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82 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, May 1, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend April 6, 2004 Irving’s ‘Wild Parrots’ crowned by film festival audience By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" took the audience award as the favorite movie at the third Ashland Independent Film Festival’s Sunday night awards ceremony. The festival opened Thursday and continued through Monday with 77 independent films. "The Failures," a comedy from Los Angeles director Tim Hunter, was named best feature. "The Dogwalker," a drama from Los Angeles filmmaker Jacques Telemarque, won the Gerald Hirschfeld A.S.C. Award for best cinematography. "The Wild Parrots" is San Francisco filmmaker Judy Irving’s loving look at the relationship between the wild birds of a north San Francisco parrot flock and a man who found that feeding the birds was the start of a learning journey. A film about urban wildness, it works on two levels: the bird level, with its feathered stars, and the human level, in which a once-homeless street musician finds more meaning than he bargained for. Irving attended the festival, as did Mark Bittner, the parrot feeder. The festival sold out about a third of its 100 showings of five days, Executive Director Tom Olbrich said. Advertisement "We don’t have the numbers yet, but it looks like it’ll be a record," Olbrich said Monday. The event’s attendance has increased each year. Lines could be seen in front of the Varsity Theatre at times during the weekend. "Chinese Dream," by filmmaker Victor Quinaz, was named best short. "Frankie and Johnny are Married," by Michael Pressman of "ER" fame, took the award for best acting ensemble. Best documentary was "What The #$*! Do We Know?" a mix of documentary, animation and drama. "Woman in the Attic" was named best student film. "Frankie and Johnny" starts with a simple idea to revitalize both the acting career of Lisa Chess, producer/director Pressman’s wife, and the couple’s relationship. The project quickly turns into a maddening, and very funny, theater nightmare. The picture also took a prize at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival. "What the #$*!," staring Marlee Matlin ("Children of a Lesser God"), mixes the uninspired life of a woman with a Greek chorus of scientists and mystics. "Chinese Dream" takes viewers into the semi-feudal world of a Hong Kong restaurant. "Woman in the Attic" is an animated foray by University of Southern California film student Chansoo Kim into a world of dusty memory and the eternal youth inside us all. Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times