WHO #1

Who Are The Stars Of The Festival?

THE ACTORS

Michael Caine * Vanessa Redgrave * Jack Nicholson * Michael Crawford * Julie Christie * Oliver Reed * Raquel Welch * Roddy McDowall * Ruth Gordon * Teri Garr * Bruce Dern * Lee Marvin * Jane Birkin * Peter Cook & Dudley Moore * The Beatles * Mick Jagger * The Monkees * Dave Clark Five * Cliff Richard & the 'Super-Marionated' cast of "Thunderbirds Are Go!"

THE ON-SCREEN MUSICAL PERFORMERS

The Beatles * The Rolling Stones * The Monkees * Pink Floyd (featuring Syd Barrett) * The Animals (featuring Eric Burdon) * The Dave Clark Five * Lulu * Herman's Hermits (featuring Peter Noone) * Small Faces * Peter & Gordon * Ginger Baker * Jack Bruce * Cliff Richard * The Yardbirds (featuring Jeff Beck & Jimmy Page) * Stevie Winwood * Mick Fleetwood * Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas * Spencer Davis Group * Strawberry Alarm Clock

THE SIXTIES ICONS

David Hockney * Sonny Liston * Frank Zappa * Annette Funicello * Allen Ginsberg * Victor Mature * Anita Pallenberg * Jean Shrimpton

WHAT

The festival is a major retrospective of movies that capture the fun essence of the Swingin' Sixties - including many of the films which inspired Mike Myers to create his Austin Powers character.

The 23 films in the festival were produced between 1963 and 1969 - and were chosen because they reflect all the fun, style, fashion and music of the 1960's. And also because each film looks like it could have starred Austin Powers! The majority of the films are British - augmented with a few American 60's classics.

Most of the films have not been seen theatrically in America since they premiered over 30 years ago. And some of the films have never been seen in America - not even on television or video - and this is certain to appeal to movie buffs and 60's fans alike.

WHO #2

Who Are The Directors?

THE DIRECTORS

Michelangelo Antonioni * John Boorman * Stanley Donen * Richard Lester * Joe Massot * Russ Meyer * Bob Rafelson * Nicolas Roeg * Michael Winner * Peter Yates

WHERE

The festival will be presented in the Cinematheque's new permanent home - the gloriously restored 1920's landmark Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood - which after a $15 million renovation features state-of-the-art technical facilities.

WHO #3

Who Will Enjoy The Films In This Festival?

The festival's organizers think that this celebration will be fun not just for the huge nostalgia-seeking baby-boomer audience - but also for the vast legions of younger folks who have discovered the camp fun of the 1960's through Austin Powers.

Of course it helps if you can get to Los Angeles....

WHEN

The festival opens on Friday June 25th - and runs till Sunday July 4th 1999.

The festival finale on Sunday July 4th will be a magnificent event! A Mods & Rockers English Tea Party and movie! A 'veddy' British way to celebrate American Independence Day!

The festival couldn't be better-timed. It opens exactly two weeks after the June 11 world premiere of the highly-anticipated new Mike Myers movie - Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me - the sequel to his 1997 hit movie Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery. The Austin Powers phenomenon draws deeply on the kitsch elements of 60's movies - and the immense popularity of the character among young audiences reflects an interest in the era that extends well beyond the nostalgia of baby-boomers.

The festival also comes in the summer that marks the 35th anniversary of the Beatles-led 'British Invasion' of English pop stars - and a few months before the much-heralded theatrical reissue of A Hard Day's Night - Richard Lester's Beatles film which is widely credited with having rejuvenated youth movies and musicals, influenced 60's film making and which still inspires music-video directors 35 years later.

WHO #4

So Who's Behind This Groovy Festival?!

The festival is presented by The American Cinematheque - the non-profit organization dedicated to presenting festivals of the world's finest films to public audiences in Los Angeles.

The festival has been created and is being produced by the team responsible for some of the American Cinematheque's most successful film festivals of the past ten years - humorist/producer Martin Lewis (a longtime member of the Cinematheque's Board of Trustees) and Dennis Bartok - the Cinematheque's Programming Manager.

Film festivals created and produced by Lewis & Bartok for the Cinematheque include tributes to comedic talents such as Monty Python, Richard Pryor, Peter Cook and Peter Sellers, film directors such as Ken Russell and Nicolas Roeg and the movies of Britain's Hammer Films and Channel Four. 1994's two-week Python retrospective - Monty Python: Lust For Glory! - was the comedy troupe's official 25th anniversary celebration - and was a major public and critical success.

WHY

Some reflections on the philosophy behind this film festival - according to one of its creators.

(Note: This editorial piece solely reflects the PERSONAL views of its author - humorist & commentator Martin Lewis - [the festival co-creator/producer/host] - and does not represent the views of the American Cinematheque or any other person or organization)

Every generation regards the decade in which it comes of age as golden - and for the baby-boomers it was the 60's. In recent years, Blue-Meanie revisionists have attempted to tarnish that decade's reputation. Now comes this fin-de-siecle Mods & Rockers! festival to restore the era's rightful luster.

The essence of the 60's that so terrorizes its sourpuss detractors is its exuberance - and that blazes bright in these films. The insouciant charm that Richard Lester ("Help") captured in his Beatles movies epitomized a new post-austerity giddiness in Britain and a renaissance in music, fashion and arts which was reflected in the movies.

Filmmakers from Brits Peter Yates ("Summer Holiday") and Michael Winner ("The Jokers") to visiting foreign directors Antonioni ("Blow-Up") and Stanley Donen (Bedazzled") all captured the kinetic jubilation. Even the decade's darker themes were explored with incisive panache by John Boorman ("Having A Wild Weekend"), Nicolas Roeg ("Performance") and Peter Watkins ("Privilege.") Their American counterparts ranging from Bob Rafelson ("Head") to Russ Meyer ("Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls") displayed similar dexterity.

Of course many of the era's films were irredeemably silly and some of those are presented in the festival too - for they are no less valid and offer the guilty pleasures that only deliciously empty calories can provide!

What ALL of these films do is remind us of a decade that at its best engaged with the soaring Apollonian heart of the human spirit. And that even at its worst - still put us in the mood for a good shag! And as we struggle to overcome PMS (Pre-Millennium Stress) - that's a golden 'Knack' we could all use!

Martin Lewis
Co-creator/producer/host of the Mods & Rockers! Film Festival
June 1999