This story is fro Today’s THV.
LITTLE ROCK (May 27, 2011) – The Fifth Annual Little Rock Film Festival kicks off this Wed., June 1, at 6 p.m. with a red carpet party and screening of the film “The Last Ride” at the Argenta Community Theater in downtown North Little Rock.
Cast and crew from “The Last Ride” will be present at the red carpet party and film screening including director Harry Thomason and actors Henry Thomas, Jesse James, and Kaley Cuoco.
Following the film screening and Q & A with cast and crew from the film, the Oxford American will host the Opening Night block party on Main Street in Argenta. Main Street will be closed between 4th and 5th Streets starting at 8:30 a.m. on June 1 in preparation for the party.
Tickets to the red carpet reception and the Argenta Community Theater film screening are sold-out, but tickets are still available for the Second Opening Night Screening at 8 p.m. at Riverdale 10 Cinemas and Oxford American Opening Night Party. To purchase tickets for the Oxford American Opening Night Party or passes for the five-day festival log on to www.littlerockfilmfestival.org where you can also see a full list of films, panels, and special events.
Background on “The Last Ride”:
“The Last Ride” is directed by Harry Thomason, a native Arkansan known for the television series “Designing Women.” The film was shot in Arkansas and involved several Arkansas filmmakers. “The Last Ride” is a look into the final days of country music legend, Hank Williams, and his relationship with the young man hired to drive the troubled star and his Cadillac from Alabama to Ohio in the dead of winter, around New Year’s Eve, 1952. The story takes the viewer inside the heart of a man who knows he’s dying, and a dreamless boy whose fate seems already determined. And yet, the all too human connection of two souls needing just one friend leave us with an ending of hope, optimism, and ultimately, redemption on one man’s last ride into eternity.
Background on the Little Rock Film Festival:
The Little Rock Film Festival is an international film festival with the Southern experience showcasing the best of Little Rock’s downtown and historic places. Each Spring on the banks of the Arkansas River, centered in the thriving historic River Market District of Little Rock-home to the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center-and the Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock, the LRFF showcases the best in narrative, documentary, and short films from around the World. Every film in competition at the LRFF makes its Arkansas premiere, and many are regional, national or world premieres.
The Little Rock Film Festival is also the premier festival for all things Southern. Each year the $10,000 Oxford American Magazine Award is given to the best Southern themed film. The LRFF has nourished a thriving local film scene as well, premiering the best work from around the state of Arkansas
Last year, more than 25,000 people attended the LRFF with over 100 films screened, prompting MovieMaker Magazine to name the LRFF one of the “25 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.”
Founded in 2006 by Owen Brainard, Jamie Moses, and Brent and Craig Renaud, the LRFF is home to the Oxford American Award for Best Southern Film, the Golden Rock awards for Best Narrative Film and Best Documentary Film as well as the Charles B. Pierce Award for Best Film Made in Arkansas.
Source: LRFF press release