Past Events
Clint Eastwood’s Jazz Film “Bird”
to screen Sept. 17 in Monterey
Monterey County Film Commission and the Monterey Jazz Festival present the movie classic about jazz great Charlie Parker, and a talk by local jazz expert Bill Minor.
On the evening before the Monterey Jazz Festival opens, the Monterey County Film Commission in association with the Monterey Jazz Festival will present a special free screening of the Clint Eastwood-directed jazz film “Bird,” and a talk by Monterey Peninsula jazz expert Bill Minor. The event begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., in downtown Monterey.
“Bird” explores the life and times of jazz saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker, who had a new style of music and was credited with revolutionizing jazz in the 1940s in New York. The 1988 film stars Forest Whitaker, who depicts Parker’s troubled world as a musician whose wife Chan tried to help him through the highs and lows of his life. The film won an Oscar for Best Sound in 1989.
Prior to the movie’s showing, Minor will speak about the impact of the Monterey Jazz Festival, which he has attended since the early 1980s, and give insight into the role of Parker in the jazz world. Minor is an educator, writer and musician-composer, who authored three nonfiction books on jazz, including “Monterey Jazz Festival: Forty Legendary Years.” Minor saw Parker play live in Detroit in 1954 with Stan Kenton’s Orchestra.
The screening of “Bird” is the first of a series of three films to be shown locally in a salute to cinematographer Jack Green, who last year received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the esteemed American Society of Cinematographers. On the ASC website, Green described his use of shadow to shape light for the film in “Bird,” his third film as a cinematographer and said, “If I could be remembered for my work on one film, it would be ‘Bird.’ ” Green also worked with Clint Eastwood on several of his later films, including “The Bridges of Madison County,” “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” and the Academy Award winner “Unforgiven.”
Free tickets to the event are available that evening at the door of the Golden State Theatre.
Event sponsors are Alternative Café, Fenton & Keller, J.R. Rouse Real Estate, Dark Light Pictures, Nico’s Ristorante Mediterraneo, 360 Prop Works, Inc., Old Monterey Business Association, the Arts Council for Monterey County, Humble Pictures, GuestLife Monterey Bay Magazine, Monterey County Weekly, Culver Studios, and the Golden State Theatre.
“Hollywood’s Big Night Gala”
February 22, 2009 – Sunday, at the Inn at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach Celebrate the Academy Awards® Presentations with a live telecast on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009. It’s the nonprofit Monterey County Film Commission’s 19th annual fundraiser. Dinner, wines sponsored by Scheid Vineyards, silent auction, and more.
Carol Lawrence, Broadway and Hollywood legend, was the celebrity guest of honor. She wore a black gown with a dramatic stand-up collar. The event also featured the masterful magic of Rich Ferguson, a strolling magician with amazing sleight-of-hand tricks.
“Kicking It”—a movie screening and Q&A with Director Jeff Werner, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.
Our Reel Friends Membership kickoff is Thursday evening, Nov. 20, at Lighthouse Cinemas in Pacific Grove. Follow a half-dozen homeless men from around the globe as they prepare for a unique Homeless Soccer World Cup, which was established to give people a chance to better their lives through sports. Actor Colin Farrell narrates. The event is free for current Reel Friends members and those joining or renewing as Reel Friends members($10 for others). Bring your friends to join Reel Friends that night!
Scene from the documentary “Kicking it”
Hollywood in Your Backyard at Wild Things
October 23rd - Thursday 5:30-7:30 p.m. - A guided tour through their animal park. Refreshments provided. This event is FREE for REEL Friends Members, $10 for guests. Members who renew, or anyone who joins at this event will get 1 free IMAX ticket (valued at $15.). No children under 18 years old may attend.
Photos from Events MORE
“Get a Reel Job” lecture with Phil Nemy
October 11, 2008 – Saturday, The Monterey County Film Commission and the Teledramatic Arts and Technology (TAT) Department at California State University, Monterey Bay bring Phil Nemy, a 20-year veteran of the motion picture, television and theatrical industries, to the Monterey Peninsula. Tickets: $10; reserve at 831-646-0910.
Flyer/Brochure Press Release Map to Event
May 4, 2008 -Sunday, "An Evening with Alison Eastwood" LINK
Photos from the Gala 2008 Party
The Invitation to The Big Night 2008 which was held on Sunday, February 24, 2008 at the Inn at Spanish Bay. LINK