Co-Founders Tim Kennedy and Ron Truppa Talk about the 14th Annual Catalina Film Festival taking place September 26 – 29, 2024.
This year, the Catalina Film Festival (CFF) is excited to announce its 2024 honorees for the 14th annual celebration. Academy Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden (The Morning Show, Pollock) will receive the Avalon Award, and actress/philanthropist Emmanuelle Chiriqui (Entourage) will be honored with the Champion of Challenge Award. The Red Carpet & Awards Ceremony will take place on Saturday, September 28, 2024, at 7 PM at the iconic Catalina Casino.
The Catalina Film Festival returns to Hollywood’s destination island for a four-day celebration of cinema from Thursday, September 26, 2024, to Sunday, September 29, 2024. Festival-goers can explore Avalon while enjoying over 200 films, industry panels, and exclusive after-parties at various island venues.
Co-founders of the Catalina Film Festival by Tim Kennedy and Ron Truppa, is driven by a charitable mission to champion imagination, education and destination year-round film workshops, industry panels, and inspiring events. Truppa, a Rhode Island native with a profound love for cinema, was pivotal in recognizing the significance of Catalina Island to Hollywood, making the launch of the festival here 14 years ago especially meaningful. Kennedy and Truppa have been dedicated to enhancing the festival’s impact since its inception.
As a California Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation, we are a collective of industry professionals passionate about film, the creative process, and the storytellers behind thought-provoking cinema and new media. Our goal is to nurture the growth of creative storytellers globally while celebrating, promoting, and educating about the art form of film and the filmmaking process—encompassing all stages of creation, components, mediums, and distribution channels.
Movie lovers anywhere can log on to join Catalina Film Festival‘s cinematic experience virtually with a special kickoff event ONLINE, Wednesday, Sept. 25, to launch the Virtual Catalina Film Festival, powered by EO Flix App and EntertainmentOxygen.com. Festival films will be available to stream online for an extended run Wednesday, Sept. 25 – Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. All-Access Passes for the entire lineup of films is only $20. Download the EOFlix App or join the online screening room HERE.
For more info, tickets and complete 2024 CFF schedule: CatalinaFilm.org.
2024 Catalina Film Festival Highlights
THURSDAY, SEPT. 26, 2024 – WORLD CINEMA DAY
Showcasing specially curated films from more than a dozen countries, highlighting the exceptional skills of filmmakers and ensemble casts. A decade in the making, this project culminates in the US premiere of Italian film, Il mio posto é qui at the Avalon Theatre at 6pm.
- The Lion’s Den®: A Live Pitch Session, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.Accredited private investors, venture capital financiers, and content development professionals, aptly named “lions,” evaluate pitches from aspiring filmmakers seeking funding or option agreements for feature/short film or streaming content. Filmmakers have the opportunity to strike a deal LIVE if a panel member expresses interest. Lions include: Michael Helfant, Amasia Entertainment, Michael Lazarovitch, Chemically Altered Productions, Natalie Haack Flores, VP of Development at Nuyorican Productions; Marci Linett, Private Equity Investor; London Wright-Pegs Lewis, VP of Business Affairs and Legal.
- Panel: Fade-In – Screenwriters, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.Gain an exclusive insider’s perspective on screenwriting essentials. Our panelists will take a deep dive into the core components of effective screenwriting and offer invaluable insights on consistently working and thriving in the industry. Panelists: Anna Salinas, Loot; David Eick, Battlestar Galactica.
- NEW VENUE THIS YEAR: Catalina Island Museum
- ANIMATIONS: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- FAKE IT TIL YOU BREAK IT: 12 – 2 p.m.
- DON’T KEEP ME IN SUSPENSE: 2 – 4 p.m.
- WES CRAVEN HORROR/THRILLER: 6 – 8 p.m.CFF has the honor of hosting the ONLY Official Wes Craven Award in the world, with the winner selected by the Craven family. Films in competition this year include Devotee, CARNÍVORA, Wake, LOAB, The Thaw, Sempre Avanti, Sundowning
- Panel: The Director’s Chair – International Directors, 1 – 2:30 p.m. Distinguished panel of internationally acclaimed film directors hailing from various corners of the world, each with their own unique narrative perspective, will tell enthralling tales drawn from their rich experiences and professional journeys, surpassing the bounds of imagination. Panelists: Jon Amiel (England) Sommersby; Krisztian Köves Kasparek (Hungary) HALÁLKERINGÖ, Gregory Nava, (US) Selena
- Panel: Casting the Best Actor, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Our panelists explain the process of how they cast lead characters. Listen to notable actors recount how they made a career for themselves as actors and the lessons they’ve learned. Panelists: Donna Morong (Casting Director) 10 Things I Hate About You; Amy Tsang (Actor) Acolyte, Grey’s Anatomy; Cara Jade Myers (Actor) Killers of the Flower Moon; Necar Zadegan (Actor) Mayor of Kingston.
- RED CARPET AWARDS CEREMONY & SPOTLIGHT FEATURE, 7:00 p.m.
NOT AN ARTIST, Directed by Alexi Pappas, Jeremy Teicher, starring Haley Joel Osment, Rosalind Chao, Matt Walsh, Betsy Sodaro, Robert Schwartzman, GaTa, RZA, Dan Bakkedahl —- A young woman (Pappas) is accepted into a residency program created by a wealthy enigmatic benefactor, “The Abbott” (RZA), for high-potential artists suffering from creative constipation.
- Panel: Successfully Marketing Your Feature Film – Film Festival, Sales & Distribution, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Explore the intricacies of securing pre-sales for an independent feature film, touring on the film festival circuit, crafting effective marketing strategies, and securing distribution channels for your feature film. Panelists: Olivia Mascheroni, Verve Ventures: The Purge, Get Out, Insidious; Natalie Haack Flores, VP of Development at Nuyorican Productions: Dune, Bob the Builder; Crystal Hill SVP International Sales at Red Sea Media: Damaged; Lediona Kasapi, TVCO – Germany; Adam D. LaBlack, CEO of LFR Films, Brian Nitzkin, Dept H.
