Check out the Ojai Film Festival Seminars last year and be sure to check back in September to see what we have to offer in 2006.

From Page to Screen and In-Between: A conversation with filmmakers and industry insiders

Moderated by Elvis Mitchell

How did the film you just plunked down $9 to see get to your neighborhood theater? How come sometimes the credits seem as long as the film? How many people does it take to make a movie anyway - and what do all those people actually do?!

Seasoned industry pros will detail the process, problems and compromises of movie making from their particular points of view in a conversation with Elvis Mitchell, host of KCRW's The Treatment," and renowned film critic, formerly with the New York Times.

The New Paradigm: Distribution in the Digital Age

Moderated by Ninon Tantet; with Greg Laemmle, Markus Sandy and others.

One of the largest post-production expenses is the cost of making prints and getting them to the theaters. The cost makes it a huge stumbling block to the wide release of films that don't have the deep pockets to make prints for enough theaters to overcome scant advertising budgets and generate the word of mouth that leads to a film's ultimate success. All that is about to change.

We'll hear from people on the cutting edge of this new distribution age and see what the studios and theaters are doing to adapt to this new paradigm. We'll learn what it means to the future of your film-going and filmmaking experience.

Documentaries: Perspective on the Reel Thing

Moderated by Tracie Lewis; with Bobby Houston (2005 Oscar winner for Mighty Times: A Children's March), Maria Florio (1985 Oscar winner for Broken Rainbow), Gail Dolgin (2002 Oscar nominee for Daughter from Danang), Julianna Brannum and others.

If all story creation is inspired by the teller's emotional connection to the material, and unfolds from his/her point of view, can we expect a documentary film to be any different? In deconstructing real life for the camera, is it possible to create a film with an unbiased, wholly objective view? And in an age when documentaries are suddenly money makers and beginners compete with documentary superstars as well as Hollywood blockbusters, can an objective truth be emotional, engaging and entertaining enough to fill theater seats?"

This panel promises to be a lively discussion among some of the most successful filmmakers working in the documentary field today.

Actors on Directors: Stories from the Front

Moderated by Jeremy Kagan, director/writer/producer of feature films and television.

The director orchestrates all the artistic and dramatic aspects of a film. One role includes directing the performances of actors to elicit the required range of emotions. Every director has his own style and a successful actor must adapt to each one. Some directors rehearse, others don't. Some directors rely on mprovisation, others demand strict adherence to the script. and then there are those that fall somewhere inbetween.

Join celebrated actors and actresses as they recount stories about their work with some of the greatest, and varied directors of our time.

Gena Rowlands (John Cassavetes & Robert Mulligan), Bruce McGill (Ron Howard & Ridley Scott), John Diehl (Wim Wenders & Joel Schumacher), Bruce Davison (Robert Altman & Robert Aldrich), Diane Ladd (David Lynch & Martin Scorsese), Timothy Bottoms (Peter Bogdanovich).

Photo by Ron Seba

Pictured are “Land of Plenty” star John Diehl, OFF Moderator Raymond Singer and Director Wim Wenders

Recently, the Ojai Film Festival presented the first public showing of Wim Wender's new movie Land of Plenty, and provided moviegoers the unique experience of speaking with Mr. Wenders following the screening.