The first annual El Dorado Film Festival will be presented September 18-20, 2014 at the South Arkansas Arts Center. The final selections have been made! Over 30 films made the cut and the three day fest will screen the collection of wonderful independent films from multiple countries, showcasing the work of talented new filmmakers and industry veterans alike. Several workshops will give film festival attendees an inside look at the movie making process, hosted by the filmmakers in attendance.
Howard Klausner, writer of Clint Eastwood’s Space Cowboys, will screen an advanced extended trailer of his new film The Secret Handshake, starring Kevin Sorbo and Amy Grant. The film was produced in Nashville and is Klausner’s directorial debut. Sorbo portrays Roy, a father in the suburbs trying to raise three girls who are beginning to attract the attention of troublemaking neighborhood boys.
“This is a hilarious script about boys learning how to be men, from men who never learned themselves,” says Sorbo. “Looks like my experience as a parent is about to pay off.”
“We’re all really excited to have Kevin on board as the lead for The Secret Handshake,” says Brown, one of the film’s producers. “He’s got the comedic delivery and dramatic chops essential to this challenging role and when he was equally receptive to the material, we knew we hit a home run.”
Grant stars as the mother of one of the troubled boys. “I’ve always pictured Amy in this role and her performance is absolutely stunning,” says Klausner, writer of Space Cowboys and Soul Surfer. He describes the film as “A story of men and boys on a journey from suburbia to the deep dark woods, and back again – with adventure, laughter and maybe a even a tear or two.”
Grant has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Sorbo is best known for portraying Hercules in the TV series “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” and in the films, Meet the Spartans and Soul Surfer.
Mr. Klausner will present a screenwriting workshop and also offer a filmmaking panel open to festival pass holders.
SAAC is thrilled to announce a featured screening of the multiple award-winning short One Armed Man written by two time Academy Award (To Kill a Mockingbird, Tender Mercies) and Pulitzer Prize winning writer Horton Foote and executive produced by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Directed by Tim Guinee, the short film has already won honors from the SXSW Film Festival, the Cleveland International Film Festival, and the National Short Film Competition. Cutting edge director Gus Van Sant called the film “A great piece of work. I want everyone to see it!”
Festival passes are now available at our Brown Paper Tickets website and the SAAC box office. The $30 “All Access” pass gets you access to all of our films (short blocks and features), workshops, and parties ( if you’re 18+)!
