BLYTHEWOOD – Hollywood comes to Blythewood this weekend. The Doko Film Fest is a Friday and Saturday (March 13-14) event that begins with a Friday night red carpet reception at the Manor in Doko Park, then moves on Saturday to Westwood High School where the work of high school age film makers, ages 15 to 18, will be showcased.
The event will feature two Blythewood natives who have gone on to top careers in Hollywood filmmaking – special effects producer Michelle Eisenreich and top Hollywood stuntman and actor Alex Daniels. They will be returning to Blythewood as judges, presenters and patrons of the second Doko Film Fest.
Oscar Winner
Two-time Oscar winner Michelle Eisenreich is the visual effects producer for film company Double Negative in Vancouver. Her team won their second Oscar last year for their work on the film, ‘First Man.’ Her team also won an Oscar two years ago for ‘Blade Runner 2049.’
As a result of her success on ‘First Man,’ Eisenreich was asked to pull together and oversee a new TV division for her company. She also has to her credit other major film projects including Star Trek Discovery for CBS and others for Netflix and Amazon.
Alex Daniels
Alex Daniels, an accomplished stuntman, stunt coordinator and President of the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures, appeared as a double in the movie Batman and Robin and has acted in other films including The Bucket List, The Dictator and The Guardian. He also assists with direction on awards shows for Nickelodeon, MTV and Spike TV.
Wally Marzano-Lesnevich, actor and screenwriter, will join the festivities from NYC as well as James Jude Courtney who plays Michael Myers in the Halloween movies.
Reception
At 7 p.m. Friday, a red carpet reception will be held at Doko Manor featuring live music, drinks and heavy appetizers as well as a silent auction. Tickets for the evening are $20.
Saturday
On Saturday, from 9 – 4, there will be master classes held by Eisenreich, Daniels and other film professionals on tips and tricks needed to produce winning and engaging films.
“The festival has more than doubled in film submissions over last year,” Smith said. “Last year we had 62 submissions from a few states and Canada. This year it’s grown to 144 submissions from 22 states, China, UK, India and Canada. Last year 13 films were shown, and this year, 23 are on the program,” he said.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the young film makers to interact with the audience, explain their films, receive reaction and comment on their work,” Smith added.
Each film will be between one and 10 minutes in length, except for the music video (at least 3 minutes) and the animation (one to 3 minutes). Categories include: short story, documentary, music video, comedy, animation and pocket studio (made and edited entirely on smart phone). Awards will be presented at the end of the event on Saturday in the respective categories as well as best in show.