Beverly Hills Film Festival
We had the West Coast premiere of The Comic Shop at the Beverly Hills Film Festival Saturday night, April 5, at the incredible TCL Chinese Theatre 6 complex in the heart of Hollywood. Growing up a huge Star Wars fan, the Chinese was like a holy place for us fans, where you make a pilgrimage to check out where Star Wars exploded onto the scene. It was the venue where Lincoln Gasking stood in line for more than a month to see The Phantom Menace, which I covered in my book on the film. Being able to show my movie in the largest auditorium at the TCL 6 was a really amazing experience, but what made it even better was all of the people who came out to support me and support the movie. Almost the entire cast was in attendance, including Jesse Metcalfe, Tristin Mays, Micah Giovanni, Chris Cleveland, Leesa Neidel, Kerwin Thompson, Dylan Mooney, David Lautner, and Bree Eisel. My two producers can be seen in the picture, Ron Singer and Scott Reed, who have embarked on two feature film journeys with me and helped make this all possible.
The festival itself was incredibly well run. I have attended quite a few festivals over the decades and most of them have trouble running a smooth show because of the logistics involved, but BHFF was like a well oiled machine. The after parties were at the hottest nightclubs in Hollywood from Sky Bar and Warwick to Grandmaster Records and E.P. & L.P. The awards ceremony is held at the Beverly Hilton where the Golden Globes have always called home. I met a lot of other filmmakers and had the opportunity to check out many of their movies, both shorts and features. The staff at the festival couldn’t have been more helpful and pleasant. All around, the best festival experience I’ve ever had. The number of friends and colleagues who came out to support me was truly remarkable, from high school friends to business associates to my former real estate agent in Long Beach, the attendance was fantastic. Thank you Beverly Hills Film Festival and the entire crowd who came out to support us!
From top left to right: Director Bowen (1), Jesse Metcalfe being interviewed on the red carpet (2), producers Scott Reed and Ron Singer with Director Bowen (3), Eric Roberts and Director Bowen (4), high school friend Bernie Fox with Director Bowen (5), actress Leesa Neidel with Director Bowen (6), actor Kerwin Thompson with Director Bowen (7), Eric Roberts with the two producers (8), Fox and Bowen again (9), the whole cast on the red carpet with the producers and director (10), legendary poster artist Steven Chorney in front of his own poster with his daughter (11), and Director Bowen with star Jesse Metcalfe (12).
