FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Seanna Hore, Ginsberg/Libby
seanna.hore@ginsberglibby.com

Gladys Santos, Ginsberg/Libby
gladys.santos@ginsberglibby.com
 

LOS ANGELES (November 3, 2021) — Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and Film Independent Presents – a year-round program offering screenings, conversations and other unique cinematic experiences – has partnered with The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts to present a slate of five compelling programs for film lovers and awards season aficionados, featuring acclaimed stars, from both behind and in front of the camera, who spotlight a diverse range of contemporary and classic films.

The kickoff to the week long series of events will be An Evening With… Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, director of Dune, joining for a deep-dive discussion about his both intimate and expansive work, leading up to and including the critically-acclaimed and box office success; then two-time Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat will “Bring The Noise” with commentary and performance pieces spotlighting his wide-ranging scores, with a particular focus on his frequent collaborations with Wes Anderson – especially The French Dispatch; and nearing the end of the week An Evening With… Maggie Gyllenhaal will feature clips about and conversation with the Academy Award-nominated actress and filmmaker about her groundbreaking and thought-provoking work that has helped shape and prepare her for her upcoming directorial debut, The Lost Daughter.

The week of events concludes with two of Film Independent’s signature Live Reads. Academy Award-winning actress and star of CODA, Marlee Matlin, directs a Live Read of Billy Wilder’s classic Sunset Boulevard, with both Deaf and hearing actors reinterpreting its iconic characters and quotable script; this will be the first of Film Independent’s Live Reads to include ASL interpretation throughout. Then a surprise, to-be-announced guest director will take on a Live Read of Steve Martin’s L.A. Story in celebration of the film’s 30th anniversary and Blu-ray release. Each event is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.

“We’re thrilled to be back at The Wallis, this time with an expanded block of awards season programming that showcases some of the most talented and visionary creators working today,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “The Film Independent programming team has curated a remarkable slate of events – from a Live Read directed by Marlee Matlin to a Bring The Noise event with composer Alexandre Desplat; from An Evening With… Maggie Gyllenhaal to a deep-dive conversation with Denis Villeneuve. This program is a rich celebration of cinema today and marks Film Independent and the Wallis’ kickoff to the awards season. Let the festivities begin!”

Tickets per program are on sale now (discounted for Wallis subscribers and Film Independent Members). The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. To purchase tickets and for more information, please call 310-746-4000 or visit TheWallis.org/FI.

Film Independent Presents is supported year-round by Lead Sponsor the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Additional support for these special events at The Wallis provided by Warner Bros., Searchlight Pictures, Netflix, Apple Original Films and Lionsgate.
 

Event Details

 
Tuesday, November 9, 7:00pm
An Evening With… Denis Villeneuve
An Evening With… Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Denis Villeneuve includes engaging conversation about his career up until now, from Maelström to Blade Runner 2049, as well as a deep dive into Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ recently released blockbuster action adventure Dune – co-written, directed and produced by Villeneuve and starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya, among many others. It is the first of a two-part adaptation (with Part Two recently greenlit) from Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name.

Wednesday, November 10, 7:30pm
Bring The Noise: Alexandre Desplat
“Bring The Noise” features an evening of conversation and performance celebrating the world-renowned, critically-acclaimed and multi-award-winning composer Alexandre Desplat, covering his decades of musical contributions to the film industry, from big studio to independent to international fare, with a particular focus on his ongoing collaborations with filmmaker extraordinaire Wes Anderson – including their most recent, Searchlight Pictures’ The French Dispatch. Two-time Oscar-winning Desplat is a composer, orchestrator and conductor who has garnered eleven Academy Award nominations and has scored more than one hundred films, among them David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Isle of Dogs, as well as Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water.

Friday, November 12, 7:30pm
An Evening With… Maggie Gyllenhaal
Oscar-nominated writer, director, producer and actress Maggie Gyllenhaal discusses the choices she’s made and chances she’s taken throughout her celebrated, daring, and multifaceted film, television and stage career that have shaped and prepared her for her upcoming directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, which will be released in select theaters on December 17 and available for streaming on Netflix on December 31. Gyllenhaal’s groundbreaking and thought-provoking performances include Secretary (2002), Sherrybaby (2006), Crazy Heart (2009), The Dark Knight (2008), Nanny McPhee Returns (2010), Frank (2014) and The Kindergarten Teacher (2018). In 2019, Gyllenhaal concluded a three-season run as the sex worker Candy who becomes a film director in the HBO drama The Deuce, which she also produced. She also starred as Yelena in Uncle Vanya (2009) and Masha in The Three Sisters (2011), both alongside her husband Peter Sarsgaard in Austin Pendleton’s productions at the Classic Stage Company, and debuted on Broadway in Sam Gold’s revival of Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing opposite Ewan McGregor in 2014.

Saturday, November 13, 2:00pm
Live Read: Sunset Boulevard Guest Directed by Marlee Matlin
Academy Award winner actress and director Marlee Matlin directs a Live Read of Billy Wilder’s 1950 classic film Sunset Boulevard with a cast featuring both Deaf and hearing actors from the cast of CODA, the 2021 coming-of-age film from Apple Original Films about a hearing teenager who is the child of deaf adults (CODA). Sunset Boulevard, often ranked among the best films ever made and among the first group of films selected for preservation by the National Film Registry, stars William Holden as a down-on-his-luck screenwriter and Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, a delusional former silent film star who fantasizes about returning to the screen. Matlin lost her hearing at a young age but nonetheless pursued an acting career and became highly successful, winning an Academy Award in 1987 for her role in Children of a Lesser God. She went on to star in a number of other films and television movies. This will be the first of Film Independent’s Live Reads to include ASL interpretation throughout.

Saturday, November 13, 7:30pm
Live Read: L.A. Story Guest Directed by TBA
A special to-be-announced guest director will bring to life Steve Martin’s 1991 romantic comedy L.A. Story – an homage to LA’s quirks – about a former weatherman (Martin) who decides to seek love and success in Los Angeles and discovers that a freeway sign is giving him romantic advice. By following it, he lands in a love triangle with a British journalist (Victoria Tennant) and a free-spirited Valley Girl (Sarah Jessica Parker). The event celebrates the film’s 30th anniversary and Blu-ray release for the first time in the United States (available everywhere as of November 9). Courtesy of Lionsgate, select attendees will receive a complimentary copy of L.A. Story on Blu-ray.
 

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

Film Independent is the nonprofit arts organization that champions creative independence in visual storytelling and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent’s Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff and constituents is comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a Member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry professional or a film lover.

In addition to producing the Spirit Awards, Film Independent produces Film Independent Presents, a year-round screening series for its members that offers unique cinematic experiences for the Los Angeles creative community and the general public.

Through annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent’s Artist Development program offers free labs for selected writers, directors, producers and documentary filmmakers and presents year-round networking opportunities. Project Involve is Film Independent’s signature program dedicated to fostering the careers of talented filmmakers from communities traditionally underrepresented in the film industry.

For more information or to become a Member, visit filmindependent.org.
 

ABOUT THE WALLIS ANNENBERG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national and international artists share their artistry with ever-expanding audiences. The campus, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA, is committed to robust and distinctive presentations and education programs curated with both creativity and social impact in mind. Distinguished by its eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its location in the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis has produced and presented more than 300 dance, theater, opera, classical music, cinema and family programs since its doors opened in October 2013. Hailed as “au courant” (LaLa Magazine), The Wallis was lauded by Culture Vulture, which proclaims, “If you love expecting the unexpected in the performing arts, you have to love The Wallis.”

Its programming has been nominated for 79 Ovation Awards and nine L.A. Drama Critic’s Circle Awards. The campus itself, a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, has garnered six architectural awards. Designed by acclaimed architect Zoltan E. Pali (SPF:architects), the restored building features the original 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places), which serves as the theater’s dramatic yet welcoming lobby, and includes the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater; an inviting open-air plaza for family, community and other performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound. Together, these elements embrace the city’s history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and residents alike. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is led by Chairman of the Board Michael Nemeroff, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Rachel Fine and Artistic Director Paul Crewes.