By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

THE PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL DEBRA HILL FILM FESTIVAL

Posted Wednesday, October 10th, 2012 - Comments Off on THE PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL DEBRA HILL FILM FESTIVAL
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Paul Reubens, John Carpenter, Randall Kleiser, and Penelope Ann Miller Will Participate in Honoring Debra Hill at the Festival

Festival Will Take Place on October 26 & 27 at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (October 10, 2012) – The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is pleased to announce the first-ever Debra Hill Film Festival on Friday, October 26 and Saturday, October 27 at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles.  One of the most beloved and influential producers of her time, trailblazer Debra Hill was one of the first women to establish herself as a major feature film producer in the modern era.  The Debra Hill Film Festival is a benefit to raise funds for the Debra Hill Fellowship — the single-largest charitable grant given exclusively to emerging producers.  The Festival is sponsored by Mondo and the New Beverly Cinema in association the Producers Guild of America and Women In Film.

Tickets and VIP packages go on sale today, October 10 through Brown Paper Tickets

Two of Debra’s signature films will be screened at the Festival including Big Top Pee-Wee (1988), the second big-screen outing of much-loved naif Pee-Wee Herman, on Friday October 26 at 7:30pm.  Paul Reubens, Randall Kleiser and Penelope Ann Miller will join this special event.  On Saturday, October 27 at 7:30pm, Debra and John Carpenter’s genre-defining thriller Halloween (1978) will be shown with John Carpenter participating in the evening’s events.  Stunning new Mondo prints for Halloween from artist Ken Taylor and Big Top Pee-Wee by artist DKNG will be available with ticket purchase.

The New Beverly Cinema remains one of the most celebrated revival theaters in the country, and one of the last to maintain 35mm projection facilities. Principals Quentin Tarantino and Michael Torgan have kindly provided the New Beverly Cinema as the home for the Debra Hill Film Festival.

President of the Producers Guild of America Mark Gordon said, “Debra was a trailblazer, an expert storyteller and a deeply committed member of the Producers Guild.  In the years since her passing, we have worked to keep her spirit alive, holding her passion and professionalism as a model for a new generation of emerging producers.   We are thrilled to have this opportunity to revisit her work and celebrate her inspirational legacy.”

Quentin Tarantino said, “We are excited to have the New Beverly Cinema be the home to the first ever Debra Hill Film Festival and to pay tribute to a remarkable woman and to her work that inspired so many of her peers.”

Cathy Schulman, President of Women In Film said “All of us at Women In Film recognize Debra as a trailblazer and leader for women in Hollywood.  On behalf of Women In Film and also as a council member for the PGA, I’m proud and so thrilled to congratulate the Guild for organizing an event that Debra would have loved and that recognizes the contributions of female producers.”

Proceeds from the Film Festival will fund the Debra Hill Fellowship.  The Debra Hill Fellowship is awarded annually to a young producer graduating from an accredited graduate film program with a producing-specific curriculum.  Recipients of the Fellowship are selected by the PGA’s Debra Hill Fellowship Committee and awarded based on candidates’ professional promise and personal reflection of Debra Hill’s legacy of humanism and activism.

About Debra Hill

Working alongside such filmmakers as John Carpenter, Terry Gilliam and Chris Columbus, Debra Hill not only compiled a landmark body of work, but served as a mentor to a generation of women producers before passing away from cancer in 2005.  Given her seminal place in the landscape of contemporary producing, such recognition for Debra Hill and her work is long overdue.

About the Producers Guild of America
The Producers Guild of America is the non-profit trade group that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media. The Producers Guild has more than 5,000 members who work together to protect and improve their careers, the industry and community by providing members with employment opportunities, seeking to expand health benefits,  promoting fair and impartial standards for the awarding of producing credits, as well as other education and advocacy efforts such as encouraging sustainable production practices. Visit www.producersguild.org, www.pgagreen.org, www.pgadiversity.org for more information.

About Mondo

Mondo is a division of the Alamo Drafthouse championed for bringing art back to movie poster design. Utilizing the talents of world-class artists and designers, Mondo produces limited edition, screen printed posters based on all things film, television and comic properties including Star Wars, The Avengers, DC Comics, Back to the Future and Universal Monsters. In addition to stunning artwork for beloved and future classics, Mondo also releases time-honoured and contemporary movie soundtracks on vinyl, such as Drive, as well as VHS re-issues. Based in Austin, TX, Mondo operates out of a permanent gallery space hosting regular exhibitions featuring a blend of breathtaking original artwork and limited edition screen prints. Having worked with filmmakers such as Guillermo del Toro, Wes Craven, Zack Snyder and Duncan Jones, Mondo has also partnered with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to further archive and preserve the company’s growing collection of original film posters.

About Women In Film

Women In Film (WIF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women achieve their highest potential within the global entertainment, communication and media industries and to preserving the legacy of women within those industries.  Founded in 1973, WIF and its Women In Film Foundation provide for members an extensive network of contacts, educational programs, scholarships, film finishing funds and grants, access to employment opportunities, mentorships and numerous practical services in support of this mission.  In the independent film world, the organization focuses on assisting female independent filmmakers who have exhibited advanced and innovative skills, specifically through its Film Finishing Fund and award-winning PSA program. Women In Film, Los Angeles and the Sundance Film Institute recently announced an initiative to analyze the imbalance of men to women working in the media industries and to commit their combined resources to enable women increased creative and employment opportunities.

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