***Selections to the Festival are made by a committee of more than 15 people at a viewing and never less than 3-5 and it does not have to be unanimous. The film receives votes from 1-5, one being the least and 5 the best. Then the votes are talleyed and definite "yes" are separated from definite "no" and "maybe". If a film receives a split vote - it is then sent to another voter or two for final opinions.

The selected films are separated by category and sent to celebrity judges - people who are working in Hollywood as producers, casting directors, writers or animators. Their top selection in each category is then viewed in front of a panel of celebrity judges who choose "Best In Show".***

News

Updated July 17, 2007

PHILIP SOKOLOFF
Publicity for the arts

P.O. Box 94387

Pasadena, CA 91109-4387

(626) 683-9205

fax (626) 683-9172

e-mail: showbizphil@sbcglobal.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 15, 2007

Press/media contact: Philip Sokoloff, (626) 683-9205

THE SECOND ANNUAL REBEL PLANET SHORT FILM FESTIVAL OF HOLLYWOOD TAKES PLACE APRIL 20 THROUGH 22 AT THE BEVERLY GARLAND THEATRE IN NOHO

The Rebel Planet Short Film Festival of Hollywood takes its name from the rebellious spirit of maverick artists who refused to take no for an answer and made films their way; people who are sources of inspiration like Brando, Chaplin, Orson Welles, Robert Townsend and others.

70 films of a maximum length of 25 minutes each were shown over the course of three days, Friday through Sunday April 20 through 22, 2007, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. each day. Submissions were from the U.S., Australia, Japan, Israel, Canada, Mexico, etc. The films are divided into eight categories: Comedy, Drama, Horror/Underground, Short-Short, Student, Female Directed/Produced, Animation, and Documentary.

Festival judges included producer Doug Draizin (“Fools Rush In”), casting director Bob Morones (“Scarface,” “Platoon,” “Resurrection Blvd.”), writer Stacy Rukeyser (“One Tree Hill”), animator/producer Calvin Brown, Jr. ("The Proud Family"),director and actress Fay Hauser (“Akeelah and the Bee”, “The Young and the Restless”), actress/teacher Mariann Aalda ("Moist", "First and Ten"), actress Barbara Niven. There were also celebrity guests and panelists including producer Sean Covel (“Napoleon Dynamite”) and winner of Rebel Planet Short Film Festival of Hollywood 2006 Best in Show - director Harold Cronk "War Prayer".

The festival was founded by renowned actor, director and teacher Gloria Gifford and actress Holly Lewis. Ms. Gifford recently directed the L.A. Times Critic’s Choice and L.A. Weekly Award- nominated production of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ “Our Lady of 121st Street”, a guest production at the Matrix Theatre, in which Ms. Lewis played a leading role.

The event was held at the Beverly Garland Theatre at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn, 4222 Vineland Ave., North Hollywood, CA 91602. A list of titles can be found at the festival website, www.rebelplanet.com

Information: (323) 465-4427.

STAY TUNED: Submissions will begin for the 2008 Rebel Planet Short Film Festival in September 2007. Thank you.

History of Rebel Planet

1919

Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith create United Artists ­ an independent motion picture company that revolutionized the film industry.

1941
Orson Welles, at the young age of 25, co-wrote, directed, and starred in his first feature film ­ Citizen Kane, now regarded as the greatest film ever made.

1951
A Streetcar Named Desire is released and a young actor named Marlon Brando changed acting for the cinema forever.

1977
An up and coming filmmaker named George Lucas, writes and directs a film that nobody wanted to make. Star Wars, when it was released, became an industry standard for the term “blockbuster”, grossing over $100 million in its initial release.

1987
Tired of being relegated to playing “Pimp #1”, and “Drug Dealer #2”, a very determined actor named Robert Townsend writes, directs, and stars in Hollywood Shuffle. The movie, financed completely with Townsend’s own money and shot in only 12 days, launched a career that is now regarded as one of Hollywood’s most talented and diverse players.

1994
Dreamworks SKG is created by its three partners Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. This self contained studio releases feature films, soundtracks, television programming, animation, DVD, and recording artists on its own label.

April 14, 2002
Inspired by their incredible work, high energy, and intense drive, Robert meets with the artists at The Gloria Gifford Conservatory for Performing Arts, and the birth of a cinematic rebellion takes place ­ Rebel Planet is born.

What do these participants in our Hollywood history have in common? They are all rebels. People who broke the mold, colored outside the lines, kicked down walls, and went against the status quo have etched in our Hollywood history books and in our popular culture every one of these moments. They did not take “no” for an answer, they did not compromise, and they all made history.