Long. Bill Grefe was presented with the Florida Treasure Lifetime Achievement Award.

Another returning actress this year was Talia Shire, known for her work in "The Godfather," "Rocky" and elsewhere. She promoted a new movie she is in called "Working Man," directed by Robert Jury, whch was also shown at the fest.

Shire portrays Lola Parkes whose husband (Peter Gerety) continues going to work after the factory at which he worked closes down.

Shire was also at FLIFF in 2016 for "Dreamland.

Diane Baker attended the screening of Robert Castle?s thriller "Strait-Jacket" and Alfred Hitchcock?s "Marnie." More about her on Page 9.

Bill Grefe attended the screening of his post-Vietnam war drama "Cease Fire." See more about him on Pg. 10.

Pict u r ed: (L t o R): Act r ess Talia Sh ir e, act or Pet er Rieger t & act r ess Kar en Allen (Ph ot o of Talia

by Rach el Galvin , ot h er s cou r t esy of FLIFF)

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Part ies FLIFF hosted a Retro Pool Party featuring a film created in Ft. Lauderdale, Girl Happy. Actress Chris Noel was in attendance. The party, held at Spinnaker Pool Deck at The Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach, included live music, drink specials and passed hors d?oeuvres.

There also was a dinner cruise aboard the Musette and a Brunch Cruise aboard the Caprice (see pictures, this page).

People dressed up like the '60s for a Rock ?n Roll Street Party featuring the movie Woodstock.

A Night at the Museum, at NSU Art Museum, included the Florida premiere of "American Mirror," which focused on a social issue that has global reach: how we perceive and judge ourselves and the others in a world dominated by social media. Prior to film there was a pasta buffet, complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks.

Cl osing Night It is hard to say goodbye but even the best things have to come to an end. The Closing Night Film was held Nov. 17 at Savor Cinema. It was the East Coast Premiere of "From The Vine," directed by Sean Cisterna. The comedy was set against the back drop of Italy?s wine country. It starred Emmy Award-Winning actor Joe Pantoliano ("Risky Business,""The Matrix," "Midnight Run") and Marco Leonardi ("Cinema Paradiso," "Like Water for Chocolate"). All were scheduled to attend the premiere and the party Pict u r ed: Pics f r om br u n ch after the film, which included a buffet and signature cr u ise: Top: IS f ou n der Rach el Galvin an d act or Joe Pan t olian o, drinks. above, lef t : pr odu cer / act r ess Alexan dr a Bello, IS f ou n der / act r ess Rach el Galvin & "A St on e in t h e Wat er 's" act r ess Kim ber ly Leem an s; r igh t : Passin g of t h e t or ch -- Ch air Elect Sk ip M ar ger u m & cu r r en t Ch air m an Jim Nor t on ; bot t om : dir ect or Sean Cist er n a, Rach el Galvin , dir ect or Rober t Ju r y, Sk ip M ar ger u m , Jim Nor t on , (below ): act r ess Talia Sh ir e, An n et t e Wat k in s & act or Joe Pan t olian o.

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FLIFF WRAP SNAPS Fun at t he Wrap Part y: Pict ured: Top: IS f ounder Rachel Gal vin & "From t he Vine" direct or Sean Cist erna, right : act or Joe Pant al ione wit h his Lif et ime Achievement Award, bot t om l ef t : Direct or Daniel Cohen & act ress Kimberl y Leemans f rom "A St one in t he Wat er," Rachel Gal vin & direct or Scot t Cardinal , cent er: having f un at wrap part y, right : Tal ia Shire & Joe Pant al ione.

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Fla m in g o

C o m e d y Fe s t iva l

(Above) Ben jam in Leis w elcom es gu est s at t h e Flor ida's Fu n n iest Fem ale even t .

By Rachel Gal vin Benjamin and Rich Leis brought the funny during the Flamingo Comedy Festival, held Oct. 18 to 25. The events kicked off with comedian Dana Eagle, author of "How to Be Depressed: A Guide" at the Faulk Center for Counseling on Oct. 18. The following day brought The Amazing Mr. A's Not So Scary Halloween Magic Show and Costume Contest before Halloween even began. The funny females made a good show at Florida's Funniest Female and Eagle came back to be the headliner. On Oct. 20, funny man and Pulitzer prize winning author Dave Barry kept the audience in stitches with his stories at the Boca Raton Downtown Library. Those who wanted to learn the comedy trade tried out the Stand Up Comedy Class at the Flamingo House. They had a little fun the following day at the Tuesday night Trivia Challenge hosted by Wilma McAwesome, at the Dubliner Irish Pub, and Wednesday night Kayl ee Conl ee was vot ed Fl orida's Funniest Femal e.

Open Mic hosted by Mike Cintron, as well as a Thursday night L-O-Elks Bingo at the Boca Raton Elks Club.

All of that culminated with the Friday, Oct. 25 final evening with Phil Hanley, known from The Tonight Show, and other comedians from the U.S. Armed Forces.

(Lef t ) Pal m Beach Count y Commissioner Robert Weinrot h, comedian/ aut hor Dave Barry & Comic Cure Managing Direct or Benjamin Leis.

(Above) Headlin er Dan a Eagle r eads f r om h er book -- " How t o Be Depr essed: A Gu ide" at Flor ida's Fu n n iest Fem ale even t .

Phil Hanl ey was t he headl iner on t he f inal evening of t he Fl amingo Comedy Fest ival .

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Sharon Pf eif f er was one of t he comediannes compet ing t o be Fl orida's Funniest Femal e.

Rich Leis, who al so t aught t he St and Up Comedy Cl ass, shows his comedy st yl ings at t he f inal

Some of t he comedians f rom t he f inal evening of t he Fl orida Comedy Fest ival .

(Lef t ): Havin g f u n at Flor ida's Fu n n iest Fem ale even t .

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(Below ): St an d Up class at Th e Flam in go Hou se.

I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE W i n t er 2019

Spotl i gh t: Di ane Bak er

By Rachel Galvin Prolific actress Diane Baker was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at FLIFF this year. She was in attendance at the screening of her films ?Strait Jacket? and also ?Marnie.? These were just two of the 160 films this award-winning actress has made over her career.

She said the receipt of the award is ?humbling,? saying, ?This honor is icing on the cake. I don't reach for these. But it is so nice when people recognize hard work.?

At some point in her career, she realized that she could have power over her career and choose her path. She recalled receiving a script for a movie she did not like and throwing it in the garbage. Even when the agent offered her more money, she said, ?Don't you get it? It's not about the money.? She also said she walked out on another film because she did not like the gratuitous violence.

She added, ?I decided I was going to work on projects I wanted to produce.?

She produced an Emmy-nominated miniseries called "A Woman of Substance" in 1984. She also produced the Emmy-nominated "Miracles in the Making," as well as HBO's "To Climb a Mountain," in addition to other TV specials for CBS, ABC and AFI. In 2004, she was invited to the Academy of Art in San Francisco to create an acting program. As head of the School of Acting, she has mentored countless students to follow her lead by playing roles that inspire, educate and entertain. ?I should have been a doctor. I Iove helping people. I love people doing something to help the world," she said.

Baker said that her first film was ?The Diary of Anne Frank.? The family of Millie Perkins, who played Anne, was in the audience.

She also discussed the movie ?Marnie? and its director Alfred Hitchcock, saying working with him was difficult and saying that making a movie like this was almost like him facing his own demons. ?I did not want to go [to set]. I rejected him until the last day,? she said, saying there was a lot of tension on the set. She saw the way Hitch treated fellow actress Tippi Hedron.

But she could see his work was ?brilliant,? saying he drew everything out and knew every angle and shot.

Grace Kelly was originally supposed to be in the film, but doing the role was not considered proper for a princess.

When asked about her own process to get into character, she said, ?You don't have to like the character; you just have to make them believable.?

(Lef t ): Diane Baker wit h her Lif et ime Achievement Award at FLIFF. Right : Wit h FLIFF President & CEO Gregory Von Hausch (L) and aut hor/ f il m hist orian Fost er Hirsch (R), who int erviewed Baker.

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Fi l mmak er Wi l l i am Gref e: A Fl ori da Treasure

By Rachel Gal vin King of the Double Feature, independent director William Grefe was given a Florida Treasures Lifetime Award from the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival on Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. at Savor Cinema in Ft. Lauderdale. He got the award prior to the screening of his film "Cease Fire."

Grefe has made about 40 film projects in his career, which began in the 1960s. Known for coming in under budget, Grefe learned a thing or two but mostly seemed to have a lot of luck as he fell into success while working as a writer for the movie ?Checkered Flag.? The director on set collapsed the first day and the investors panicked. Thinking the writer would know most about the film, they turned to him to save the project. But he knew nothing technically. After that point, he joined the school of "Hard Knox."

In the beginning, filming wasn't as simple as it is today, he explained.

After all, cameras weighed 300 pounds and editing took forever. He shot all his early films on 35 mm or 16 mm. Because of his low budget, he had to make due with what he had.

One script he wrote called "Mako: Jaws of Death" seemed unsellable until the movie ?Jaws? came out. Suddenly, it was a hot commodity.

For that film, he said, ?We couldn't afford a mechanical shark.? Instead, he used a real shark, one that had been found up on the beach, seemingly lifeless. When someone asked if they could pull that shark's teeth since they were valuable, he agreed. In the scene, a shark was in a tank with a woman, who was revealed when a curtain was opened.

Unfortunately, the shark was not dead. It started ?gumming the woman to death? in the middle of the scene.

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Mechanical alligators were used in ?Live and Let Die,? which he worked on. His expertise with not only sharks, but also the Everglades seemed to be his calling card.

One of his movies ?Death Curse of Tartu? took the story of an ancient mummy come to life and put it in the location of the Everglades. He still is getting mail from fans in Japan and Germany now. That film he wrote in 24 hours and shot in 7 days.

His unique perspective on the film industry and the cult classics he has created have made him a gem in the Sunshine State and beyond.

Pict ured: (Lef t ) Bil l Gref e speaking at an event years ago at Pet er Langone's st udio. (Right ) : Bil l shows of f his award at FLIFF 2019.

Grefe had plenty of

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OUTShine LGBTQ + Fil m Fest ival From Oct. 10 to 20, the OUTShine LGBTQ+ Film Festival took place in Ft. Lauderdale. The film fest opened with showing of the movie "Adam," about a bored teenager who goes to live with his sister in New York for the summer and gets more than he bargained for when he gets sucked into her lifstyle, watching as she falls for one Transgender person after another. He falls himself, also falling for someone, but ends up having to tell a lie about himself in order to try to maintain the relationship. Some saw the film as controversial because of it.

Following the screening, the director, Rhys Ernst , did a Q&A with the audience via Skype on the big screen.

The film was shown at the IMAX Theater at the Museum of Discovery & Science. Afterward, everyone headed over to nearby Stache for the after party, which included burlesque dancing, some light bites (that were delicious) and some specialty cocktails. The mayor of Ft. Lauderdale even made an appearance, among others, and honors were given.

For more information , visit OUTshinefilm.com.

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Sp o o k y Emp i r e -- h o r r o r f i l m f est i v a l This year, Spooky Empire and its Horror Film Festival was held in Tampa instead of Orlando. From Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, there was plenty of activities--films of all types and panels as well, in addition to activities within the convention. The Tampa Bay Convention Center was a beautiful waterside location for the event. The film festival, run by Kurt Donath along with IS founder Rachel Galvin, included 100 films and many filmmakers were in attendance.

This year's winners: - Fearmaker of the Year "To Your Last Death" -- Director Jason Axinn - Best Short Film "The Final Girl Returns" -- Director Alexandria Perez - Best Feature "Death to Metal" -- Director Tim Connery - Best International Film "Dibbuk" -- Director Dayan David Oualid - Best Special Effects "Hunters Moon" -- Producer/ Actor Steven Morana - Audience Choice "J CITY HEIGHTS: BEAR AND BITCOIN" -- Directors Kyle John Blake, Kenyon Hoag - Florida Spotlight "Halloween Party" -- Director Thomas Crane

Top: Rachel Gal vin & act ress Camil l e Keat on. (Beneat h): Women Fil m Indust ry Prof essional s, panel ist s Al ea Figueroa, Jeri Kl ein, moderat or Rachel Gal vin, Al exandria Perez & Amy Wil l iams. (L): Some of t he crew behind Best f eat ure "Deat h t o Met al ." (R): Tal ent Coordinat or Rachel Gal vin & Fest Direct or Kurt Donat h in one of t he vehicl es used in several "Evil Dead" f il ms/ shows on displ ay at across f rom t he f il m f est at Spooky Empire.

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S P A N S t s e F m l i F r Ho r r o

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VG Vodka is on t he scene

By Rachel Gal vin

Victor George Vodka (VG) is popping up everywhere it seems since its official launch back in September. The ultra-premium vodka, which took the silver medal at the San Francisco Wine and Spirits Competition this year, was the official vodka of the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, 30th Annual Swing for the Kids Golf Tournament at Lago Mar Country Club, Exotics on Las Olas, and was set to be featured at the Ft Lauderdale Intl. Boat Show and elsewhere.

The locally-sourced vodka is gluten-free and uses all-natural ingredients. The filtration and oxidation process they utilize helps to purify and remove harsh congeners and free radicals to make a spirit that is headache and hangover free.

What is more interesting than the vodka is the man behind the brand ? Victor George Harvey.

His life has undergone a series of twists and turns, but he is back with a commitment to build South Florida?s largest locally owned liquor brand. This go-getter was a college athlete, a rapper (with the name Tai Pan) with a record called ?The Rise, The Fall, The Rise,? and his own record label. He got involved in real estate and opened up his first vodka company, called V. Georgio Vodka in 2008. His new vodka, VG Vodka, is already getting a lot of buzz and growing rapidly.

Currently, his vodka is being bottled out of South Carolina, and he is building and opening a distillery on historic Sistrunk Boulevard in Ft. Lauderdale, which will house a tasting room, offices, cigar bar and restaurant.

In addition, he and his two children, both business majors in college, have their own VG clothing line, including boxers, hats and T-shirts, with more merchandise coming soon. A book and movie about his life are in the works. He is certainly one to watch, and look for VG Vodka coming to an event, restaurant, bar or store near you.

For more information, visit www.victorgeorgevodka.com.

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