Beverly Hills Film Festival Preview

Beverly Hills Film Festival 2012
See participating theaters
Beverly Hills, CA
www.beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com

Dates: April 25-29, 2012
Price: See ticket prices

The Beverly Hills Film Festival is as fancy and as star-studded as one would expect. Celebrated annually in the center of Beverly Hills, this festival acknowledges the art and talents of emerging independent filmmakers. In addition to movie screenings, the BHFF offers celebrity panels, seminars and a social environment for newer film artists to network with those who have been around the block.

Last year's festival was held at the Clarity Theater, abound with intimate and plush screening rooms. In the building's reception area, the red carpet gave every onlooker something or someone to notice. Actors like Jennifer Finnigan, Jonathan Silverman, Gary Busey, Gregory Smith and Mood Bloodgood paraded about the BHFF.

Both stars and filmmakers fill the festival in order to get a glimpse of the hottest independent screenings. Final selections this year include not only feature films (movies 50 minutes or longer), but also shorts, animated films, documentaries and screenplays. Must-see films from this year's lineup include:

Carbon for Water
In this award-winning documentary, filmmakers Evan Abramson and Carmen Elsa Lopez explore how health, climate change and human rights are interlinked in sub-Saharan Africa. Watch the trailer here.

The Black Tulip
Directed by Afghan-born director, Sonia Nassery Cole, The Black Tulip was shot entirely in Afghanistan, where the film also had a controversial run. The drama revolves around the Mansouri family who open a restaurant and gathering place for artists and poets to express themselves freely. Troubles arise for the family when factions of the Taliban threaten to silence them. Watch the trailer here.

Uprising: Hip-Hop and the LA Riots
Twenty years after riots ripped through Los Angeles, "Uprising" documents how hip hop forecasted (and some say ignited) the worst civil unrest of the 20th century. The film revisits the riots in gripping detail and draws from a diverse collection of voices – the rappers, rioters, victims, police officers, journalists and everyday citizens of South Central Los Angeles.

Worth the Weight
From a script bought off Craigslist for $500, director Ryan Sage's romantic comedy follows Sam, is a former college football star whose chance to play in the NFL abruptly ends with a blown out knee. Seven years later, he finds himself alone, working a minimum wage job and weighing a deadly 413lbs. Knowing that it is time to change his life but realizing that he can't do it alone, Sam hires a personal trainer who, not only helps him lose weight, but find love.

Haight Ashbury: The Beat of a Generation
The Beat of a Generation is a two hour documentary revealing stories of a magical "summer" that brought us the ground-breaking music known as the San Francisco Sound and the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood that provided the canvas for this artistic burst of imagination. The documentary unfolds through extensive archival footage and interviews with those who lived in the Haight during the Summer of Love as well as those who live there now. Watch the trailer here.

Being chosen for the BHFF is an important accomplishment and honor, as it provides the artists with the chance to be further recognized by the awards that the festival bestows. Last year's Golden Palm Award went to "The Bad Penny" starring Tom Arnold and Bai Ling. The documentary "Espera un Milagro," by Spanish director Gemma Ventura won awards for Best Director and Best Foreign Film. Jon Voight received the 4th annual Beverly Hills Film Festival Legends Award.

One can expect only more excitement at this year's celebration of the festival, slated for April 25-29. Everyone is invited to be part of the mix. Furthermore, those in attendance decide who will receive yet another very coveted award – the Audience Choice Award. Learn about this year's film selections, times and prices at www.beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com.

Dena Burroughs is a freelance writer living in Azusa, CA. She is a CSULA graduate with specialties in Creative Writing and Communications. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.