MEDIA CENTER

The Winners are in! Click here for the list. And for more information, read stories in Huntingtonnews.net and the Herald-Dispatch.

Theater packed for 'Back to the Bottle' premiere. Antwon Pinkston of the Herald-Dispatch reports there were few seats to be had inside the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center on Thursday night as Huntington residents came out for the premiere of Francesca E. Karle's "Back to the Bottle." Karle's docudrama traces the life and tug of war of Huntington resident Paul Meade with alcohol. She also made a 2005 documentary, "On the River's Edge," which took an in-depth look at homelessness in Huntington. Her documentary garnered national attention and won her the Best Young Filmmakers Award at the Film Festival. Read Antwon's report.

George Huff To Perform. American Idol finalist George Huff will bring his soulful sounds to Huntington on Thursday night. The singer will perform during the festivities preceding the world premier of Francesca Karle's new documentary film about substance abuse titled "Back to the Bottle." Huff was a finalist on season three of American Idol in 2004, finishing in fifth place. Other standout performers from that season include Fantasia Barrino, LaToya London, and future Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson. Read more.

Indie film to feature Lynda Carter. The independent motion picture "Tattered Angel," starring Lynda Carter, will be one of the featured films at the upcoming Appalachian Film Festival at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center. "Tattered Angel" is a psychological drama that centers around the abduction of a 10-year-old girl. Carter, the Emmy award-winning actress best known for her role on television's Wonder Woman, plays the child's mother. Read more.

Lavender on the Film Fest. Dave Lavender of the Herald-Dispatch says, "That wildly spiced cinematic stew that makes up the Appalachian Film Fest is getting boiled down to the good stuff. The Huntington Regional Film Commission sifted through more than 130 entries from across the 13-state region of Appalachia for the films chosen to be shown at the 5th annual Appalachian Film Festival that takes place Thursday, April 17 through Saturday, April 19, at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center. Read more.

View and/or Download This Year's Poster. Get the poster in .pdf format, right here.

Film Finalists Announced for Festival. The Huntington Regional Film Commission has announced the finalists has announced the full list of independent films to be shown and judged during the Fifth annual Appalachian Film Festival April 17-19 at the Keith Albee Theatre. As Tony Rutherford reports in Huntingtonnews.net, the festival kicks off with the red carpet world premiere of "Back to the Bottle" at the Keith Albee. Still in the final editing phase, Toni Karle, mother of Francessca Karle, the writer/director, announced that two major motion picture stars will make cameo appearances in the production. To read Tony's story, click here. To see the schedule of this year's films, click here.

Synopses of Films for This Year's Festival (April 4, 2008) We have just added a long file with synopses of the films under consideration for this year's event. -- click here to see it.

An Art of the Movie Pitch Guru Guest Appy Fest Artist. Writing in Huntingtonnews.net, Tony Rutherford reports on this year's guest artist, Ken Rotcop, who has headed four film studios, who won a writing / producing awards, and who has authored a best seller on selling concepts to Hollywood. "Having appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and STARZ Entertainment Tonight," Rutherford notes, "he authored The Perfect Pitch: How to Sell Yourself and Your Movie Idea to Hollywood. Having previously taught script writing at USC, UCLA and others, Rotcop will present his famed writer's workshop as part of the Appy Film Festival." To read Tony's report, click here. And for more on Ken, click here.

Film World Premiere/Red-Carpet/Dinner/Live Entertainment to Raise Awareness of Alcohol Addiction. Francesca E. Karle ( On The River’s Edge-2005) will present the World  Premiere of her film Back to The Bottle, a docu-drama on alcohol addiction on Thursday, April 17, 2008 at the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center.  This is the feature film for the  opening night of the Appalachian  Film Festival as well. A “Hollywood” red carpet event  will be open to the public at 5:00 pm for seating in the bleechers including free refreshments, prizes and live radio remote. For the general seating ticket holder dress is semi or formal attire. They can enter onto the red carpet  at 6:15 pm  at the corner of 10th Street and 4th Avenue ( 4th Ave will be closed between 9th and 10th streets). A delectable mediteranean dinner will be served between 6:15 and 7:15 pm in the theater graciously provided by Rocco’s Restaurante, Sodexo at Marshall University, Pullman Plaza Hotel Catering, Brunetti’s Bakery,  Uno Chicago Grille,  Bob Evans Restaurants, Heiners Bakery, Pepsi and Starbucks.  VIP (actors, celebrities and entertainers) red carpet entrance  will commence at 7:15 pm for the media. Among the celebrities will be Ashley McNeely of MTV’s A Shot At Love , and David Otunga of  VH1’s I Love New York 2. Read more.

Film Festival Featured on Marshall University's new "Up Late" TV show. Festival chairman Sam St. Clair and area filmmaker Francesca Karle have appeared on the new "Up Late" late-night TV talk show, discussing the upcoming festival and other projects. "Up Late" is a student-produced show hosted by teacher "Jamie LoFiego, who has created the broadcast so his students get hands-on experience in video production. To view Sam's remarks on the show, click here. To see Francesca's segment, click here. And read more about "Up Late," see the story by Christian Alexandersen by clicking here.

Tickets On Sale for 'Back to the Bottle' Red Carpet Dinner Premiere. Tony Rutherford of Huntingtonnews.net reports that tickets for the red carpet premiere of Francesca E. Karle’s newest docu-drama go on sale March 3. The $25 tickets cover a Mediterranean dinner, the showing of “Back to the Bottle,” appearance by MTV and VH1 celebrities and a performance by George Huff (“American Idol”). The alcohol addiction awareness raising film will be the opening night highlight of the Appalachian Film Festival which runs Thursday, April 17 through Saturday, April 19 at the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center. Read more.

Deadline approaching for submissions for annual festival. Dave Lavender of The Herald-Dispatch provides a detailed overview of the April 17-19 festival, including background on Francesca Karle's debut of "Back to the Bottle," set for April 17. Click for details.

The Poster. In preparation for the 2008 festival, we're now posting our announcements all over town. But you don't have to steal one from a telephone pole -- just download your copy right now. Click here to get the poster in .pdf format.

We're at the Keith! We are pleased that all of the films nominated in the 2008 Appalachian Film Festival will be publicly screened in downtown Huntington's historic Keith Albee Theater. Click here to learn more about this amazing venue!