The Los Angeles International Film Exposition, also called Filmex, was an annual Los Angeles film festival held in the 1970s and early 1980s. It was co-founded by Gary Essert, George Cukor and Philip Chamberlain in 1970.[1]

In 1983, Essert was forced to resign due to the festival's budget problems and disagreements with the board of trustees over policy. Suzanne McCormick was named as executive director and Ken Wlaschin as artistic director.[2] In 1985, Jerry Weintraub became chairman and chief executive of the board promising to make Filmex the world's number 1 film festival.[1] Later in 1985, Weintraub became chairman and chief executive officer at United Artists and in 1986, Weintraub decided that responsibility for Filmex had to be shared and that it needed to merge with either the American Film Institute or American Cinematheque, the latter having been formed by Essert in 1984. The board voted to merge with American Cinematheque and all Filmex staff were laid off except Wlaschin.[1] However, the board of the American Cinematheque wouldn't approve the deal until Filmex's debts were cleared.[3] No Filmex took place in 1986 and in January 1987, the American Film Institute launched the AFI Fest Los Angeles to take the place of Filmex with Wlaschin named as director of the new festival.[3] The Institute paid Filmex a fee to take over the date.[3] The Filmex Society, whose benefits included allowing members to attend advanced studio screeings, continued, with privileges extended to the AFI Fest.[3]

Filmex Timeline

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1971

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1972

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1974

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1975

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1976

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  • A Bicentennial Extravaganza opens the spring Filmex '76.
  • Alfred Hitchcock drives up in a Universal tour bus for the premiere of his Family Plot on Opening Night. At the gala ball at the Century Plaza Hotel following the screening, Hitchcock gives a speech in which he decries a line attributed to him that "actors are cattle." That evening, Hitchcock said, "What I probably said was, 'Actors should be treated like cattle.'";[9] He was feted by several celebrities before his speech, including James Stewart. Those who attended were given a clear plastic paperweight with Hitchcock's famous caricature on one side and the Family Plot poster on the other.
  • A Tribute to Cuban Cinema is held, which generates controversy.
  • A Cowboy Film Marathon is held, screening 48 films. George Stevens, Jr. speaks after a showing of his father's film Shane.
  • On December 18, 1976, Filmex holds the world premiere for Barbra Streisand's A Star Is Born at the Fox Village Theater in Westwood Village. The stars, including Streisand, are in attendance with a post-event party at Dillons, at the time a new disco in the Westwood area. Ryan O'Neal, Peter Bogdanovich, Marisa Berenson, Alan Carr, Chevy Chase and Funny Girl composer Jule Styne are among the guests. The theme was "A Night in White," with many of the guests garbed in white attire. Streisand, dressed in all black, entered the screening just before the lights went down protected by a "V" of guards who protected her path to her seat at the front of the theater. Gossip columnist Rona Barrett and her husband were in attendance in the back left of the theater. After the screening, guests walked several blocks in a roped off area to Dillons disco in Westwood. The top floor of Dillons was restricted to Streisand and her party. Tina Turner was turned away from gaining access, along with several other guests. Celebrity photographer Alan Light, then a teenager, took several photos of attendees in the lobby of the Westwood Village while standing on a table near the entrance. He and his mother were somehow able to gain access later in the evening to Streisand's upper level restricted area of Dillons.

1977

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  • Passing Through by Larry Clark[10]
  • Filmex '77 is dedicated to Rosalind Russell, who had died that year.
  • A 48-hour Movie Musical Marathon is held.[11]
  • Animato by Mike Jittlov
  • Eraserhead premieres at midnight on March 19. This was the uncut version, and much of this edit was lost when David Lynch recut the film in response to feedback from this first version.[12]
  • AFI debuts a special section called AFI Critics Choice.
  • Annie Hall is the Closing Night film.

1978

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  • Filmex announces that in its first seven years, 48 films were acquired for distribution after Festival exposure.
  • The festival's theme is animation, with several screenings of animated films featured
  • In keeping with the overall salute to animation, the first known retrospective of animated television commercials (1948-1978) is the first of four special screenings compiled by James Hall, shorts and documentary selection committee member since 1975; with film and advertising industry artists attending a post-screening reception sponsored by Advertising Age magazine.
  • Lillian Gish appears at the screening of Broken Blossoms.
  • In-person Tributes are held for Norman Jewison and Olivia de Havilland.
  • Filmex '78 salutes Oscar's 50th anniversary with a 50-hour film marathon.

1979

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1980

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  • The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle plays at Filmex '80.
  • A Tribute to Paul Robeson is presented.
  • The first theatrical retrospective of political television commercials was compiled by documentary and shorts selection committees member James Hall, featuring 30 years of presidential and local TV ads
  • The Mighty Movie Marathon

1981

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  • Filmex '81, the 10th anniversary, is held at nine different locations around Hollywood in Los Angeles.
  • The opening night gala was a financial disaster.[1]
  • A Special Section called "Treasures from AFI" is presented.
  • The "Scared To Death" 50-hour Horror Film Marathon is held.
  • Loretta Young is saluted with a Tribute.
  • The first theatrical retrospective of classic television commercials was compiled by documentary and shorts committees member James Hall for a screening at the Fairfax Theatre. From this program, Hall created three TV "specials" for NBC-TV ("Television's Greatest Commercials" 1982-1983).
  • The founders/organizers of Filmex announce the creation of a new organization called The American Cinematheque with the declared aim that it will eventually build on the work of Filmex and provide year-round film programming of classic and new films from around the world.

1982

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1983

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1984

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1985

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1986

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  • Filmex's board of trustees votes to merge with the American Cinematheque however, the merger does not go through.[3]
  • All Filmex staff are laid off other than Wlaschin.[3]
  • The 1986 festival was cancelled.[3]

1987

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  • AFI Fest is launched in Filmex's slot in March with Wlaschin as the festival's director.[3]
  • The American Cinematheque presents its first program in Los Angeles with the declared aim that it will continue the work of Filmex in the context of year-round film programming of classic and new films from around the world.

References

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  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m Thompson, Anne (April 17, 1986). "Filmex: Will Jerry Weintraub save it or destroy it?". LA Weekly. pp. 38–39.
  2. ^ Michaelson, Judith (October 26, 1983). "New artistic director picked for Filmex post". Los Angeles Times. p. 1, Part VI, Calendar.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Matthews, Jack (January 14, 1987). "AFI introduces its new offspring: A film festival". Los Angeles Times. p. 1 Calendar section.
  4. ^ Thomas, Kevin (1971-11-05). "First Hollywood International Film Festival Begins". The Los Angeles Times. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
  5. ^ Thomas, Kevin (1971-11-05). "Filmex Today". The Los Angeles Times. pp. Part lV 13. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  6. ^ L.A. Times, March 17, 1974
  7. ^ A-List Andy - Los Angeles Times
  8. ^ "Irene Dunne Retrospective". Los Angeles Herald Examiner. 1975-03-24.
  9. ^ Patrick McGilligan, pgs. 210-211, 277; American Movie Classics.
  10. ^ Passing Through|UCLA Film & Television Archive
  11. ^ FILM EX Trailer from 1977 - AFIFEST on YouTube
  12. ^ Hoberman, J; Rosenbaum, Jonathan (1991). Midnight Movies. Da Capo. ISBN 0-306-80433-6.
  13. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: FILM EX Trailer from 1980. YouTube.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b McCreadie, Marsha (April 7, 1985). "Filmex". The Arizona Republic. p. E1.
  15. ^ Lassell, Michael (March 15, 1985). "The Reckoning". LA Weekly. p. 18.
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