09/09/09   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A WILD WEST DIGITAL FILM FEST

 

PASO ROBLES, CALIFORNIA AND THE WORLD WIDE WEB

 

THE STATE AND FATE OF CHILDREN ELEMENT OF THE FILM FESTIVAL

MOVES TO FRONT STAGE, WITH THE LIKES OF MARK LUNFORD, DR.

LOIS LEE, WITH SPECIAL GUEST ACTRESS KATHLEEN QUINLAN...AND

HUMANITARIAN AWARD GIVEN TO KEN KRAGEN.

 

FILM FESTIVAL IS BEING FILMED AND STREAMED LIVE ONLINE...

 

The second wild west digital film fest, known as the Paso Digital Film Festival, will

begin to roll out the historic cast of characters, actors, musicians, filmmakers, and VIPs,

to make this roundup as exciting as last year.  This cuttin' edge digital fest will be a

true multimedia event, with hours of the festival streamed on the Internet, via websites,

mobile devices, and social networks.  A Hi-def DVD of the inside look at a film festival,

is being produced and set for release at the Paso Digital Media Festival this Spring,

in Austin, TX, and multi platform online.

 

LINK TO THE CAST OF CHARACTERS

 

Last year the festival was honored to have Clint Eastwood, his son's group, the Kyle

Eastwood Band, who performed for the festival, plus a number of Eastwood's team

from his LA based Malpaso Productions, including his long time associate and editor,

Joel Cox, who received the festival's first Lifetime Achievement Award.  All were joined

by actor/musician Kevin Bacon with brother Michael as The Bacon Brothers in

concert, plus the legend Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Johnny Rivers, who performed  with

Eagle's songwriter Jack Tempchin, Elton John songwriter Bernie Taupin, producer

and Martin Scorsese associate, Nigel Sinclair, and others from the biz of entertainment.

 

In the traditon of PDFF # 1, we'll pay tribute to MUSIC IN FILM, and especially music

videos and DVDs, and other digital platforms.  As last year, we will honor the musicians,

producers, editors, and film makers of the great music documentaries, as we screen

and pay tribute to some of these great films of music and entertainment history.   We will also pay special tribute to Les Paul, who was to be webcast into the festival to accept an award from New York, yet passed away only weeks ago, while we were making the plans. 

 

Another very important part of the Digital Film Fest, is the Sunday and Monday festival

theme, THE STATE AND FATE OF CHILDREN.  The Festival is going to screen some

new and past documentaries, that show the suffrage of children and youth, and honor

some of the great journalist and producers, that cover these concerns on film, television

and the Internet. Ken Kragen, who created, and was executive producer of We Are the

World,  and Hands Across America for the homeless will be honored, along with some

film makers, and experts working for better care for our Nations' youth. 

 

Festival Producer, Benford Standley, is deeply dedicated to shedding light in the dark-

ness of the millions of homeless, runaway and missing children, the abused, the autistic,

and those falling between the cracks in our society, and sadly, in historic numbers, here

in these United States.  Standley asks, "In the spirit of We Are The World, Farm Aid,

and other great events, where artists and creative people gather to help raise money,

and awareness for important causes in our society, we shall ride that train."

 

Along with the serious issues of the films and new media screenings, Standley has

created a Forum to look at these dark issues, and brainstorm on how film and new

media can be used to help educate and draw attention to  programs that are trying to

help, but as per usual, and now more than ever, are in need of funds for their programs.

 

Already coming together are some of the top people in the Nation working

with these millions of children in need.

 

William Bronston, M.D. CEO & founder Tower of Youth

Maureen Blaha, Ex Dir National Runaway Switchboard

Denice Ann Evans  Writer/Director of the Spitting Game

Rich Ferguson, Magician and Kid advocate

Janet Grillo- Ex. Producer Autism: The Musical

Aaron Guerraro, Hollywood Dir, Stand Up For Kids

Phillip Hain Ex Dir, L.A. Chapter Autism Speaks 

Alison Hurst, Venice Outreach Dir, Stand Up For Kids

Julianne Yamamoto King, Dir/Producer Beautiful Son

Lori Lite, Author and Dir. of Stress Free Kids

Mark Lunsford- Father of Jessica, established Jessica's Law

Dr. Lois Lee Founder & Pres Children of the Night

Vikky Mullin, Dir. of Singing Hands, Paso Robles

Diane Nilan, Pres, Hear Us Inc., Dir My Own 4 Walls

Kathleen Quinlan, Actress and Child advocate

Judy Ranan, Executive Dir. of Stand Up For Kids

John Reid, Executive Dir of Child Help

Benford Standley  Producer/writer/ Some Ran West

Dr. Laura Vazquez, Producer My Own 4 Wall

Katy Walsh, Dir. Development Runaway Switchboard

 

 

THIS LIST WILL DOUBLE IN SIZE BY FESTIVAL TIME...THIS IS IMPORTANT

Last year the festival set up a link with Kevin Bacon's online charity organization,

sixdegrees.com, to network with this charitable element of the event, and direct other

funds and donations to charity.  Area youth will be involved with the actual production of

the festival, and programs are being set up with paypal.com and a celebrity online

auction with ebay.com.  The Festival encourages viewers, visitors and fans to go to the

groups own websites and donate, or help them network with others, and travel Kevin

Bacon's site to help where you can.

 

Building on the momentum of last year’s inaugural festival, this year’s aims to re-define

how traditional film festivals operate.  The evolving Digital Worlds are part of the

evolution that we're seeing now in the entire entertainment business.  New media, social

networking, and the multi-platform delivery of music, film, TV, VOD and the convergence

with the Internet, mobile and the 3rd screen, 3-D, user generated content, and other

innovations that are just now being released, will be part of the of this Virtual Wild West

Digital Film Fest...the future is now, and we'll take you after the future.  Maybe we can

show you things that have not even been invented yet.  Think about it...

Paso Digital Film Fest announced today that they have partnered with B-Side Entertainment to provide

their audience with the most interactive, easy-to-use, and valuable experience possible on our website.

By partnering with B-Side to create a Festival Genius site, the wild west digital film fest will allow

audience members to interact with filmmakers, rate and review movies, build and share personal calendars,

and stay in tune with festival buzz during the course of program events.

 

CANNES, FRANCE (May 15, 2009) - World Cinema Foundation (WCF) Founder and Chairman Martin Scorsese announced today that the organization, which is dedicated to the preservation and restoration

of neglected films from around the world, has formed separate partnerships with B-Side Entertainment

and virtual cinematheque The Auteurs to market, promote and exhibit a slate of restored WCF titles. 

 

B-Side’s technology service, originally launched in Nov 2005, now fuels over 250 international festival

websites. The B-Side Festival Genius service replaces traditional online film schedules with a highly

interactive program guide that helps audiences connect with fellow film fans, filmmakers and films they

are most likely to love.  The user base for B-Side is about 4 million, many of whom offer direct feedback

through the company's proprietary technology that influences acquisition and marketing decisions. In April

the company partnered with Netflix's similarly data-oriented distributor Red Envelope and Screen Media. 

 

Event-promoter Standley wants the atmosphere to be open and encouraging for young

or emerging film-makers, with plenty of opportunities to rub shoulders with successful

award-winning film-artists, actors and entertainers, and to ‘talk-shop’ about films and

career-dreams, with the greats in the biz.  Standley produced one of the world’s first

Internet webcasts in 1995, from Hollywood’s Troubadour club, and in 1997 created a

historic Internet webcast with Willie Nelson, an outlaw he has done several projects

with, also working with music-world royalty such as Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Eric

Clapton, Les Paul, Hoyt Axton, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, and many others,

over the course of a 40-year career.  All 40 of those years he has done projects to help

kids, including writing two books, and doing hundreds of benefits.  He has four children

and owns a home in Paso Robles.

 

“Our target audience is from Hollywood to the Silicon Valley,” Standley said. “That fits

in with the tank-of-gas vacation. This is a small-town, Norman Rockwell setting, but it’s

a very rich environment. On the local level, this festival can serve as a catalyst to help the

tourist-industry, and bring the movie business into town. It’s kind of an infusion.  Paso

Robles, California, is located about 210-miles South of San Francisco, or 230-miles

North of Los Angeles, and is historic for its natural hot-springs, home to the Salinan

Indians, Old West history (such as the legend of Jesse James), and 26,000-acres of

California’s best wine grapes. The town is located directly on U.S.  101, with numerous

high-quality hotels, fine restaurants, wine-tasting venues and just South and Sideways

of Sundance.

 

www.bannercaswell.tv/users/uploads/ClientVideoPrivate/PAS_Assembly_07_BS.mp4

PASO DIGITAL FILM FESTIVAL TRAILER...CLICK AND CHECK IT OUT

free quicktime player download if you need http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/

 

Media access, press passes to events, parking, celebrity interview and photo opps

during the festival, an on-site press-room with materials and refreshments, and more,

are all extended to qualified working journalists who wish to take part.

 

Registration for members of the press who wish to attend the event is available on the

ThePDFF.com website. Interviews and more information are available by contacting:

 

Press Assist at studioclubnews@yahoo.com or 323-850-8919. 

 

SEE BIOS ON THE PLAYERS, ACTORS, FILM MAKERS AND CHARACTERS