Asheville Film Festival screeners selected 79 films from among 257 submitted from the United States, Canada, France, Ireland and countries in Africa.

By Paul Clark

ASHEVILLE – Adam Taylor is hoping for a little magic at the Asheville Film Festival.

The film he created about the traditional lifestyle of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, “In Harmony With Nature,” will be screened during the festival, which opens Thursday. During the local projects segment on Saturday night, the West Asheville resident and other filmmakers will show their work in hopes of attracting the eye of someone who's looking for a filmmaker.

That's what the Asheville Film Festival, now in its sixth year, does. It brings filmmakers into contact with people who love film, as well as those who work in the industry and who are looking for the next big thing. Asheville Film Festival screeners selected 79 films from among 257 submitted from the United States, Canada, France, Ireland and countries in Africa. All will be vying for judges and audience awards in the categories of features, shorts, animation, documentaries and student films.

Money (and numbers)

Film, television and production companies spent more than $160 million in North Carolina in 2007, a 61 percent increase from 2006, according to the N.C. Film Office but still down from $235 million in 2004 and $209 million in 2003.

Recognizing its importance to the area, AdvantageWest (the state's economic development commission for Western North Carolina) has increased its budget for attracting and supporting media projects in the area from $147,549 in fiscal year 2007 to $212,083 this fiscal year. The increase is also meant to sell the area to “creative commerce” project leaders — people in fashion, design, music, architecture and gourmet foods (among other categories) — said Dale Carroll, AdvantageWest president and chief executive officer.

Writers (and writing)

This year, the Asheville Film Festival celebrates the foundation of all film and video making — screenwriting. This year there is a screenplay competition. Writers have a chance to win $1,000 and perhaps more importantly, a guaranteed read and an interview with a qualified industry agent.

“The way I see it, the script is like a blueprint, and when you get into actually making the thing, you find certain things are working and certain things are not,” said Taylor, who rewrote parts of the script for “In Harmony With Nature.” He likened the relationship between screenwriter and director to that of architect and builder — the builder adjusts for the realities of construction. “You don't always find that things go together the way the writer planned.”

A screenplay will often go through a series of writers before it reaches the screen, each one addressing changes made by the director, studio or star, noted Biltmore Forest resident Brenda Lilly, a screenwriter (“L.A. Law,” “Fame: L.A.,” co-creator of “State of Grace”). Lilly is heading the festival's screenwriting competition, which has attracted two dozen screenplays. Each change “can drastically change the original intent of the script,” she said. “So when you sit in a movie theater and say ‘that doesn't make sense,' don't necessarily blame the writer.”

Asheville Film Festival Highlights

Films (and spectaculars)

- “Focus on Local”: Film event 7:30-9 p.m. Saturday at the Fine Arts Theatre in which local filmmakers get to show “shorts, trailers and works in progress,” said Rod Murphy, a West Asheville documentary maker coordinating the segment.

- Fashion show: About an hour and a half before “Focus on Local,” designers R. Brooke Priddy and Paul Olszewski will stage a multimedia fashion production between the New French Bar and Diana Wortham Theatre.

- Opening event: The festival's opening event on Thursday includes a screening of Darren Aronofsky's new film “The Wrestler,” starring Mickey Rourke. “It's being said that it will completely revitalize Rouke's career,” said Ken Hanke, the festival's chairman of film programming.

- Closing night film: “Slumdog Millionaire,” won the audience award at the Toronto Film Festival and was the closing night film at the London Film Festival. “The critics are saying this could be the best film of the year,” Hanke said.

Features (and documentaries)

- Recommended features: In “The Flyboys,” two boys unwittingly sneak aboard a small plane and find out that they've foiled a heist to steal millions of dollars from the mob. A heartbroken heir's encounter with a stranger in “Speed Dating” leaves him suspected of murder.

- Recommended documentaries: Films about Little Rock desegregation (50 years later), the building-jumping sport of parkour, a coalition's attempt to fight new coal-burning power plants in Texas, and Appalachian State University's rise to national football powerhouse.

Veterans (and honors)

- Lifetime Achievement Award: This year's award goes to Brad Dourif, an Oscar-nominated actor whose roles ranged from Billy Bibbit in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” to the voice of Chucky in the “Child's Play.” His films include “Humboldt County,” “Halloween,” “Mississippi Burning” and two “Lord of the Ring” films.

- Achievement in Writing Award: It goes to Frank Pierson, an Oscar-winning writer and director whose film credits include “Dog Day Afternoon” (an Oscar winner), “In Country,” “A Star is Born” and “Cool Hand Luke,” a 1967 Oscar-nominated film that will be screened at the festival on Saturday.

Film festival features parties, seminars, special screenings

Parties and special events

For Asheville Film Festival event tickets, including to special events, call 257-4530, visit www.ashevillefilmfest.com or swing by the Pack Place box office.

Thursday: Premiere Night Film and Reception, 7-11 p.m. The event includes a screening of Darren Aronofsky's new film “The Wrestler,” starring Mickey Rourke, in the Fine Arts Theatre. Tickets are $40.

Friday: An Evening with Brad Dourif, 7:30-10 p.m. The event features a screening of Dourif's 1979 film “Wiseblood” at the Fine Arts Theatre and a Q&A with Dourif. Tickets are $20.

Saturday: An Afternoon with Frank Pierson, 3-5 p.m. The event features a screening of Frank Pierson's film “Cool Hand Luke” starring the late Paul Newman at Diana Wortham Theatre, as well as a Q&A with the Oscar-winning writer. Tickets are $20.

Saturday: The Spotlight Celebration Awards Reception & Ceremony, 8-11 p.m. The event, a champagne and dessert reception in the lower lobby of Pack Place, will be followed by the awards ceremony in Diana Wortham Theatre. Tickets are $25 (with discount coupon).

Nov. 9: Closing Night Film and Reception, 6-10 p.m. The event features a screening of “Slumdog Millionaire,” the latest work of Danny Boyle, in the Fine Arts Theatre, followed by a reception at Pack Place. Tickets are $20.

Note: Discount coupons available wherever tickets are sold.