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Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival 2009 Schedule

Thu, July 23 | Fri, July 24 | Sat, July 25 | Sun, July 26

All films and programs are in Room 26AB, on the south side of the Convention Center, above Hall H.

10:00–11:30 Comic-Con Film School Session 1: Preproduction and Screenwriting—For the sixth year in a row, Comic-Con returns with a four-day, hands-on, nuts and bolts class on how to make a movie for very little money, using available video technology and desktop postproduction software. Whether you're shooting your first Lord of the Rings fan film, or that story about the leather-clad girl who hunts zombies, this course will take you from script to DVD, so that you too can enter your own movie into the CCI-IFF. In this first class, learn the specifics of pre-production on the cheap, including screenwriting, casting, scheduling, location scouting, crewing-up, getting equipment for nothing, and so on. Panelists include Valerie Perez (producer/star of Paula Peril—Trapped in the Flames and Tears of the Dragon, a Lara Croft Fan Film), Nick Murphy (director, Tears of the Dragon), Michael Scott (director, Ryan vs. Dorkman), and Sean Rourke (writer/director, 1st Person Shooter).

Horror/Suspense Category

11:30–11:55 Side Effect—Lauren is the overachieving babysitter for a friendly couple, the Allens. With the trusted Lauren in charge of their adorable children, the couple head out for the night. Participating panelists include Liz Adams (director), Virginia Newcomb (lead actress), Krishna Devine (producer), Cheeks (recording artist), and Mat Lageman (cast member).

11:55–12:15 Allure—Club Allure, where all of your dreams come true, where everyone wants to be. Everyone except Lint, a sailor on shore leave who ditches the typical hookup scene for the promise of something deeper. Participating panelists include writer, director and visual effects supervisor Ian Hunter. Hunter is the co-founder of New Deal Studios and is known for his work on The Dark Knight, Terminator Salvation, and Watchmen, among many others. Allure production coordinator and New Deal Studios director of development Brooke Keesling will also participate on the panel.

12:15–12:40pm Page Turner—Lisa and Jonathan are on a first date when they come upon a nighttime yard sale, where Lisa buys an old photo album. Later, Lisa begins flipping through the album, which somehow has photos of her future with Jonathan! The pictures reveal things to Lisa about Jonathan...terrible things. Participating panelists include director Oliver Pearce, lead actress Jamie M. Fox, composer Shawn Patterson (ShadowMachine's Titan Maximum), still photographer Adam Kleifield, and cinematographer Jared Kotewicz.

12:40–1:25 Lifeless—A global pandemic has decimated the population and left the cities deserted. When a handful of survivors find themselves stranded in the aftermath, with the dead returning to life, they must rely on each other to endure in a world overrun by zombies. Co-director and writer David Sasich and co-director Eli Sasich, filmmakers of the award-winning short film Dead West, will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the production of this independently shot television pilot.

1:25–1:45 Asylum— Locked in a criminal asylum, Lewis is stuck in his cell with his obsession and madness, and he can't resign himself; not even the electroshock seems to remove his fear. There's just one person, Alice, who can discover what is behind Lewis' restless soul in Francesco Erba's horror film.

1:45–2:20 Alice Jacobs is Dead—Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, Escape from New York) and John La Zar (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls) star in this post-apocalyptic love story. Dr. Ben Jacobs helped mankind fight back against the Z-virus, which nearly destroyed civilization entirely. Now, in the aftermath of the crisis, he's trying to cure the last victims of the virus. But what will happen when he brings his work home? Panelists include writer/director Alex Horwitz and producers Jacob Robinson and Ariana Mufson.

Action/Adventure Category

2:20–2:45 Soccer Mom—Don't cross these moms the wrong way. When Carla steals Janet's parking space out from under her, it turns into a full- blown catfight of epic suburban proportions. Who will emerge victor? Participating panelists include director Leetal Platt and producer Andrew Rubin.

2:45–3:00 The Hurricane Fist—A rejected kung fu hopeful secretly trains under a great master's reluctant star student. Spending their days training, he proves himself worthy to her. And through their relationship they are both able to obtain the ultimate technique. Participating panelists include Toy Lei (Master SiFu), Cerina Da Graca (Young Master), Darshan Kembhavi (co-producer/cinematographer), and Jimmy Lu (writer/director/co-producer).

3:00–3:45 Al's Beef—Bloodied, barefoot, and branded like cattle, a mysterious woman comes to town with an aim to kill the man who's done her wrong. Starring Academy Award nominee Dean Stockwell (Blue Velvet, Quantum Leap), Jordan Ladd (Death Proof, Cabin Fever), Mark Polish (Twin Falls Idaho, The Astronaut Farmer), and David Yow (lead singer of The Jesus Lizard). Q&A to follow with writer/director Dennis Hauck and others.

3:45–5:30 Missy and the Maxinator—Max and Missy have been best friends for as long as they can remember, and now Max is falling in love with her. But strange things start happening to him at school. He can see through walls, hear distant voices, and suddenly has superhuman strength! When students start mysteriously disappearing after school, Max and his friends stumble upon a sinister plot by his teachers to take over the world. And when they kidnap Missy, Max must put his newfound superpowers to the test to save the girl he loves. Participating panelists include writer/director Daniel J. Lynch, actors Neal Shea and Scott Ackerlund, and visual effects supervisor Matt Shumway (The Incredible Hulk).

Documentary Category (Pop Culture-Oriented)

5:30–6:10 Inside Out—A documentary that gives a father's perspective about an autistic boy and his love of comic books and monsters. Adam White, director of Inside Out, will conduct a Q&A after the film.

6:10–7:50 Every Other Day Is Halloween—An uplifting feature-length documentary detailing the career and impact of television personality Dick Dyszel, whose popular characters Bozo the Clown, Captain 20, and the iconic Count Gore De Vol inspired generations of fans and artists. Appearing: C. W. Prather (director/producer), Dick Dyszel (Count Gore De Vol, Captain 20, Bozo the Clown), and Jerry Moore II (Karlos Borloff from Monster Madhouse Live).

7:50–8:30 Died Young, Stayed Pretty—A candid look at the underground indie-rock poster subculture in North America that was reborn, post-Punk, with the launch of groupie Clayton Hayes' website Gigposters.com. The documentary reveals a new breed of subculturists who've set out to destroy the mainstream through their controversial and intensely visceral design work. Director Eileen Yaghoobian gives an intimate look at a few of the giants of the subculture, some who've gone broke to maintain their creative workshops while others who have found commercial success.  Featuring interviews with Tom Hazelmyer, Art Chantry, Brian Chippendale, the Ames Brothers, Jeff Kleinsmith, Jay Ryan, Print Mafia, and Rob Jones, among others. Yaghoobian sneaks her lens into the lives of these self-professed radicals to discover where the real power lies, if any remains. With original music by Mark Greenberg and visual effects by Pete Dionne, Died Young, Stayed Pretty features posters for Radiohead, White Stripes, Arcade Fire, The Flaming Lips, The Melvins, Nick Cave, Broken Social Scene, Ween and legends like Bob Dylan and Marianne Faithfull.