Newport Beach Film Festival Weekend Wrap (The parties, the screenings, the scoop!)

This weekend was all about film and after parties in the OC with film screenings and red carpet events usually saved for our cousin city of Tinseltown (Hollywood).  But this weekend OC had its own circuit of Indy films that screened throughout Newport Beach, with their respective after parties in the surrounding areas. Following up from Thursday’s opening night gala in Fashion Island, Friday night hosted a screening of Sunset Strip, a super cool documentary about life on the strip with intimate commentary from Johnny Depp, Sharon & Ozzy Osburne, Mickey Rourke, and others, courtesy of film makers Hanz Fjellestad, Joe Mundo, and Donovan Leitch, whom OC News Diva had the pleasure of interviewing right after the screening.  (Cool, down to earth group of talented guys!)  We capped the night off at the Lexus of Newport Beach NBFF afterparty, which was mild… but fun, thanks to music by our favorite DJ and long time (like 20+ years) pal Roland Barrera.

Saturday was all about Romeo, the fun screening and much hyped film “Should’ve Been Romeo” by actor Paul Ben-Victor about a self-centered, middle-aged pitchman for a potato chip company that loses his job and his livelihood just as his octogenarian grandfather is dropped on his doorstep unexpectedly by his mother on her way to a singles cruise. OC News Diva also interviewed Paul Ben-Victor on Saurday night at the NBFF ater party at Equinox Sports club in Irvine (which just happens to be my home gym).  Check back soon for all the video coverage!

Catch the Newport Beach Film Festival this week in OC, If You Can!

The 13th annual Newport Beach Film Festival kicked off last night to a full house at the premiere screening of Jewtopia – a first time film by filmmaker Bryan Fogel, featuring a star studded cast that included Tom Arnold, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Jenifer Love Hewitt, and forever heart throb Ivan Sergei (do you remember Jack & Jill? – that’s when I fell in love with him!) The movie, one of 460 films from 50 countries that will screen at six Orange County theaters over seven days, was hilariously funny and very well received. Attendees were treated to an opening night gala conveniently held across the street at Fashion Island that featured a host of local restaurants and tastings underneath the moonlight sky, which luckily posed crisp and clear despite the scheduled rain.  Many more screenings and after parties are slated at NBFF over the next week and we plan to do our part to attend as many as we can 🙂

For more information on the Newport Beach Film Festival, visit http://www.newportbeachfilmfest.com