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Statesman Journal, OR
March 30 2008
Dan Butler will headline Salem Film Fest
He appeared on 'Frasier,' directed film 'Karl Rove'
RON COWAN
Statesman Journal
March 30, 2008
Actor/director Dan Butler, best known as the "Bulldog" character in
the popular "Frasier" TV series, will headline this year's third
annual Salem Film Festival April 18-20.
Butler is the producer, co-director and co-writer of the opening
night film "Karl Rove, I Love You," which stars Butler as himself.
He will be joined at the 6 p.m. April 18 showing at the Historic
Elsinore Theatre by Phil Lierness, his co-director, director of
photography and cast member.
They will do a question-and-answer session after the film. All of the
visiting filmmakers and actors will be introduced prior to the
showing of the film.
Butler's film is a mix of documentary and mockumentary. He plays
himself as a character actor who hopes to change the course of the
2004 presidential election by doing a one-man show exposing what he
considers the evil political influence of Rove, the presidential
adviser and Republican political guru.
Instead, Butler becomes all too close to his subject.
"We're taking a lot from real life," he said. "Most everything is
real, except the premise."
The festival, which includes more than 50 features and short films,
will have other guests, although the details of their appearances are
still being finalized.
They include:
Mardik Martin, an Armenian immigrant who co-wrote "Raging Bull" and
"Mean Streets" with director Martin Scorsese and is the subject of
the documentary "Mardik: Baghdad to Hollywood."
He will appear the evening of April 19 to do a question-and-answer
session after the documentary and receive a special tribute award
from the film festival.
He will introduce a special showing of "Raging Bull" and will preside
earlier in the day at an afternoon panel discussion at the Hallie
Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University.
Pearl Fryar, the Bishopville, S.C., man who made himself and his
hometown famous with his unusual and artistic topiary creations and
is profiled in "A Man Named Pearl." Fryar will appear the morning of
April 20 with his film.
Voice artist Enn Reitel, who plays a film buff who becomes a
television personality in "Trust Me," a comedy about a con man in
Hollywood. The film will show April 20 and Reitel will do a question
and answer session afterward with Peter Morris, the film's producer
Other directors, producers and writers are expected at the festival,
which takes place at the Elsinore, the Grand Theatre and Salem
Cinema.
Panel discussions with filmmakers will take place at Willamette
University's Hallie Ford Museum of Art and a separate youth and
amateur competition will be held at the IKE Box.
Among the other films in the festival will be Helen Hunt's
directorial debut, "Then She Found Me," a comedy/drama about a
teacher who deals with divorce, pregnancy and the discovery of her
birth mother (Bette Midler); "Driving to Zigzigland," the story of a
Palestinian cab driver/actor trying to stay in the U.S.; and
"Audience of One," the odd but true story of a San Francisco
evangelical minister who attempts to film a biblical epic and enter
the film and television industry.
The festival focuses on independent films, both American and
international, including features and documentaries.
The program will include a special children's program, short films
paired with feature-length movies; Academy Award-nominated shorts and
foreign films, including the English "London to Brighton" and the
Italian "My Brother is an Only Child."
Salem Cinema, the Historic Elsinore Theatre and Allied Video
Productions are the main organizers of the festival, which is
coordinated by Loretta Miles and Jeff Hart.
Festival passes are currently on sale at the Elsinore box office.
A special festival section will appear in the Statesman Journal on
April 10.
March 30 2008
Dan Butler will headline Salem Film Fest
He appeared on 'Frasier,' directed film 'Karl Rove'
RON COWAN
Statesman Journal
March 30, 2008
Actor/director Dan Butler, best known as the "Bulldog" character in
the popular "Frasier" TV series, will headline this year's third
annual Salem Film Festival April 18-20.
Butler is the producer, co-director and co-writer of the opening
night film "Karl Rove, I Love You," which stars Butler as himself.
He will be joined at the 6 p.m. April 18 showing at the Historic
Elsinore Theatre by Phil Lierness, his co-director, director of
photography and cast member.
They will do a question-and-answer session after the film. All of the
visiting filmmakers and actors will be introduced prior to the
showing of the film.
Butler's film is a mix of documentary and mockumentary. He plays
himself as a character actor who hopes to change the course of the
2004 presidential election by doing a one-man show exposing what he
considers the evil political influence of Rove, the presidential
adviser and Republican political guru.
Instead, Butler becomes all too close to his subject.
"We're taking a lot from real life," he said. "Most everything is
real, except the premise."
The festival, which includes more than 50 features and short films,
will have other guests, although the details of their appearances are
still being finalized.
They include:
Mardik Martin, an Armenian immigrant who co-wrote "Raging Bull" and
"Mean Streets" with director Martin Scorsese and is the subject of
the documentary "Mardik: Baghdad to Hollywood."
He will appear the evening of April 19 to do a question-and-answer
session after the documentary and receive a special tribute award
from the film festival.
He will introduce a special showing of "Raging Bull" and will preside
earlier in the day at an afternoon panel discussion at the Hallie
Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University.
Pearl Fryar, the Bishopville, S.C., man who made himself and his
hometown famous with his unusual and artistic topiary creations and
is profiled in "A Man Named Pearl." Fryar will appear the morning of
April 20 with his film.
Voice artist Enn Reitel, who plays a film buff who becomes a
television personality in "Trust Me," a comedy about a con man in
Hollywood. The film will show April 20 and Reitel will do a question
and answer session afterward with Peter Morris, the film's producer
Other directors, producers and writers are expected at the festival,
which takes place at the Elsinore, the Grand Theatre and Salem
Cinema.
Panel discussions with filmmakers will take place at Willamette
University's Hallie Ford Museum of Art and a separate youth and
amateur competition will be held at the IKE Box.
Among the other films in the festival will be Helen Hunt's
directorial debut, "Then She Found Me," a comedy/drama about a
teacher who deals with divorce, pregnancy and the discovery of her
birth mother (Bette Midler); "Driving to Zigzigland," the story of a
Palestinian cab driver/actor trying to stay in the U.S.; and
"Audience of One," the odd but true story of a San Francisco
evangelical minister who attempts to film a biblical epic and enter
the film and television industry.
The festival focuses on independent films, both American and
international, including features and documentaries.
The program will include a special children's program, short films
paired with feature-length movies; Academy Award-nominated shorts and
foreign films, including the English "London to Brighton" and the
Italian "My Brother is an Only Child."
Salem Cinema, the Historic Elsinore Theatre and Allied Video
Productions are the main organizers of the festival, which is
coordinated by Loretta Miles and Jeff Hart.
Festival passes are currently on sale at the Elsinore box office.
A special festival section will appear in the Statesman Journal on
April 10.