~ Warner Brothers 90th Anniversary Celebration Begins with ‘The Brothers Warner’ Special Screening at the Burbank International Film Festival’s Opening Night at Warner Brothers Studios ~
The 5th Annual Burbank International Film Festival (www.burbankfilmfest.org), held September 4th – 8th in beautiful Downtown Burbank, will kick off this year’s film festivities with a prestigious opening night celebrating the 90th Anniversary of Warner Brothers, with a screening of the documentary film ‘The Brothers Warner’, written and directed by Cass Warner Sperling, granddaughter of Harry Warner.
Set on the back lot of Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, the evening will begin with celebrity guest arrivals and media drenched red carpet ahead of the screening of ‘The Brothers Warner’, an intimate and touching portrait of the four film pioneers who founded and ran Warner Brothers for over 50 years, followed by a star studded gala reception at the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in Downtown Burbank. Guests will be treated to delicious food, handcrafted lagers and adding to the night’s festivities will be a special performance by Emmy award-winning writer and stand-up comedian Brian Kiley. The following evening the festival is proud to host a night of comedy, drama and new media at Universal Studios which will include the theatrical premiere of the reality show ‘On Begley Street’ created by Ed Begley Jr.
BIFF Festival Director and President Jeff Rector said, “We couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with the studios this year and honoring some of the entertainment industries prolific icons. We would also like to acknowledge the great city of Burbank, the Burbank Downtown Partnership and Woodbury University for their continued support.”
In addition to over 70 independent films set to be screened in the five days of the Burbank International Film Festival, which showcases films from around the world in a variety of genres and also honors socially conscious filmmakers and entertainment professionals with awards for “Diversity” and “Awareness”. Many industry moguls will be honored with a prestigious award including, ‘Iron Man 3’ writer/director Shane Black (‘Lethal Weapon’), Academy award-winning director Brenda Chapman (‘Brave’), award-winning composer Marco Beltrami (‘World War Z’, ‘The Wolverine’), Conceptual Artist Neville Page (‘Oblivion’, ‘Avatar’) and Academy Award and Emmy-winning SFX make-up artist Michael Westmore (‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’, ‘Deep Space Nine’), with more honorees being confirmed. New to this year the Burbank International Film Festival added a “Faith-based” category as well as the “Los Angeles County Student Filmmakers Award” which will showcase young aspiring filmmakers from within the district. It is also one of the first festivals to capture the opening nights celebrations in 3D and be screened on the closing night with 3D glasses provided.
The festival will once again conclude with the Closing Night Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony, with red carpet and cocktail reception, at the stunning Castaway Restaurant in Burbank, hosted by NBC’s weathercaster and comedian Fritz Coleman, and wrap with an after party under-the-stars on Castaways beautiful outdoor patio.
For Festival Programming, Events, Tickets, or for more information visit www.BurbankFilmFest.org to support the festival as a volunteer, partner, or sponsor. For Celebrity and Media RSVP’s please contact: Liz Rodriguez at Liz@EMRMedia.com