Film Festival preview: Q&A with Manny Pacheco | Events

The upcoming Edmonds International Film Festival is creating quite a buzz around town.

I did an Q & A session over email with author Manny Pacheco, who will be hosting an event on Oct. 23.

What is your involvement in the Edmonds International Film Festival? 
 
I guess I'm the official author of the 2010 Edmonds International Film Festival. My book Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History tells America's story through the eyes of character actors of Hollywood's Golden Age (1930-1970). I decided to concentrate on actors such as Claude Rains, Basil Rathbone, Hattie McDaniel, and Walter Brennan because Studio-Era movies used these fine actors in what would become classic Cinema including Gone With The Wind, It's A Wonderful Life, Casablanca, and The Adventures of Robin Hood.
 
I will be hosting a lunch at Cafe De Paris in Edmonds on Saturday, October 23rd beginning at 11:45 a.m. Guests of the event will enjoy great cuisine, my comments regarding seldom-told accounts about some of their favorite classic films, a short video which brings my stories to life, and a gift-copy of my book, which I will personally autograph. I'll also host a book-signing at the Edmonds Bookshop later in the day at 3:30p for those who are interested in obtaining a copy of my work.
 
My goals are simple... I simply want to bring the magic of Hollywood to the Edmonds Film Fest by providing rich historical perspective, and hopefully, garnering a new generation of movie-goer interest in Tinseltown's rich past.
 
 
In your opinion - what will the festival bring to Edmonds, and vice-versa?
 
It's my understanding that the Edmonds Festival promoters are bringing the event from Idaho in the hopes to grab interest from the largely intelligent Seattle community. I say this, because even though I live in Los Angeles, I'm well aware of the culturally rich contributions that include literature, art, and a variety of entertainment derived from the Pacific Northwest. Edmonds is the perfect locale as an affluent, media-savvy suburb of Seattle.
 
I believe that with this location in place, the yearly festivities can attract the top filmmakers to the area, and create a national buzz, along the lines of the success of the annual Sundance Festival, and other important film-fests held in major cities. I've also been told that the city of Edmonds is the "Jewel of the Puget Sound area." This event will attract the all-important tourist dollars into the area, and that's good from an economic standpoint.

 
What can the audience expect from your work?
 
As a 30-year Southern California Television and Radio personality, and a member of the Screen Actors Guild and Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, I have worked on NBC's Santa Barbara, and KCOP's Emmy-nominated In Studio. My voice has also been heard on national television commercials. I have written numerous articles for major periodicals about a variety of entertainment topics including my experience on the Red Carpet at the 2008 SAG Awards.
 
Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History has won 4 major national awards including:
 
The USA Book News - 2009 Best Book Award Winner (History - Media / Entertainment);
The Books-and-Authors.net - 2010 Best Book Award Winner (Non-Fiction - Film);
The 2010 Premier Book Awards - 2nd Place (Non-Fiction - History);
The 2010 Hollywood Book Awards - Honorable Mention ( Biography / Autobiography).
 
My work can also be found in the prestigious libraries and gift shops of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the American Film Festival, the Writers Guild Foundation, the Hollywood Heritage Museum, and the Paley Center For Media in Beverly Hills. Of course, my self-published paperback is in the traditional book-selling location: Amazon, Borders, and Barnes & Noble.
 
I can tell your readership with great anticipation that Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History has garnered significant interest from a major Southern California Film Production Company. If we reach the proper agreement, my work will be turned into a motion picture documentary, which would be available for airing at a future Edmonds International Film Festival. A major announcement regarding this joint-venture might be announced as early as next week.